History of the state of New York, political and governmental, Vol. III 1865-1896, Part 1

Author: Smith, Ray Burdick, 1867- ed; Johnson, Willis Fletcher, 1857-1931; Brown, Roscoe Conkling Ensign, 1867-; Spooner, Walter W; Holly, Willis, 1854-1931
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Syracuse, N. Y., The Syracuse Press
Number of Pages: 520


USA > New York > History of the state of New York, political and governmental, Vol. III 1865-1896 > Part 1


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HORATIO SEYMOUR


Horatio Seymour, 20th and 24th governor (1853-4; 1863-4) ; born at Pompey Hill, Onondaga county, N. Y., May 31, 1810; lawyer; military secretary to Governor William L. Marcv; member of assembly, Oneida county, 1842; mayor of Utica, 1843; member of assembly, 1844-5; defeated for governor, 1850; elected, 1852; defeated by Myron Holley Clark, 1854; again elected in 1862 and defeated for reelection by Reuben E. Fenton, 1864; candidate for president in 1868, defeated by Ulysses S. Grant; died at Deerfield, Herkimer county, N. Y., February 12, 1886.


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HISTORY


OF THE


STATE OF NEW YORK


POLITICAL AND GOVERNMENTAL


EDITED BY RAY B. SMITH


EXCELSIOR


VOLUME III 1865 - 1896 BY


ROSCOE C. E. BROWN


THE SYRACUSE PRESS, INC. SYRACUSE, N. Y. 1922


COPYRIGHTED THE SYRACUSE PRESS, INC. 1922


1485710


CONTENTS OF VOLUME III


CHAPTER I


INTRODUCTION, 1865-1920


New York City vs. up-State.


17


Tammany's growth in power.


18


Eminent leaders of both parties.


19


The even balance.


22


The State administration in 1865


24


The Legislature in 1865


25


The judiciary in 1865.


26


State finances


27


Effects of the Civil War on population.


29


Property valuation


30


Taxation, charities, schools, agriculture, canals.


31


State reservations


31-32


Problems and their treatment by the parties


32-33


CHAPTER II, 1865


RECONSTRUCTION AND THE POLITICAL PARTIES


President Johnson and the radicals. 34


36


The Democrats and their difficulties


37


Governor Fenton.


38


Establishment of Cornell University


39


The new Capitol.


40


The Democratic State convention of 1865


41


Greeley on Judge Grover.


44


The Republican convention.


44


John Van Buren on Seymour.


47


The Republican ticket elected.


47


CHAPTER III, 1866


OVERTHROW OF THE CONSERVATIVES


48


Thaddeus Stevens's ultimatum.


49


Henry J. Raymond supports the President 50


The Legislature demands compliance by the south. 50


The Governor on State matters. 51


Secretary Seward's conservatism


52


The Philadelphia convention 53


Death of Dean Richmond


54


The question of negro suffrage.


Rivalry of the Republican factions.


State meeting of Democrats and conservatives 54-56 Up-State rule of New York City 56-58 Republicans renominate Governor Fenton 58


Democrats nominate John T. Hoffman. 59


Fenton reelected 60


CHAPTER IV, 1867


THE RISE OF CONKLING


Senator Ira Harris desires to go back 61


Roscoe Conkling succeeds him. 64


Election of Constitutional convention delegates. 65


Republican State convention; radicals control. 66


Barlow and Hillhouse retired. 67


The Democrats; Hoffman condemns the Excise law 68


Seymour on national subjects. 69


Decisive victory for the Democrats. 71


CHAPTER V, 1867-1868


THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION AND THE ERIE WAR


Meeting of the Constitutional convention of 1867 72


Its work


73


Submission of its acts in three parts


74


Result of the popular vote in 1869


75


Drew, Vanderbilt, Gould, Fisk.


75-76


The Legislature and the Erie.


76


Outcome of the contest


78


The charges of corruption.


79


Canal Commissioner Dorn.


79-80


CHAPTER VI, 1868


GRANT AND SEYMOUR


General Grant boomed for President. 81


Republicans choose National convention delegates. 82


Grant and Colfax nominated at Chicago .. 83


Democratic State and National conventions.


83-84


Seymour nominated for President.


86


The Republican State ticket. 87-89


Hoffman again named for Governor by the Democrats.


89-90


The World's "Change of Base" editorial.


91


Manton Marble replies to inquirers


92


The Democrats carry New York State.


