134 POLITICAL LIFE VI 



Harris ? He naturally desired a second term, and it would 

 have given me pleasure to support him, for he was an old 

 and honored friend of my father and mother, they having 

 been, in their early life, his neighbors and schoolmates, 

 and their friendship having descended to me; but like 

 others I was disappointed that Senator Harris had not 

 taken a position more fitting. His main efforts seemed to 

 be in the line of friendly acts for his constituents. In so 

 far as these were done for soldiers in the army they were 

 praiseworthy ; though it was generally felt that while aris- 

 ing primarily from a natural feeling of benevolence, they 

 were mainly devoted to securing a body of friends 

 throughout the State who would support him when the 

 time should come for his reelection. Apparently with the 

 same object, he was a most devoted supporter of New 

 York office-seekers of all sorts. He had pleasing personal 

 characteristics, but it was reported that Mr. Lincoln, re- 

 ferring to the senator 's persistency in pressing candidates 

 for office, once said: "I never think of going to sleep now 

 without first looking under my bed to see if Judge Harris 

 is not there wanting something for somebody. ' ? 



Another candidate was Judge Noah Davis, then of 

 Lockport, also a man of high character, of excellent legal 

 abilities, a good speaker, and one who, had he been elected, 

 would have done honor to the State. But on looking about 

 I discovered, as I thought, a better candidate. Judge 

 Bailey, of Oneida County, had called my attention to the 

 claims of Mr. Roscoe Conkling, then a member of Con- 

 gress from the Oneida district, who had distinguished 

 himself as an effective speaker, a successful lawyer, and 

 an honest public servant. He had, to be sure, run foul of 

 Mr. Blaine of Maine, and had received, in return for what 

 Mr. Blaine considered a display of offensive manners, a 

 yery serious oratorical castigation ; but he had just fought 

 a good fight which had drawn the attention of the whole 

 State to him. A coalition having been formed between the 

 anti-war Democrats and a number of disaffected Republi- 

 cans in his district to defeat his reelection to Congress, it 



