ticket, as it was he who at once revived the clamor for Chase.1 The Rochester Daily Democrat believed, nevertheless, that the World, the National Intelligencer and other Democratic papers wanted Seymour and Blair to resign because the South was dropping away.2

The Republicans continued their attack on Blair for his insistence that Grant once in the White House would never leave it alive. Seymour was ridiculed for the implied basing of his candidacy upon two grounds, namely, that Reconstruction was a failure therefore he should be elected, and that he would be unable to do anything if he were elected President therefore he should be elected.*

The War Democrats who were acting with the Republicans held the last great mass meeting of the Republican campaign at Cooper Union on October 21st. It is illuminating to note that the list of vice-presidents for the meeting contained names of such prominence in the affairs of State as William F. Havemeyer, William B. Astor, Alexander T. Stewart, Aaron Vanderpoel, John Jacob Astor, Jacob A. Westervelt, Henry G. Stebbins, C. V. S. Roosevelt, James J. Roosevelt, W. H. Webb, John C. Green, Robert L. Stuart, Edmund H. Schermerhorn, Stephen Philbin, Henry Clews, Peter Cooper, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Samuel Sloan, and William J. McAlpine. The chief speaker was Judge Edwards Pierrepont who attacked the Democrats on their War record, revolutionary utterances and prevalence of fraud. Pierrepont was he who had knifed General Dix two years previously and had brought

1 New York Tribune, Oct. 20, 1868.

'Rochester Daily Democrat, Oct. 21, 1868.

'New York Times, Oct. 20, 1868.

'New York Tribune, Oct. 27, 1868; New York Times, Oct. 30, 1868. 'New York Tribune, Oct. 22, 1868.

Hoffman forward.' When Pierrepont publicly announced himself for Grant and Griswold, his letter acted as a bomb shell in the Democratic camp.

3

Blair invaded the East to defend himself against the charge of being a revolutionist. At Tammany Hall on October 27th he cast the charge back upon his political enemies of the Republican party. The Herald vigorously defended Blair, arguing that once in office he would natu:ally become conservative. The World found it difficult to hide Blair under a bushel. It openly counseled that everything in the State and the nation depended upon occupying public attention with Seymour. When Blair came East, Seymour entered the West in the hope that a change of location might induce a reaction for the better."

ance.

According to the World, Hoffman was strong in the State but it deemed the electoral ticket of greater importFrom the middle of October it devoted its entire editorial strength to carrying New York. It made further assaults upon Horace Greeley who had been directing a large share of his attention to disclosing election frauds,' particularly those by Judge George G. Barnard, who made such a unique record for rapid naturalization.

The Democratic State committee's address was issued by August Belmont on October 21st, in which the extravagance of the Republicans was denounced. August Belmont then retired to Europe where he could take the Demo

1 Vide supra, pp. 105, 106.

2 Syracuse Daily Courier and Union, Oct. 14, 1868; New York World, Oct. 13, 1868.

'New York Herald, Oct. 28, 1868.

5 New York World, Oct. 21, 1868.

• New York Herald, Oct. 28, 1868.

Ibid., Oct. 30, 1868.

' New York Tribune, Sept. 15; Oct. 15, 16, 1868.

Ibid., Oct. 23, 26, 1868.

cratic defeat in safety. On October 27th the Republican State committee issued its address to the people, in which it raked the Democracy of the nation fore and aft for attempting to excite the war passions again, and the Democracy of the State for its political jobbery in illegal naturalization at $2.00 per person.2 The Commercial Advertiser added its voice against the naturalization frauds and urged the men of New York City to overthrow fraud and vote for Griswold who had saved the commerce of New York City by building the Monitor. Just before election a proclamation was issued by Mayor Hoffman, in which the Mayor warned all Democrats against the Republicans as dangerous men seeking to discredit the Democracy and turn attention from their own guilt by unscrupulously gross and unfounded charges against those high in authority. The proclamation also flayed the federal grand jury then in session for bringing in indictments. Greeley's reply to Hoffman's proclamation was characteristic.