92


Election frauds 93


The naturalization machine. 94-95


A. Oakey Hall, Mayor of New York City.


96


Samuel J. Tilden's manœuvers. 85-86


CHAPTER VII, 1869


FENTON WINS THE SENATORSHIP


Senator Morgan a candidate for reelection 97


An animated contest. 100


98


Noah Davis misrepresented.


Success of Fenton ..


101


Governor Hoffman defends Tammany


101


Party conventions of 1869


102-104


Democrats again win.


104


The Prohibitionists take the field


104


CHAPTER VIII, 1870 TWEED IN THE SADDLE


The boss in full control 105


The Young Democracy; Tweed's Republican Senators. 106


The new charter for the city; big loot. 107


New Court of Appeals Judges. 108


Governor Hoffman renominated. 108


Republican differences


109-111


Stewart L. Woodford runs 112 1


Hoffman elected for a second term. 113


CHAPTER IX, 1871 TWEED'S DOWNFALL


The famous certificate of foremost citizens 114


The Sun's ingenuous proposal. 115


An Assemblyman's dishonesty and disgrace. 115


David A. Wells heads a Tax commission. 116


Republican office-holding under Tammany 117


Republican State convention of 1871 118-121


The beginning of the end for Tweed


122


The Committee of Seventy. 123


Tweed, Tilden, and the Democratic State convention 124-126


The proofs, the conviction, the jail, the end. 127


Republican victory in the State 128


CHAPTER X, 1872


THE LIBERAL REPUBLICAN MOVEMENT


Hoffman gives the quietus to cumulative voting. 129-130


Elevated Railroads. 131


Discontent with the Grant administration. 132


Liberal Republicans at Cincinnati. 133-136


Greeley for President; endorsed by the Democrats 137-138


Republican National and State conventions 138-140


Dix's nomination for Governor. 140


The Kernan-and-Depew ticket 142-143


Charles O'Conor also gets a Presidential nomination. 143


Grant and Dix elected. 145


William F. Havemeyer Mayor of New York 146 Greeley's death. 146


Whitelaw Reid acquires the Tribune 147


CHAPTER XI, 1873


CONKLING SUFFERS A REVERSE


Alonzo B. Cornell, Speaker 148


More Albany regulation for the city. 149


Governor Dix vetoes the Local Option bill 150


Republican State convention 151-152


Democrats and Liberals 153-156


Collapse of the Liberal movement. 156


The Republicans win by a narrow margin. 157


CHAPTER XII, 1874


TILDEN ELECTED GOVERNOR


The Constitutional commission 158


Various changes, and the people's action 159-160


Governor Dix renominated 160-161


A third term for Grant. 161


Tilden decides that now is his time


161


The opposition to him; Sanford E. Church 163


The Liberals take an impartial course 164


William Purcell attacks Tammany. 165


John Kelly and Mayor Havemeyer 166


Nomination of Tilden for Governor 167


The Liberals persevere in their impartiality 168


Dix at a disadvantage 169


Tilden's election; Democratic legislative majority. 170


CHAPTER XIII, 1875


TILDEN OVERTHROWS THE CANAL RING


Kernan sent to the Senate. 171-172


Governor Tilden recommends reforms 172


He prepares to fight the canal ring. 173


Startling statistics ; the fine art of bidding 174-175


Investigations and their results 175-176


Tilden gains much prestige 176


Republican and Democratic State conventions 176-178


The Governor annexes John Bigelow 178


The State stays Democratic. 179


Swallow-tails and Short-hairs. 179-180


CHAPTER XIV, 1876


CONKLING AND TILDEN SEEK THE PRESIDENCY Tilden outlines his platform 181


From St. Clair McKelway's recollections.


182


Tammany fights Tilden at St. Louis


183


Tilden and Hendricks 184


Conkling encounters vigorous opposition


184


George William Curtis makes a great speech


185


-but Conkling gets the delegates.


186


Hayes and Wheeler 187-188


The reformers much pleased 189


Return of the Liberals 189


Republicans again run Morgan for Governor 190


Tilden rebuffs Dorsheimer. 191


Democrats draft Seymour, who declines. 192-193


Lucius Robinson substituted 193


Greenbackers nominate Peter Cooper for President 194


CHAPTER XV, 1876-1877 THE DISPUTED ELECTION


The great Presidential campaign of '76 195


Tilden and Robinson carry New York 196


Visiting statesmen at the south; cipher dispatches. 197


The disputed Electoral votes 199


Excitement and bitterness.


