Evening journal., 1911-11-17
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Why Michigan Stood Fast
for Seward in 1860
By Holland.

By Holland.
For some months before the Repub-
lican national convention Of 1860 met
at Chicago the politicians were great
~ interested in the attitude which the
State Of Michigan would take toward
the various men who were to be named
as candidates for the nomination. The
belief prevailed that although Mich
igan was APPARENTLY in favor Of the
nomination of William II. Seward of
New York, nevertheless at the proper
moment it would be discovered that
Michigan was only too ready to give
her support TO some one of the can
dldatcs who lived west Of the Allie
ghany mountains.
Michigan. however, stood steadfast
for Seward No sort Of intriguing or
any promise Of patronage was sufh-
Cient to shake the support, by a ma
iority of the Michigan delegates, of
Governor Seward for the presidential
nomination. And il was steadfastnesa
that was prompted by deep sense Of
gratitude.
In 1886 a little group Of Eastern
capitalists purchased from the State
of Michigan the then incomplete Mich
igan Central Railroad which ran from
Detroit to "A nowhere point on the
prairies not far from the present city
OF Kalamazoo. The new owners decid-
ed to carry the road across the State.
In doing this they adopted the some
what high-handed, arbitrary methods
which years later, having become UNI
bearable in the West, led to the or
sanlzatie no the granger movement
Their attitude was I'VE are the peo-
ple who are you? Get out of our
way
These methods greatly irritated the
hardy Michigan pioneers, and at last,
feeling that they could not get sat
isfaction from their oppressors by
legal means. they organized sort OF
vigilance committee which tore up the
rails Of the railroad and did other
damage to the company's property.
Some of the leaders were arrested
and thrown into Jail in Detroit The
next day. at a consultation held I'm the
Jail, one of the prisoners suggested
that they send to Auburn, ~ Y. ana
ask William II. Seward, who had gaiu-
ed national reputation by his defense
Of lunatic negro of the name of
Freeman charged with murder, to de-
fend them Senator Scwad defended
the negro without charging a cent for
his services. said the man who made
the suggestion. "IIc is in sympathy
with the oppressed and the poor We
cannot pay him much, but | believe
that if he is told what we have sur-
fered from tho railroad he will gladly
agree to defend us
The suggestion was speedily adopt
ed, and. sure enough. when the case
was offered to Seward he was greatly
stirred over the railroad cOmpanys
treatment of the pioneers and at once
agreed TO defend tho men who had
been arrested for tearing up the conf
pany's property.
AZ the trial Seward delivered a
speech TO the jury IN which be justi-
! fed the depredations of the prisoners
on the ground of public policy. fIo de-
/ clared that what they had done wag
no more than a perfectly natural pro-
test against the methods which tho
railroad company had enforced sgainst
them, and he insisted that If the rail
roads continued such practices they
would eventually cause such hostility
20 themselves throughout the West
that the further construction of rail-
roads would be impossible
M srsff "a "A d ud inc T.orrarfns- EausurI Z
speech tho men were convicted. But
the report OF the speech was carried
TO the furthermost borders Of Alichi-
gan and there was not 2 pioneer who
did not read IL and, having done that
make William r. Seward his political
idol
That sentiment still prevailed
throughout the State when some
twelve years later it was announced
that Governor Seward would be one Of
the candidates for tho Republican
presidential nomination of 1860. Word
lswas az once sent to him that he could
rely upon the unwgvering support OF
Michigan in his candidacy. Seward
friends relied greatly upon this prom
Use. II was the keystone of their or
ganization, for they felt with reason
that il one Western State would b,
steadfast in the support Of Stewards
nomination then the locality argument
would not avail--that is to say, Sew
ards availability for the nomination
would not be greatly affected by thC
fact that he was an Eastern man. II
was Michigan's support of Seward thai
made his friends believe that his nomi'
nation was certainty; and but fol-
the politics which in a single evening
transferred the support of Pennsyl.
vania from Seward to Lincoln, Seward
would undoubtedly have been nomi'
mated and much of the credit of thai
nomination would have been justly dc.
served by Michigan.
Copyright, 1911, by e. j. Edwards al
rights reserved)
Tomorrow MIR. Edwards will tell -
Story of the Organization Of the Re
publican Party"