Evening journal., 1912-11-21
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Story Of the Election
= Of 1860
BY Holland.

The Presidential electors who we're .
elected in New York State in 1860
we're Republicans. BY law they met :
at the State Capital, Albany, the sec
ond Monday in January Of 1861 10 .
vote for president and for Vice Presi-
dent AS everybody knew that these
electors would declare the vote OF .
New York to have been cast in favor
Of the election of Abraham Lincoln
for President and Hannibal Hamlin
for Vice President, there was little or
no popular interest in the meeting Of :
the elctors.
The electors themselves, however,
we're somewhat excited by the appeals Z
which had been made to them to sex
lect this or that young Republican,
as the messenger intrusted with the
duplicate set of returns from the New
York State electoral college to Wash
ington. One set Of returns was to be
delivered to the Vice President of the
United States, who at that time was
John c. Breckenridge, and who had
been the Southern Democracy's candi-
date for President against Lincoln
and Douglas. The other set was to
be delivered to the Secretary of State.
To be such messenger was an hon
Orary position much sought for by
the younger politicians of that day,
Tor in addition to the opportunity OF
spending a few days in Washington
the emoluments amounted to a COM
Portable little sum.
There were three or four candidates
for this post of messenger and the
electors we're not able to decide untilV
after two or three ballots had been
taken. At last, choice was made OF I
Stewart l.. Woodford, who. 81 years
later was United States Minister toE
Spain when war came between that
country and this. Mr. Woodford, inH
1861, enjoyed national reputation as
one of the most brilliant of the young
er speakers in the campaign for Gen
eral John C. Fremont for PresidentY
and had been one Of the prominentE
speakers in the campaign for Mr. Lin
coins election.
The morning after MIR. Woodford's
arrival in Washington he placed inV
the hands of the Secretary of State Z
Jeremiah S Black, one set of rcturnsl
from the New York State electoral col +
lege. Then he went Immediately tol
the capitol. He had already beeni
notified by Vice President Breckcnt
ridge that he would be received iIS
the Vice Presidents room at q certaiIN
hour
Upon entering the Vice Presidents
room Mr. WoOdfOrd was very cordial
ly greeted by the Vice President Het
took notice OF the personal appear
ance of Mr.. Breckenridge. and found
the common report that spoke of Mr.
Breckenridge as one of the handsom-.
est of all public men in Washington.
He also realized what great personal
charm Of kindly courtesy which was
one of the distinguishing character
stics of John c. Breckenridge reallSA
was AS Mr.. Woodford gave TO the.
Vice President the duplicate set Of the
vote of the electoral college Mr..
Breckenridge, still holding Mr. Wood
ford's hand with one of his own wbilc
in the other he held the returns, said
Mr. Woodford, / have heard much
OF you. 7 have been told Of your bril-
liant performance as public speaker
1t has been said to me that you are
one OF the young men of great prom
Use. can we'll believe this is so
"You have brought to me the re-
turns. dulyce rtlficd to. of the vote for
President and Vice President given
by the Qualified electors of New YORK
State. take this set of returns with
great sadness ,of mind, but not be
cause they do not contain my name as
! that Of the successful candidate for
President in New York. ! am sac
/ very sad. because I do not know
whether or not there will ever again
be brought here from the state OF
/ New York or from any other state
record of the electoral vote for Presl-
dent made by the electors
u do not know what the future Is
| TO bring forth within tho next -four
/ years. / know that a new govern
ment is being established by the
/ Southern States which were formerly
members OF the Union. I do not know
what that portcnds for the Northern
! States No one can tell whether the
country may or may not be broken up
into several confcderacies, So ] take
these returns from New York State
/ inevitably sad at heart because J do
not know whether ever again there
will be anv electoral vote for Presi-
dent Of the United States, since within
four years time there may be no
United states to elect a President.
Copyright, 1912. by z J. Edwards.
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr. Edwards will tell OF
THE Money That an Astor Earned for
J a Cpooiol purnocp