200


The Electoral commission


200-201


Tilden's course. 201


The decision. 202


CHAPTER XVI, 1877


FACTIONS REND BOTH PARTIES


President Hayes offends the regulars. 203


Dorman B. Eaton, Civil Service Commissioner 204


Hayes on Conkling 205


Republican State convention 205-210


"Man-milliners, dilettanti and carpet-knights" 208


Governor Robinson's independence. 210


Veto of bill allowing partial Woman Suffrage.


211


John Kelly alienated. 212


Democratic State convention 212-214


A small plurality for the Democrats


214


CHAPTER XVII, 1877-1878 THE GREENBACK REVIVAL


Hayes removes Arthur and Cornell


216


Party strife at Albany. 217


The Governor seeks to remove John F. Smyth 218


Greenbackism and labor 219-221 State conventions of 1878 221-223


Republican success; heavy Greenback vote. 225


CHAPTER XVIII, 1879 KELLY DEFEATS ROBINSON


Conkling reelected Senator


226


He renews his fight on the President. 227


Republicans nominate Cornell for Governor 229


The Democratic State convention. 231


Kelly's grievances against Robinson


232


A bitter convention contest.


233-234


Robinson renominated; Kelly bolts


235


Cornell elected 236


CHAPTER XIX, 1880


THE THIRD TERM MOVEMENT DEFEATED


237


The railroads and the public


238


Conkling leads the Grant forces 239


He controls the Republican State convention. 240-241


Fails to enforce the unit rule at Chicago 242


Grant beaten; Garfield and Arthur. 243-244


Arthur's record and personality. 244


CHAPTER XX, 1880 THE ECLIPSE OF TILDEN


The Democrats in doubt


245


Their National convention at Cincinnati.


248


Tilden eliminates himself. 249


Hancock for President 250


Kelly readmits the regulars to the party 251


Nominations for Chief-Judge. 251


Garfield elected by the vote of New York.


253


CHAPTER XXI, 1881 STALWARTS AND HALF-BREEDS


Republican aspirants for Kernan's Senatorial seat. 254


Thomas C. Platt secures the prize. 255


President Garfield's nomination of Robertson 256


Conkling's resentment .. 257


Both New York Senators resign. 259


They seek vindication by reelection 260


The assassination of Garfield


261


Warner Miller and Elbridge G. Lapham elected Senators 262


Republican State convention sustains President Arthur


264


Charles J. Folger becomes Chief-Judge


Democratic State convention


265 Republicans elect State ticket, lose Legislature. 266


Seth Low elected Mayor in Brooklyn 267


CHAPTER XXII, 1882


FOLGER'S OVERWHELMING DEFEAT


Tammany holds the balance at Albany. 268


A Railroad commission. 269.