The Republicans of this city are, as they have always been, a minority. They would not be if the city were not governed so as to make her vast array of thieves, emigrant-swindlers, sailorpluckers, blacklegs, pocketbook-choppers, baggage-smashers and brothel-keepers a unit against them . . . There is no vice, there is no crime, no outlook of human depravity, that is not made to bring grist to the Democratic mill. . . . Of the infamous "Ring" of swindlers who misrule and plunder us, we ask only... that they do not rob us outright of our votes by stuffing the ballot-boxes with ballots cast by "repeaters and unnaturalized or fraudulently-naturalized aliens.*

'New York Sun, Oct. 21, 1868.

'New York Tribune, Oct. 27, 1868.

New York Commercial Advertiser, Oct. 29, 1868.

New York Tribune, Nov. 2, 1868.

1

In striking contrast with the lethargy of the up-State leaders and journals in connection with the State conventions of both parties we find a refreshing activity over the national and State campaigns. The Republicans held three monster mass meetings in Syracuse on September 8th, October 2nd, and October 28th. The first meeting was addressed by Carl Schurz in German; at the second, John Griswold and Chauncey Depew spoke. Griswold devoted his attention to proving that the financial issue had been extravagantly overdrawn by the Democrats. Depew contrasted the Chicago and New York platforms. The third meeting was held to draw the Irish vote to the Republicans. The Irish and German vote up-State was courted by the Republicans on the ground that the Democratic party had made no emphatic assertion or attempt to enforce the claims of adopted American citizens, while they had seen their claims vindicated by a Republican Congress.*

3

Roscoe Conkling returned to Utica from the Rocky Mountains about October 1st and, after an address at Cooper Union one week later, devoted his splendid energies to defeating his brother-in-law, Horatio Seymour, in Oneida and adjoining counties. While canvassing one day with his friend Benjamin Allen, Conkling met and shook hands with a swarthy Irishman, an employee of Allen's. Allen said, "Senator, Black Paddy, as we call him, has turned Democrat." "How so?" queried Mr. Conkling. With the ready wit of his nation "Black Paddy" replied, Shure, sir, oi'm payin' ye a compliment in votin' for yer brother-in-law." "

1 Syracuse Daily Standard, Sept. 9, 1868.

Ibid., Oct. 3, 1868.

3 Syracuse Daily Journal, Oct. 29, 1868.

'Syracuse Daily Standard, Oct. 29, 1868.

"Alfred R. Conkling, Life and Letters of Roscoe Conkling, pp. 312-13.

ernment.

Syracuse was likewise the center of the Democratic upState activities. Their most important meeting was held on September 13th at which John Hoffman and Richard O'Gorman spoke. Hoffman, as at Buffalo and Rochester, devoted his attention to the national debt and the unnecessary expenses to which the Republicans had put the govThe up-State Democratic papers gave almost their entire editorial strength to attacking the Republicans upon these points. The aim of the Democrats, as interpreted by the Syracuse Daily Journal, was to push the matters of debt and taxation upon the public attention, thus to divert the public mind from the question of Reconstruction and the possibility of another civil war. The Syracuse Daily Journal, also, attempted to show how a Democratic victory would menace free labor, stating that no help would be hired in the South unless the laborer promised to vote for Seymour and Blair, and that those already in service had been warned that their failure to vote for the Democratic nominees would mean the loss of their jobs.3

2

The Republican stronghold in the northern part of the State was the scene of a vigorous campaign. But the Democratic opposition in the northern counties melted after the announcement of the October elections. Yet the Syracuse Daily Courier and Union had sufficient faith in its convictions to hotly claim States conceded to be Radical." "Cowards lose the fight ere it is half begun-brave men never," was the slogan of the Daily Courier and Union.

1

Syracuse Daily Courier and Union, Sept. 14, Oct. 1, 7, 1868.

Buffalo Daily Courier, Aug. 17, Sept. 11, Oct. 27, 1868.

'Syracuse Daily Journal, Sept. 14, 1868.

'Syracuse Daily Journal, Sept. 14, 1868.

'Ogdensburg Daily Journal, Oct. 15, 1868.

Syracuse Daily Courier and Union, Oct. 16, 1868.