THE GREELEY CAMPAIGN 1872 167 



secede. This, indeed, was soon formally announced by one 

 of their leaders ; but as they still continued after this decla- 

 ration to take part in the discussions, the point of order 

 was raised that, having formally declared their intention 

 of leaving the convention, they were no longer entitled to 

 take part in its deliberations. This point I ruled out, de- 

 claring that I could not consider the anti-administration 

 wing as outside the convention until they had left it. The 

 debates grew more and more bitter, Mr. Conkling making, 

 late at night, a powerful speech which rallied the forces of 

 the administration and brought them victory. The anti- 

 administration delegates now left the convention, but be- 

 fore they did so one of them rose and eloquently tendered 

 to me as president the thanks of his associates for my im- 

 partiality, saying that it contrasted most honorably with 

 the treatment they had received from certain other mem- 

 bers of the convention. But shortly after leaving they 

 lield a meeting in another place, and, having evidently 

 made up their minds that they must declare war against 

 everybody who remained in the convention, they de- 

 nounced us all alike, and the same gentleman who had 

 made the speech thanking me for my fairness, and who 

 was very eminent among those who were known as ' ' Tam- 

 many Eepublicans, ' ' now made a most violent harangue 

 in which he declared that a man who conducted himself 

 as I had done, and who remained in such an infamous 

 convention, or had anything to do with it, was "utterly 

 unfit to be an instructor of youth/' 



Similar attacks continued to appear in the anti-admin- 

 istration papers for a considerable time afterward, and at 

 first they were rather trying to me. I felt that nothing 

 could be more unjust, for I had strained to the last degree 

 my influence with my associates who supported General 

 Grant in securing concessions to those who differed from 

 us. Had these attacks been made by organs of the oppo- 

 site political party, I would not have minded them; but 

 being made in sundry journals which had represented the 

 Republican party and were constantly read by my old 