The Federal administration decides to dominate 271


Folger's forced nomination for Governor 272-273


The Democrats nominate Grover Cleveland. 273-276


The great defection 277


Cleveland elected by an unprecedented vote


278


The canals-a historical survey 279-282


CHAPTER XXIII, 1883


CLEVELAND THE REFORMER


A reluctant party. 283


The first State Civil Service law 284


Veto of the Five-cent Fare bill. 285


Tammany opposes the Governor. 286


"Personal comfort and satisfaction" 287


The Republicans harmonize. 287-288


Democratic State convention 289-290


A divided result at the election. 291


CHAPTER XXIV, 1884


THE NOMINATION OF BLAINE


New York City investigations and measures 293-294


President Arthur desires another term. 294


New York supporters of Blaine and Edmunds 295-297


Theodore Roosevelt heads the delegation 298


The contest at Chicago. 299


Blaine and Logan 300


CHAPTER XXV, 1884


CLEVELAND BECOMES PRESIDENT


The pre-convention campaign for Cleveland. 301


Daniel Manning's skill and daring 302


All hinges on the unit rule 303


The delegation solidified for Cleveland. 305


Loved for the enemies he had made 306


Cleveland and Hendricks 306


The campaign: Curtis, Schurz, Beecher. 307


Ben Butler, Dana, St. John, Burchard. 308-309


Cleveland elected President, Grace Mayor 310


CHAPTER XXVI, 1885 HILL COMES TO POWER


Evarts succeeds Lapham in the Senate 311-312


Governor David B. Hill 313


Manning's death 315


Party conventions of 1885 315-318


Hill, for reelection, defeats Ira Davenport. 319


CHAPTER XXVII, 1886-1887


HISCOCK GOES TO THE SENATE


Women eligible for admission to the bar. 321


The Boodle Aldermen. 322


People vote for a Constitutional convention 323


New York City Mayoralty election of 1886. 323


Battle royal for the Senatorship


324


Frank Hiscock elected. 326-327


The Constitutional convention deferred by politics. 327-329


The party conventions of 1887 329-331


Democrats elect State ticket, Republicans hold Legislature. 332


CHAPTER XXVIII, 1888


MILLER "OUTSIDE THE BREASTWORKS"


Husted loses the Speakership. 333


High license and Ballot bills vetoed. 334


The Ballot reform movement. 334-336


President Cleveland renominated


337


Depew arbitrates at Chicago.


340


Harrison and Morton.


342


Warner Miller for Governor on the Republican ticket.


343


Governor Hill runs again.


344


The State campaign 345-347


Harrison carries New York and wins. 347


Hill defeats Miller. 347-348


Tammany elects Hugh J. Grant Mayor. 349


CHAPTER XXIX, 1889-1890


HILL'S SWAY UNSHAKEN BY SCANDALS


President Harrison disappoints Platt


350


Capitol repairs. 351


State conventions of 1889.


351-353


Hill's ticket elected. 353


Ballot compromise; registry extension.


354


A godfather's gift. 355


Non-partisan judicial nomination 356


The Mckinley tariff; Mayor Grant reelected 357


CHAPTER XXX, 1891-1892 THE STOLEN SENATE


William F. Sheehan, Speaker 358


Andrew D. White proves unavailable. 359-360


Republicans put up Fassett for Governor 361


Roswell P. Flower gets the Democratic nomination. 364


Flower elected; the Senate in the balance. 365


The disputed seats. 366


Court decisions 367


The Sherwood case 368


The Mylod return. 369


The Democrats organize the Senate 370


The abstracted letters 371


Maynard, Hill, Wemple, Rice 371


Maynard condemned by the Bar Association. 372


Flower appoints him Court of Appeals Judge. 372-373


CHAPTER XXXI, 1892 THE RETURN OF CLEVELAND


Hill's favorite measures pass. 374-375


The Snap convention; the Anti-snappers 376


Republican State and National conventions 377-379


Harrison and Reid. 379


Hill's hopes dashed; Cleveland's third nomination 380


The Populists and others. 381


Cleveland sweeps the country.


381-382


Constitutional amendments defeated 382


CHAPTER XXXII, 1893 MAYNARDISM REBUKED


Hill still antagonizes Cleveland 383


Hugh Mclaughlin and a budding statesman. 384


Democrats send Edward Murphy, Jr., to the Senate. 385-386


The Constitutional convention at last 386


Maynard nominated for Judge. 387-388


The Republican State convention. 389


Overwhelming defeat of Maynard at the election. 390


McKane stops an injunction and comes to grief. 391-392


Lieutenant-Governor Sheehan 392


CHAPTER XXXIII, 1894


HILL SENT TO DEFEAT


Dr. Parkhurst investigates 394


The Constitutional convention and its work 395-398


Milholland 398


Platt on Cornelius N. Bliss 400


Republicans nominate Levi P. Morton for Governor. 401


The U. S. Senate rejects Hornblower and Peckham 403-404 Hill reluctantly runs once more. 406


The Anti-Snappers come back 407


Great Republican victory 408


CHAPTER XXXIV, 1895-1896


MORTON AS A FAVORITE SON


Platt and Morton in accord 409


Roosevelt as police head.


410


"In the interests of labor and morality"


412


Mayor Strong


414


Republicans roll up another big plurality.


The Raines law.


415


Liquor legislation-a retrospect.


416-417


Greater New York.


417


414


Platt kindly but firmly counsels Morton 418-419


For INDEX see end of Volume IV.


ILLUSTRATIONS


with BIOGRAPHIES


Thomas G. Alvord 88


Charles Andrews.


376


Henry Ward Beecher 72


Cornelius Newton Bliss.


328


Joseph Hodges Choate.


