El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-06-11
D. q. June D. a!


OF a policy Of reconstruction Of the
southern states which had in it more
of Thaddeus Stevens than of Abraham
Lincoln. 1t resulted also in the en-
frauchisement Of the negroes. But. so
far as the campaign of 1865 was con-
cerned, its most important result was
the adherence OF Gen Ulysses ). Grant
TO the Republican party and his tri-
umphal election TO the presidency. Gen.
Grant was the greatest OF all the war
heroes, yet it was with the utmost
difficulty that he was persuaded to
become a candidate.
In the first place Grant was Dem
Ocrat, so far as he had any politics at
all His last vote before the war was
for a radical prO-slayery Democrat.
and he was not even supporter OF
Douglas in the quadrangular fight OF
1850. He never cast a Republican vote
until after he had served eight years
as Republican president The Demo
Gratis claimed him They had even
talked Of nominating him in 1864. Dur
ing the Johnson administration there
was an earnest effort TO get the Dem
Ocratlc party on its feet and 10 nOmi-
nate Grant for president If it had not
been for the quarrel between congress
and the president. which resulted in
violent break between Grant and John
son, the probabilities are that Grant
would have been nominated and elect
ed BY the Democrats in 1868.
Grant Consents TO Run.
But Johnson had provoked Grant TO
anger and had attempted to superSede
him in command of the army by calling
Gen. Thomas TO that position. Grant
naturally found sympdthizers among
the Republican leaders in congress,
nearly all Of whom hated johnson with
their whole souls. So when the Repub-
lc0nS began to plead with Grant TO D5
their candidate he listened. For a time
he held back. honestly doubling the
wisdom of the step Finally his con-
sent was obtained, his candidacy an
nOunced and the whole thing was over.
So far as the head Of the ticket was
concerned. the Republican national
convention which met in Chicago on
May 20 was merely ratification meet
ing.
The Republican convention met IN
Chicago on the same day-Of course it
was an accident-rhat the National Sol
diers' and sailors convention met The
soldiers ana sailors got under way
little quicker than the Republicans and
recommended the nomination of Grant
The convention, next day, accepted the
recommendation with WhOOp.
Impeachment Trial Of johnson.
In some respects, however. it was the
'-maddest' bunch of Republicans thaL
ever assembled in q national conven-
ton The impeachment trial Of presi-
dent johnson had been dragging itself
out, and every Republican in the cOun-
try was absolutely confident that the
verdict Of the senate would be gull
ty- Only four days before the Chicago
convention met the senate voted and
johnson was acquitted The vote stood
81 guilty and l9 not guilty" but
that lacked one vote of being the re-
quisite two-thirds- Seven Republicans
had Joined the y Democrats then in the
senate in voting for acQuittal In the
convention these senators were called
the seven traitors"
There was Ben Wade president pro
tempOre Of the senate. II Johnson had
been convicted he would have succeed
ed to the presidency under the old or
der Of succession. He thought il was a
certainty Grant was nominated for
president but Wade was running for
vice president on the strength OF prom
iS1ng patronage for the few months he
was TO be president. The Wade boom
fell through when Johnson was acQuit-
ted and Schuyler COlfaX, of Indiana.
got second place on the ticket.
Brown OF Georgia.
one or the most remarkable features
OF the chicago convention OF 1865 IN
view or later events, was the presence
of governor Joseph T. Brown. Of Geor-
gla- Brown had been, as he described
himself, "secesh Of the secesh' He
was governor Of Georgia under the
Confederate government, but came
near to seeding from the COnfederacy
on account of a quarrel with president
Jefferson DAVIS over the CONSUMPTION
regulations. He presented himself at
Chicago, pledged himself TO the RepuD-
icans and told them that il they would
let reconstruction stay at its present
status the south would become Repub-
hcan- Perhaps IL would have done so,
but there was more reconstruction to
come. Governor Brown afterWard came I
to the United States senate as a Demo
crat and his son, Little joe is now
governor of Georgia
The Democratic convention that year
met in Tammany Hall, on l4th street. 1
New York, on July 4. 1t was a great
loyalistic and patriotic gathering and
not even the Republicans could do more
yelling for the flag. Quite by acct
dent a most peculiar coincidence. a
National Soldiers and Sailors cOnven-
ton met in New York on the same day.
mat convention, entirely distinct from
Jne one that had met in Chicago in
May, recommended to the Democratic
convention the nomination of Gen
winfield Scott Hancock. But the Dem
ocrats didn't approve the recommended
ton
Despite the fact. not then so appar-
ent, that the Democrats did not have a
ShoSt of show to defeat Grant with
anybody they might name, there was a
great contest over the nomination. In
J 5l Ilrst place. Andrew Johnson. presi-
uenI OF the United States, wanted to
run on the Democratic ticket He
wrote letter saying he would accept
the nomination. Then George H Pen
GIeton, Of Ohio. was there as the en-
uOulment Of the greenbgCk' sentiment.
which was gaining ground all over the
country. on the first ballot PendIeton
LED. Johnson was second and Han
cock. the Democratic soldiers candi-
GATE, third, with a dozen other candi-
dates in the field.
Two ShreWd Politicians
In that convention were the two
SnreWdest politicians who ever entered
the national arena under the Demo
cratic banner-HOratiO Seymour and
samuel j. Tilden- Seymour was presi-
dent OF the convention. Tilden was
leading the New York delegation Sey-
mour was the chief cOnspirator in a
scheme to stampede the convention to
salmon p. Chase. IL there was ever a
man who wanted to be president il was
Salmon p. Chase. And if ever an aspi-
rant had a supporter who was ALWAYS
faithful and always enthusiastic, it was
Chase's daughter. Kate Chase SpraEue.
Chase had been a candidate in various
parties before the war. he had oDnosed
Lincoln for the nomination in 1864 and
Lincoln had returned good for evil bv
making him chief justice of the su-
preme court, despite the memory of
Wis quarrel with Chase. as secretary
OF the treasury, early in his admins
tration.
1t was now 1865 and Chase was again
.