Year: 1876

! BILE refusal to be a candidate or to accept the
Office. OF all possible methods of extrica-
ton from the present demoralizing situa-
tion this is the weakest. We are confident
that this desperate purpose will not be per-
sisted in. 1t is a freak of political lunacy.
1t sets the moral sentiment OF the State Mt
defiance by indorsing the brazen fraud
which was practised on the State Conven-
| ton and rubbing in the affront offered to
| Mr. Seymour. Both the affront to him and
| the fraud on the Convention consist IN the
interception and dishonest suppression of
communications which he tried to make
and had a right to make to that body while
it was yet in session. He was one party
| and the Convention the other party
to proposed arrangement for putting
his name at the head of the democratic
ticket The act of the Convention in nomi-
mating him after his reiterated and well known
refusals to be o candidate was no breach OF
courtesy to him or of obligation to its con-
stituents because it Immediately adjourned
until the next day for the avowed purpose OF
atfording him an opportunity to reconsider





tunity to make another nomination if he re-
fused to yield. Up to this point there was
no fragrant violation of trust or courtesy,
since the rights both of the candidate and
the Convention were recognized-the rights
of the candidate by appointing committee
to wait on him and ask his acceptance, and
of the Convention by interposing delay
- 20 IL,
answer and decide what course it would take
in the event of his refusal. The whole
question was left open for such fur
ther or different action rs might be
deemed expedient after hearing from
the candidate. His right to refuse
was respected the right of the Convention
to be informed Of his attitude was recog
nized; the further right and duty of the
| Convention to make another nomination if
he declined were also acknowledged. Mr..
Seymour may have been unduly pressed /;
but still, AS his liberty Of action was respected
by the appointment of committee to ascer-
tain his final decision and the adjournment
of the Convention to act upon it, there was
nothing very Objectionable in the stress of
importantly.


In judging of what came to pass within
the ensuing twelve hours no heavy censure
should be visited on Judge Gray, the presi-
dent of the Convention, for suppressing the
despatch sent to him by Mr.. Seymour at
midnight on Wednesday. That despatch
was indeed emphatic but it was sent seven
or eight hours before the committee ap-
pointed by the Convention were likely to
reach Mr.. Seymour's residence, and there
might have been possibility that they
would prevail on him to change his mind.
While there remained hope that he would
yield there was no bad faith in withholding
his despatch. A candid public opinion will
e1onerate Judge Gray. If the final report
of the committee had been truthful he would
have escaped all censure. But the dishonest
action of the committee admits of no pallia-
tion. Not one OF the whole ten left Saratoga
to discharge the duty with which they had
been intrusted. They hoodwinked the
Convention into the belief that they had
waited on Governor Seymour and procured
his acceptance. Instead of going them
selves as was expected of them, they sent
two unscrupulous and irresponsible men
who did not belong to their number, and
arranged with them as to the form of de-
spatch they should send. The next morning
| the Convention received despatch in the
form collusively agreed on, and, on the
strength of that dishonest and collusive
message the chairman Of the committee
| stood up in the Convention and told a plump
and deliberate falsehood. He assured
| the Convention that Mr.. Seymour
had accepted the nomination, and
on TINT lying statement the Convention
completed its business and. adjourned.
| Had the Convention known the truth it
would have made another nomination. 1t
WAS for the fraudulent purpose Of depriving
the Convention of its right of action that
this gross. wanton, shameless and deliberate
deception was perpetrated. 1t was grace
less insult to Mr. Seymour, whose messages
to the Convention had been intercepted
and suppressed, and an impudent fraud on
the Convention. whose confidence was abused
to entrap it to adjourn on false information.
This unabashed imposition, by which the
Convention was tricked out of its right of
choice and prevented from revising it's
action of the preceding day. was so
egregiousy dishonest and scandalous that
no person can support or defend it without
making himself q pdrticeps criminiS. II the
democratic party insists on running Sey-
mour in spite of this exposed and unblush-
ing fraud it will deserve the scorn of honor
| able men.


Every democrat who insists that Seymour
shall be run in spite of the falsehood by
which the Convention was entrapped into
adjourning without making another nomi-
nation makes himself IAN accomplice after
| H. f,rtr In ono Of &hn most di III