Evening journal., 1914-06-19
New News of Yesterday
When the West Began to
be Prominent in Politics
BY Holland.

Some four or five years before the
death Of the late BENJAMIN ID. Silt
man, VINO had been widely known for
some ten or twelve years as the Nes-
tor OF the American bar, ] spent an
hour or two with him in his law office.
He was then nearly ninety years Of
age. He had invited me to call upon
him, saying that he would be very
glad TO tell me some OF the early
recollections Of the Whig national
convention of 1899.
Mr.. Silliman was a delegate to that
convention, representing what was
then the little village of BROOKLYN.
M ~, all Of Staten Island and one
of the upstate counties. ] had been
told that he was the last survivor OF
the convention which had been held
nearly sixty years before my meeting
with him.
/ asked Mr.. Silliman If he went to
the convention with the expectation
Of supporting the nomination Of Gen.
William Henry Harrison FOR Presi-
dent
my recollection is,' he replied
that personally / would have been
very glad II Henry Clay had received
such support as would have made ii
possible to nominate him on the first
ballot But learned soon after +
reached Harrisburg, Pa, where the
convention was held, that good
many delegates We're persuaded that
as Gen Harrison had been nominat-
cd by Whig conventions in several
States in 1885 and as he gained elec-
toral votes in seven or eight States
at the election in which Martin Van
Buren was the victor, it was thought
to be the most expedient thing to
name him in 1910.
"Glay's friends were greatly dlsap-
pointed, especially as it was reported
10 the delegates that Clay himself
was not taking any steps to secure
his nomination. recalled that the
impression was quite strong that Clay
felt that II he were nominated he
would be likely to be defeated by
Martin Van Buren, who was sure to
be nominated ais his own successor
IN the Presidency.
Il think. however. that the chief
reason why the convention at last
gave its support to Gen. Harrison was
due to the fact that the West-what
is nowadays known as the Middle
West-was beginning to exert pow
erlul political influence. There was
a feeling throughout the West as it
was at that time that the day had
come when there should be a national
recognition Of the already great and
rapidly growing influence of the
Western States Cen Harrison was
a citizen OF Ohio. He had represent
ed that State in the Federal Senate
and he had gained great popularity
by reason Of his service in practically
eXterminating the dangerous Indians
of the Middle West
THE first ballot gave Henry Clay
plurality, but not majority. Five
ballots were taken. If remember
correctly, before Gen. Harrison re-
ceiyed majority over Henry Clay
and Gen. Scott.
Harrison nomination was OF im-
mense Importance 70 the Whig party
especially because the Western States
OF that time were reioiced that
Western man had been nominated for
the Presidency, the first time in the
history Of the country, excepting in
1885. but at that time there was no
national convention. Harrison was
nominated by State conventions.
"That." said Mr.. Silliman. was the
beginning of the pre-eminence OF the
West in national politics and from
that day until the nomination Of
James G. Blaine in 1884, every Presi-
dential candidate of the Wing or Re-
publican party came from the West
ern States"
Copyright. 1914. by 81 J. Edwards.
All rights reseryedl
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell
'How Daniel Webster Changed His
Style Of Oratory."