376


Sanford E. Church


56


Peter Cooper


104


Alonzo Barton Cornell


264


George William Curtis


72


Charles Anderson Dana


24


Daniel Stevens Dickinson


24


John Adams Dix. 168


William Dorsheimer


136


Frederick Douglass


152


William Maxwell Evarts


232


Charles S. Fairchild.


344


David Dudley Field.


232


Roswell Pettibone Flower.


392


Charles James Folger


248


John M. Francis.


312


William Russell Grace.


312


Abram Stevens Hewitt


344


Frank Hiscock


360


John T. Hoffman.


120


Ward Hunt.


136


James William Husted


184


Francis Kernan.


184


Elbridge Gerry Lapham


280


Charles Zebina Lincoln.


408


Warner Miller


296


Levi Parsons Morton.


408


Wheeler Hazard Peckham


392


Rufus William Peckham


328


Edwards Pierrepont.


56


William Henry Robertson


264


Lucius Robinson.


216


William Crawford Ruger.


280


Carl Schurz.


200


Horatio Seymour.


Frontispiece


William L. Strong.


200


Andrew Dickson White


248


FOREWORD


With the close of the Civil War, the Republican party, formed in 1854, unsuccessful with Fremont as its standard bearer in 1856, successful in 1860 under the leadership of Lincoln, had become well organized and established as one of the two great parties. The opposition necessarily remained with the Democratic party to which the former pro-slavery states naturally attached themselves politically.


In New York the relative strength of the two parties was so evenly balanced that there arose between them a titanic struggle for supremacy that has since unceas- ingly continued.


In accordance with the spirit of the times each party was organized upon strict military principles of obedi- ence and discipline. The supreme commander exer- cised absolute authority during his reign, overthrown as a result of masterful intrigue or bitter open revolt. The victor showed no mercy to the vanquished, and was met in turn with determined vindictiveness. With- out a clear understanding of this fundamental princi- ple in organization of each of the leading parties, the intra-party contests led by the Republican leaders Fen- ton, Conkling, Platt, Hendricks, Odell and Barnes and the Democratic leaders, Seymour, Tilden, Hill, Kelly, Croker and Murphy would lose their real significance.


The military plan of party organizaton has grad- ually become decadent. The leaders under the old order have either passed away or been retired from active participation in public affairs. The first to recog- nize that public sentiment would soon demand that in party government absolutism must yield to tolerance was Thomas C. Platt, the "easy boss" of the Republican


party. His example was followed by Charles F. Mur- phy, the recognized leader of the Democratic party, now the only political leader who, since the retirement of Platt, has had any permanent tenure of state-wide political power or control.


The Civil War wrenched the financial and industrial stability of our Nation to its very core. The resultant conditions resembled closely those now existing in Europe, only reversed. The United States then the debtor nation, is now the creditor nation. The same problem, however, that now faces the European allies then faced us. Utter paralysis in the South; necessary nullification of the debts of the Confederacy; repudia- tion by its several states of their obligations ; deranged industries in the North; inflated currency; prices of labor and commodities on an abnormal basis ; followed by unwarranted expansion of speculative values, result- ant collapse of credits, panic and ultimate return to san- ity and common sense.


These problems, involving a tariff adequate to pro- tect our industries and workingmen against foreign competition ; freedom of national obligations from un- just tax; resumption of specie payments ; redemption of our currency in funds having a world-wide accepted monetary standard of value upon a gold basis-all stand as a monument to honesty in financial dealings, funda- mental to business or governmental success and mark an accomplishment of world-wide national achievement and influence equalled only by the spirit of forgiveness to our foes and humanitarianism which has since been the dominating force and true keynote of our national policy in dealing with the nations of the world.


R. B. S.


CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION


1865-1920


T HE history of New York in the last half-cen- tury reveals two strongly marked tendencies that have greatly influenced the shaping of the govern- ment and the character of politics. One is the sharp- ened contrast between the partisan complexion of the metropolis and that of the rest of the State. The other is the tremendous increase in the activities of govern- ment and the growing, though often halting, tendency toward the centralization of power.


