The Washington herald., 1914-05-31
THE WAR DAY BY DAY
Fifty Years Ago.
May l864Ma Gen John C. Fremont Nominated the Pre
dsey and Gen John Coehane Of New York. for Vice Presidency
Of Dseonte.ted Republicans Held at cevand-Ln
eon's Comment the Conve.ion.
tCoprigbt. Mi.l

| he was interested in only one cony.n.
ton. the one that Grant was holding be.
fore Petersburg.
The Cleveland gathering was to brina
the name of Grant before the country 70,
the hrst time as Presidential possibii
lty, and for that can claim a place in his
tory The Grant men made no headway,
however, since they were looked upon
ny their associates as agents of the ad.
ministration.
This use of Grants name. in fact, every
Seun OF the convention. was magnifed
oy the Democratic press as indicating a
serious split in the Republican party.
presaslns the downfall Of Lincoln.
FOR two days before the conyention die
patcnes from Cleveland to the Democrat
press. represented great preparations
oeine made for the schismatic Republi-
can convention: the arrival of crov6s
@ Gi'ement at hotels. and an air of polit-
Ieaa reFoiution over everything. Thess
prssentauons were artifices held to bs
iaoie US IN their day. for making cap
ital out of the detection of C., E-
mont and his followers.
hnen the convention met il vas f,r,s
tnat there were not enough delegates ana
SPECTATORS to fll Chaplin Hall. a roon,
accommodating 600 people. The hour To-
eaLns the meeting to order was deiaysd
from 10 to Il in the hope that more dsIa-
gates would arrive.
Gen Cochrane, who was a war Dsr,-
vas elected chairman. He was a
.hooerate ana discreet politician. and he
tore going TO the convention had ca,,s,
on Lincoln. and assured m. px.SsS
OF his personal friendliness to IN. .dr,;r
istraton. His speech to the conva,,ia,
was natural Some of the o,hsrs 80
lar from being so. One DELEGATE De.
iouHceo Lincoln as a pro-slaver,r poIt.
uclan. another as an obstacle 70 fra.do-,
Inc platform adopted by the convsn.
uon was moderate in tone, excep, that !,
ao'ocated the confiscation of the proo.
erty or Confederates. 1t declared N.
MON must De preserved, the laws en-
arms Aoiee OF
Wendell Phillips letter was foI,oxs5 -,
speech for Grant by ANEW YORK SsIs,
gate but when a Missourian pIacsd ~.
name OF Gen. Fremont in nomination n
Vas unanimously indorsed The nars n,
zen Nochrane being adopted the con-
Vention adjourned to meet again !, m.
evening III 'h'
NO stress had been laid on the fact
.nat none or the delegates had been sent
~ o,e hEentlon by regularly consti-
'uted political gathering. or that tbs
of candidates for President
ana Vice Presirdent from the same STATE
Zen Fremont was a resident Of New
fork-was Illegal
An tne evening a committee reported on
name for the new party. which was
called the Radical Democracy The
then adjourned.
When President Lincoln was told ~
me nomination of Gen. Fremont. and
mat there we're about 400 DELEGATES at
the convention. he reached for the Bible
mat lay on his desk. and after a few
minutes search. turning to the twenty
second verse OF the twenty-second chap
Ter OF the second book Of the prophet
Samuel. read:
Ana every one that was in distress.
and every one that was in debt. and
every one that was discontented, gath
.red themselves together and he became
l captain over them: and there were with
him about 900 men,"
This apt quotation furnished one Of
he best-known political anecdotes Of
Lincoln to be found in history
Gen Fremont in his letter of accept.
ince denounced the administration as n
failure. He believed 1t would be fatal to
he country to renominate Mr.. Lincoln.
A few days later Lincoln was renon-
mated Friends urged Gen. Fremont to
withdraw as a candidate. He declined.
out the September elections In Maine and
Vermont having shown little IL any FIRE.
mont sentiment In those States. on Sep
.ember II Gen. Fremont formally with
irew his name as a candidate.
Tomorrow, sheridan Holds cslG
darbor for Grant.