Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1920-10-11
THE HASKIN LETTER
PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS.
XII.-The Grant-Seymour Race of 1868.

i
| and bitter quarrel between President
johnson and congress resulted in the
adoption of policy of reconstruction in
the southern states which had in it more
Of Thaddeus Stevens than of Abraham
Lincoln. 1t resulted also in the enfran-
chisement of the negroes. But, SO far
as the campaign of 1868 was concerned,
its most important result was the ad-
herence of General Ulysses s. Grant to
the Republican party and his triumphal
| election to the presidency. eGeneral
Grant was the greatest of all war heroes.
yet it was with the utmost difficulty that
he was persuaded to become candidate.
In the first place Grant was Demo
crat, so far as he had any politics at all
His last vote before the war was for a
radical pro- slavery Democrat, and he was
not even supporter of Douglas in the
quadrangular fight of 1850. He never
cast a Republican vote until after he had
served eight years as Republican presi-
dent. The Democrats claimed him.
They had even talked of nominating him
in 1864 During the Johnson administra-
ton there was an earnest effort to get
| the Democratic party on its feet and to
nominate Grant for President. If it had
| not been for the quarrel between con-
gress and the president, which resulted
| in a violent break between Grant and
Johnson. the probabilities are that Grant
would have been nominated and elected
| by the Democrats in 1868.
| But Johnson had provoked Grant to
anger and had attempted to supersede
| him in command of the army by calling
| General Thomas to that position. Grant
naturally found sympathizers among the
Republican leaders in congress. nearly
all of whom hated Johnson with their
whole souls. So when the Republicans
began to plead with Grant to be their
candidate. he listened. For a time he
held back honestly doubling the wisdom
of the step. Finally his consent was
obtained. his candidacy announced and
the whole thing was over. So far as
the head of the ticket was concerned,
the Republican national convention which
met in Chicago on May 20 was merely
a ratification meeting.
South Did Not Count.
While some of the southern states
were permitted to take part in the cleo
ton. no attention was paid to them as
it was shown that they would be ex-
cuded if their votes affected the re
suit The race in the north became
ed the .'bloody shirt" kept on fighting
the war. told the boys to 'vote as
they shot" aud called all the Democrats
"copperheads" The Democrats. on the
other hand, made violent protestatioDs
of intense loyalty. assuming the higher
patriotism" of n firm reliance upon the
liberties guaranteed by the Constitution.
For the most part the Democrats were
supporters of President Johnsons ad-
ministration.
The Republican convention met in Chi
cago on the same day-of course it was
an accident-that the National Soldiers
and Sailors convention met The soldiers
and sailors got under way a little quick
er than the Republicans and recommend
ed the nomination of Grant. The con
vention. next day. accepted the recon-
mendation with whoop.
In some respects. however, it was me
"maddest" bunch of Republicans that
ever assembled in a national convention.
The Impeachment trial of President
Johnson had been dragging itself out. and
every Republican in the country was ao-
solutely confident that the verdict of
the senate would be guilty Only four
DAYS before the Chicago convention met
the senate voted and Johnson was &C
o1itted. The vote was 81 guilty and 10
not guilty, but that lacked one vote of
being the requisite two-thirds. Seven
Republicans had joined the II Democrats
then in the senate in voting for acqulttai.
In the convention these senator's were
called the seven traitors Whatever
may be the final verdict Of history in
the case Of Andrew Johnson as A states
man. it is already unanimously agreed
that his acquittal in the impeachment
proceedings was right.
Wade's Shattered Hopes.
There was old Len Wade. president
pro tempore of the senate. If Johnson
had been convicted he would have sue
ceeded to the presidency under the old
order of succession. He thought it was J