d the
Douglas and Bell tickets in New York, thus seriously endangering the
election of Abraham Lincoln, the Republican editors opened their
batteries upon him with well-directed aim. In his one attempt to face
these attacks, Hunt taunted Greeley with being "more dangerous to
friend than to foe." To this the editor of the _Tribune_ retorted:
"When I was your friend, you were six times before the people as a
candidate for most desirable offices, and in five of those six were
successful, while you were repeatedly a candidate before and have been
since, and always defeated. Possibly some have found me a dangerous
friend, but you never did."[580]

[Footnote 580: New York _Tribune_, July 23, 1860.]

Hunt's coalition movement, called the "Syracuse juggle" and the
"confusion ticket," did not work as smoothly as he expected. It gave
rise to a bitter controversy which at once impaired its value. The
Bell negotiators declared that the ten electors, if chosen, would be
free to vote for their own candidate, while the Douglas mediators
stated with emphasis that each elector was not only pledged by the
resolution of the convention to support Douglas, but was required to
give his consent to do so or allow another to fill his place. "We
cannot tell which answer is right," said the New York _Sun_, "but it
looks as if there were deception practised." The _Tribune_ presented
the ridiculous phase of it when it declared that the Bell electors
were put up to catch the Know-Nothings, while the others would trap
the Irish and Germans. "Is this the way," it asked, referring to
William Kent and his associates, "in which honourable men who have
characters to support, conduct political contests?"[581] To dissipate
the confusion, Hunt explained that the defeat of Lincoln would
probably throw the election into Congress, in which event Bell would
become President. "But we declare, with the same frankness, that if
Douglas, and not Bell, shall become President, we will welcome that
result as greatly preferable to the success of sectional
candidates."[582]

[Footnote 581: _Ibid._, July 14, 1860.]

[Footnote 582: _Ibid._, July 24, 1860.]

The Republican state convention which met at Syracuse on August 22,
did not muffle its enthusiasm over the schism in the Democratic
party. Seward and his friends had regained their composure. A
midsummer trip to New England, chiefly for recreation, had brought
great crowds about the Auburn statesmen wherever he ap