Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1919-09-26


like the choice of a president and the
Mexican question cannot be permitted
to interfere. You must take time to
spend day or two at the convention
In Baltimore on your way. Re-
port to our friend Fine, who will look
after your comfort there. The expert
ence ought to be useful to young man
who. i hope. Will have work to do In
future conventions"
took the stage to Baltimore next
day-the twenty-sixth of May. The
convention thrilled me-the flags, the
great crowd. the bands, the songs, the
speeches, the cheering-I see and hear
it all in my talk. The uproar. lasted
for twenty minutes when Van Buren's
| name was put In nomination.
Then the undercurrent The South
was against him as Wright had fore
seen. The deep current of Its power
had undermined certain of the north
ern and western delegations. Osten-
sibly for Van Buren, and stubbornly
casting their ballots for him. they had
voted for the two-thirds rule. which
had accomplished his defeat before the
ballotlng began. 1t continued for two
days without q choice. The enemy
stood firm. After adjournment that
evening many of the Van Buren, dele
gates were summoned to a conference
l attended it with Judge Fine.
The ex-president had withdrawn and
| requested his friends in the conven-
ton to vote for Silas Wright. My emo
tions can be more readily imagined
than described when heard the
shouts of enthusiasm which greeted
my friends name. Tears began to roll
down my cheeks. Judge Fine lifted
his hand. When order was at last re-
stored he began:
Gentlemen, as friend of the
learned senator and as a resident of
the county which is the proud pos
SCISSOR of his home, your enthusiasm
has welcome sound to me but hap
pen to know that Senator Wright will
not allow his name to go before the
convention"
| tIe read the letter of which knew.
Mr.. Benjamin f. Butler then said:
when that letter was written Sena-
to'' Wright was not aware that Mr..
Van Burens nomination could not be
accomplished nor was he aware that
bis own nomination would be the al
most unanimous wish of this conven-
ton. l have talked with the leading
delegates from Missouri and Virginia
/ ho+ hn hr,
mated by reclamation. Is it possible
that he--a strong party man-can re-
sist this unanimous call of the party
with whose help he has won immortal
| fame? No, it is not so. 1t cannot be
so. We must dispatch messenger to
him by horse at once who shall take
to him from his friend Judge Fine a
frank statement of the imperious de-
MATED of this convention and request
| that he telegraph withdrawal of his
| letter in the morning"
The suggestion was unanimously ap-
proved and within an hour, mounted
or one of the best horses in Maryland
$50 his groom informed mel was on
my way to Washington with the mes
sage of Judge Fine in my pocket. Yes,
l had two days to spare on my sched-
ule of travel and reckoned that, by re-
turning to Baltimore next day should
reach Canton in good time.
1t was the kind of thing that only a
1.-THE, supple, stfong-hearted lad such
as l was in the days of my youth,
could relish-speeding over a dark
road by the light of the stars and a
half-moon, with horse that loved to
kick up wind. My brain was in a
that was making history.
The lure of fame and high place hur-
ried me on. With the senator in the
presidential chair / should be well
) started in the highway of great sue
cess Then Mr.. III. D1nkelberg might
think me better than the legacy of
Benjamin Grimshaw. A relay awaited
me twenty-three miles down the road.
Well, l reached Washington very
sore, but otherwise in good form, soon
after daybreak. was trembling with
excitement when put my horse in the
stable and rang the bell at our door. 1t
: seemed to me that I was crossing the
divide between big and little things. A
few steps more and / should be look.
ing down into the great valley of the
: future. Yet now that l was there,
, began to lose confidence.
The butler opened the door.
Yes, the senator was up and had
just returned from a walk and was in
his study. ! found him there.
well, Bart, how does this happenY
4 he asked.
a tits important business" said, al
$ presented the letter.
: Something in his look and name,
I as he calmly adjusted his glasses aDt
I read the letter of Judge Fine brought
Q the blood to my face. 1t seemed t.
q puncture my balloon, so to speak, ant