Year: 1876

| persisting In his refusal to stand The 0rigi-
nal programme of Gov. Tilden to nominate
Mr.. Abram s. Hewitt was shrewd and wise
There was every likelihood of its being car
ried out, until it was discovered at SO late
day that he was ineligible. Had he been eligi-
BILE he would no doubt have been nominated,
and If nominated he would have stood at least
a fair chance of an election his election max
ing certain and secure the electoral vote
of the State for Mr.. Tilden, the most
vital point in the contest. With Hewitts
disappearance as candidate came the ex-
pertinent with DOrsheimer by the Governors
party, which it was Immediately seen would
fail if pushed. The whole current of the
convention was then setting toward Potter.
For two reasons Gov. Tilden did not want
Potter nominated. One. because it would be
triumph of the John Kelly faction, and the
other because the Governor was sagacious and
shrewd enough to see that MIR. Potter
was weak candidate, that he could
not be elected, and that his nomina-
ton would put the National ticket
in jeopardy. The Governors friends under
stood all this, and fully comprehended the
peril when they saw the convention crying
down Dorsheimer under the lead of Kelly and





rushing over in mass TO Potter. 1t was at
Just this crisis that they made their grand
COUP and almost before the convention itself
knew it carried Seymour's nomination by ac-
clamation. 1t was the only thing left them to
do, and they did it skillfully and well. For
few moments it did actually look as though
the movement was q success In other ways
than merely in killing off Potter.


L. AZ ,tiAp in ral ln1Qr
mood, and the affair began to wear more
serious aspect. 1t has been growing more and
more serious every hour since then, until at
the moment of this writing it seems prob
able that Gov. Seymour will not under any
circumstances consent to be candidate, and
the occurrence which for a moment excited 30
great enthusiasm as the harbinger of success
turns out to be in fact disaster. The
confession has been made that in the
opinion of the party managers there ia
but one man in the State upon whom the
party can unite as candidate for Governor.
So fixed were they in this belief that in spite
of his repeated refusals to allow his name to
90 before the convention, and his invariable
answer to all solicitations that he would not
consent to be candidate, they took the
chances and nominated him. That the con-
tingency which has since happened In his re-
iterated declination was considered In the
convention was shown by the speech OF Gen.
McQuade who asked the convention point
blank if it was the intention of the party to
vote for Gov. Seymour whether he accepted or
not, and there was o general affirmative
response The men who engineered the busi-
ness did not propose to admit any
nossihil,tv of final refusal on Gov. Seymour'5
part, nor to let the convention halt at any
such contingency so long as they could push
it forward to the vote by acclamation. They
knew that to wait TO hear from the candidate
was dangerous, and that unless they carried
him through on the top of the wave OF enthu-
siasm Mr. Potter was sure TO come In as the
second choice of q very largo majority.
That was the whole secret of this
remarkable performance. The necessities of
Mr.. Tilden's friends demanded the nomina-
ton of Gov. Seymour, with or without his
consent, not because of his strength as can
didate, but because he was the only instru-
ment at hand with which they could head OIL
the Potter movement and save themselves.
The failure to induce Gov. Seymour to stand
the nomination leaves the political intriguers
who performed this grand strategy In
the position they were before the convention
assembled, with the advantage Of longer time
for consultation upon measures and prepara-
tion of a plan. They will have now to decide
whether to take the chances In another dele
gate convention, or assume the dangerous re-
spopsibility of selecting candidate by the
State Committee. Whichever way they turn.
disaster stares them In the face.