The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-06-12

and offer to send enough money into
Indiana to insure Lanes election in
october if the booster would desert
Curtin and support Seward 1t is to
be doubted if Curtin and Lane could
have succeeded in nominating Lin
coin against Weeds management and
Stewards great popularity, if it had
not been for Horace Greeley. Greeley
had paved the way for the anti-Seward
movement by coming out against Sew
ard in the Tribune Greeley said Sew
ard was unavailable, but of course the
real = ison was not revealed at that
time. The Tribune supported Edward
Bates of Missouri 1t could not win
for Bates, but it had the effect of help
ing to destroy Seward.
When the convention was assem-
bled, everybody saw there was great
fight on. The Seward managers made
a tactical error in having a great Sew
ard street parade. While the Seward
people were marching on the streets,
the Lincoln managers-Judd, Swett
and others-packed the Wigwam to
the limit when men whose only in
structions were to "whoop it up for
Abe" They did Seward, the darling
of the party, had no friends in the
galleries. His name was greeted with
silence but for the few feeble cheers
coming from discouraged delegates.
Every mention of Lincoln was cheered
to the echo. The elaqueurs served
their purpose and served it well. The
practical politicians of the Curtin and
Lane stripe convinced the convention
that Seward was unavailable. The
rooters in the galleries convinced it
that Lincoln was the man. The politi-
cal manager of today pays great
deal of attention to the galleries, and
he packs them for his candidate if
possible. He has a distinguished pre-
cedent.
The nominating speech had not at
tanned its modern Importance at that
time. Seward was placed in nomina-
ton by a speech thirty-three words in
length, and it required but twenty
five words to place Lincoln before the
convention. On the first ballot Sew
ard had 1872 votes and Lincoln 1O2.
The others were cast for Bates, Cam
eron, Chase and others. On the sec
ond ballot Seward gained eleven votes
and Lincoln gained seyenty-nine On
the third ballot Lincoln went ahead,
having 231h to Stewards 1870. Then
Ohio changed four votes from Chase
to Lincoln and gave him the necessary
majority. The packed galleries cheer
ed and cheered until they were ex-
hausted Joseph Medill, the Chicago
editor and leader of the Lincoln forces
rejoiced with his compatriots and with
Lane and Curtin.
But Thurlow Weed was disgusted
and heart-sick. He refused to suggest
a man for yice-president when ten
der of that privilege was made to the
Seward forces. Hannibal Hamblin
was nominated on the second ballot
over Cassius NJ. Clay of Kentucky.
The Seward men were not only sore
in defeat, but they were ashamed of
their partys newly selected leader.
They measured him by the mud on
his brogans, and it was as II they had
essayed to measure the walls Of space
with foot-rule.
The convention itself was very like
the convention which will meet in
Chicago this month. It's organization
was not so perfect, admission to the
hall was easier to gain, and the con-
vention did not have such a sense of
self Importance as it has today. The
first business is transacted was to ac-
cept an invitation to take an eXcur-
sion on the lake, which acceptance
was afterward reconsidered. The
convention thought it necessary to ad-
iourn one evening because the hall
had been previously engaged for an
exhibition drill by a zouave company.
1t was a lively, fun-loying body
Horace Greeley was present as dele
gate from the then almost inaccessible
state of Oregon and the delegates
twitted him as the Gentleman from
Oregon" All the free states were
represented and there were delegates
from FIVE of the slave states-Ken-
lucky, Missouri, Delaware, Texas and
Virginia. Only those states present
were read out on the first roll call.