Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-10-19
PRESIDENTIAL
CAMPAIGNS
By FREDERIC ]. HASKlN
XII. THE GRANT-SEY-
MOUR RACE OF 1869
ASHINGTON, Sept. 29.-The
W. long and bitter quarrel be-
w tween President Johnson
and congress resulted in the


ton in the southern states which had
| in it more of Thaddeus Stevens than
/ of Abraham Lincoln. 1t resulted al
so in the enfranchisement of the ne
! groes. But, so far as the campaign
of 1868 was concerned, it's most i'm
portant result was the adherence Of
| General Ulysses S. Grant to the Re-
| publican party ana his triumphal
election to the presidency. General
Grant was the greatest of all war
| heroes, yet it was with the utmost
difficulty that he was persuaded to
become a candidate.
In the first place Grant was Dem
! ocrat. so far as he had any politics
at all. His last vote before the war
was for a radical pro-slavery Demo-
crat, and he was not even a support
err of Douglas in the quadrangular
fight of 1850. He never cast Re
publican vote until after he, had
served eight years as a Republican,
him. They had even talked of NOM
mating him in 1864. During the
Johnson administration there was
an earnest effort to get the Demo-
nate Grant for president. If it had
not been for the quarrel between
| congress and the president, which re-
suited in a violent break between
are that Grant would have been
nominated and elected by the Demo
| Gratis in 1868.
But Johnson had provoked Grant
to anger and had attempted to sup
| ersede him to command of the army
| by calling General Thomas to that
position. Grant naturally found
| sympathy was among the Republican
leaders in congress, nearly all of
! whom hated Johnson with their
whole souls. So when the Republi-
cans 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 Re
! publican national convention which
met in Chicago on May 20 was mere
ly ratification meeting.
South Did Not Count
While some of the southern states
election, no attention was paid to
them as it was known that they
would be excluded if their votes af-
fected the result. The race in the
north became contest in loyalty.
The Republicans waved the bloody
the boys" to vote as they shot,"
and called all the Democrats Cop
perheads." The Democrats, on the
other hand. made violent protesta-
the higher patriotism Of a firm re-
lance upon the liberties guaranteed
by the constitution. For the most
part the Democrats were supporters
of President Johnsons administra-
ton.
The Republican convention met in
Chicago On the same day-of course
1t was accident-that the national
soldiers and sailors convention met.
The soldiers and sailors got under
io1y T
l1cans and recommended the nominal
ton of Grant. The convention, next
day, accepted the recommendation
with g whoop.
In some respects, however, 1T was
the ''maddest" bunch of Republicans
convention. The impeachment trial
of President Johnson had been drag
ging itself out, and every Republican
in the country was absolutely con-
fdent that the verdict of the senate
before the Chicago convention met
! the senate voted and Johnson was
acquitted. The vote was thirty-four
guilty and fifteen not guilty, but
Seven
| licans had joined the twelve Demo-
Gratis then in the senate voting for
! acquittal. In the convention these
| senators were called the seven
|
verdict of history in the case of An
drew Johnson as a statesman, it is
| already unanimously agreed that his
acquitta1 in the Impeachment pro-
ceedings was right.
wade's Shattered Hopes
| There was old Len Wade, presi-
| dent pro tempore Of the senate. If
Johnson had been convicted he would
have succeeded to the presidency
under the old order of succession
He thought it was a certainty Grant
was to be nominated for president,
president on the. strength of prom
Using patronage for the few months
| he was to be president. The Wade
boom fell through when Johnson
was acquitted and Schuyler Colfax
Of Indiana got second place on the
ticket.
The Democratic convention that
year met in Tammany Hall on Four
| teenth street, New York, on July a.
| 1t was a great 1oyalistic and patri-
publicans could do more yelling for
the flag. Quite by accident, a most
peculiar coincidence, National
| Soldiers and Sailors convention met
in New, York on the same day. That
convention, entirely olstInct from
the one that had met in Chicago in
| May, recommended to the Democra-
| tic convention the nomination of
| General Winfield Scott Hancock. But
the Democrats didn't approve the
Despite the fact. not even so APP
parent, that the Democrats did not
have ghost of show to defeat
Grant with ANYBODY they might
er the nomination. In the first place
Andrew Johnson, president of the
| United States, wanted to run on the
Democratic, ticket. He wrote let
ter saying he would accept the NOM
ination. Then George H. Pendleton,
of Ohio, was there as the embodi-
ment of the "Greenback" sentiment
| which was gaining ground all over
the country. On the first ballot
Pendleton led, Johnson was second.
| and Hancock third, with a dozen
other candidates in the field.
Wiley wire-Pu11ers
In that convention were the two
| shrewdest politicians who ever en-
tered the national arena under the
De er ats s banneT H %E1ddo sey-
mour was president of the conven-
ton, Tilden was leading the New
York delegation, Seymour was the
chief conspirator in a scheme to
p. Chase. If there was ever a man
who wanted to be president it was
! Salmon P. Chase. And if ever an
| aspirant had supporter who was
always faithful and always enthus-
iastic, it was Chase's daughter, Kate
Chase Sprague. Chase had been a
| candidate in various parties before
! the war; he had opposed Lincoln for
| the nomination in 1864, and Lincoln
had returned good for evil by MAX
| ing him justice of the supreme court
despite the memory of his quarrel
with Chase, as secretary of the treas
ury, early in his administration.
1t was now 1863 and Chase was
! again a candidate, this time for the
/ Democratic leadership. He had pre-
sided over the trial of Andrew John
son as chief justice, and the fair
ness and impartiality'' of his rul-
ings were specifically commended in
! the Democratic platform. Seymour
had fixed it up to give Chase the