The alignment of an overwhelming vote in New York City against an almost solid array of rural counties came only after the Civil War. Before that time, indeed, the Tammany Society had become the strongest single political factor in the city and domi- nated the local Democracy. Nevertheless, its sway was not unchallenged. Van Buren carried the city in 1836 by less than 1,100 plurality and in 1840 by only 1,000. Four years later Clay lost it to Polk by only 2,000 and in 1848 Taylor had about 3,000 more votes than Cass and Van Buren together. The great influx of immigrants and the liberal attitude of Tammany toward their early naturalization increased the Democratic vote. On the other hand, New York City was the stronghold of the


17


18


POLITICAL AND GOVERNMENTAL HISTORY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK


native American movement, and in 1856 gave more votes to Fillmore than to Fremont. The native-born mechanics and laborers looked with the same disfavor on the introduction of Irish and German workers that the descendants of these earlier immigrants now mani- fest toward new arrivals with different standards of living. "Know-Nothingism" was strong with the men in the shipbuilding trades, dwelling in the lower east side of the city in what afterward became Tammany strongholds. These people later moved wholesale to the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn and there were a factor that both parties reckoned with in the formation of their tickets for many years. Neither the Whigs nor the Americans went to the Republican party in the same proportion in the city as in the country. The Whig merchants shared the commercial ties of New York with the south. They were also conservative and by temperament distrustful of the radicalism of the Republican stand against the extension of slavery. So even at the height of the Civil War the Union party, into which the Republicans temporarily merged them- selves, was in a hopeless minority. Tammany with its thorough organization and great city patronage grew steadily; for an opposition with no chance to win and with no local patronage except the minority appoint- ments held by the favor of its enemies naturally tends to demoralization. Outside the metropolitan district the Republicans fell heir to the old Whig counties in northern, central, and western New York: Cayuga, Cattaraugus, Allegany, Chautauqua, Saratoga, Wash- ington, Essex, Franklin, Cortland, Tioga, Broome,


19


INTRODUCTION


Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Wyoming, Monroe, Orleans, and Niagara. Old Democratic counties of strong Barnburner tendencies, like St. Lawrence, Herkimer, Oswego, Oneida, Onondaga, Steuben, Tompkins, Wayne, and Yates became firmly Repub- lican on the war issue.


A succession of resourceful Republican leaders con- solidated the rural organizations into a compact, centrally dominated body. Reuben E. Fenton, Roscoe Conkling, Thomas C. Platt, Benjamin B. Odell, Jr., and William Barnes, Jr., were all adepts in the historic method of New York politics, which both parties inherited from the days of Burr, the Livingstons, and the Clintons, and which Thurlow Weed perfected in the Whig party and the Albany Regency under Samuel A. Talcott, William L. Marcy, and Benjamin F. Butler perfected in the Democratic party. It was the method of military discipline, centrally supervised nominations and strict control of patronage and legislation for party ends. Wisely and honestly used, as it often was, it gave great cohesion to party action and accomplished great public benefits, but it tended to develop the narrow intolerance and the autocratic and ruthless abuse of power for selfish or commercial purposes that are asso- ciated in the public mind with political "bosses." In its earlier days this type of leadership had to contend with factional fights and rival ambitions. When organiza- tions were unofficial, guerilla warfare was simple. The development of the official party ballot, the officially regulated caucus, and finally the legally defined party machinery and direct primary has put a premium on


20


POLITICAL AND GOVERNMENTAL HISTORY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK


regularity, outlawed faction, and made the possessors of the party organizations of both parties almost invin- cible. Working along these lines the Republicans consolidated country sentiment, strengthened country organizations, and solidified that traditional "up-State" majority, the size of which, balanced against the equally sure Democratic majority in New York City, has so long made the State the uncertain center of national interest.


But the Democracy has been by no means merely, or mainly, a New York City party. From the days of the Albany Regency down through the time of division between "Hards" and "Softs," the majority of the great Democratic leaders were "up-State" men. Among them were Martin Van Buren, William L. Marcy, Silas Wright, Azariah C. Flagg, Samuel A. Talcott, Samuel Beardsley, Greene C. Bronson, George P. Barker, Daniel S. Dickinson, and Horatio Seymour. Just before and during the Civil War Dean Richmond was the most powerful figure in the Democracy of the State. Samuel J. Tilden succeeded to his leadership. Tilden was a New York City man, but his traditions were those of Van Buren and the Regency and his leadership was one of warfare against the Tweed forces that were at that time using Tammany for their own corrupt ends. Even in the Republican counties, strong and sometimes successful organizations were maintained by Tilden's great organizing ability, and the counties of Albany, Chemung, Columbia, Greene, Otsego, Putnam, Rens- selaer, Schoharie, Seneca, Sullivan, and Ulster, in addition to the counties near the metropolis, Kings,




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