with those of the country over Sherman's
capture of Atlanta and Farragut's destruction of the Mobile forts.

CHAPTER IX

FENTON DEFEATS SEYMOUR

1864

The brilliant victories of Sherman and Farragut had an appreciable
effect upon Republicans. It brought strong hope of political success,
and made delegates to the Syracuse convention (September 7) very
plucky. Weed sought to control, but the Radicals, in the words of
Burke's famous sentence, were lords of the ascendant. They proposed to
nominate Reuben E. Fenton, and although the Chautauquan's popularity
and freedom from the prejudices of Albany politics commended him to
the better judgment of all Republicans, the followers of Greeley
refused to consult the Conservatives respecting him or any part of the
ticket. Resenting such treatment Weed indicated an inclination to
secede, and except that his regard for Fenton steadied him the
historic bolt of the Silver Grays might have been repeated.[1002]

[Footnote 1002: New York _Herald_, September 8.]

Fenton was a well-to-do business man, without oratorical gifts or
statesmanlike qualities, but with a surpassing genius for public life.
He quickly discerned the drift of public sentiment and had seldom made
a glaring mistake. He knew, also, how to enlist other men in his
service and attach them to his fortunes. During his ten years in
Congress he developed a faculty for organisation, being able to
cooerdinate all his resources and to bring them into their place in the
accomplishment of his purposes. This was conspicuously illustrated in
the Thirty-seventh Congress when he formed a combination that made
Galusha A. Grow speaker of the House. Besides, by careful attention to
the wants of constituents and to the work of the House, backed by the
shrewdness of a typical politician who rarely makes an enemy, he was
recognised as a sagacious counsellor and safe leader. He had
previously been mentioned for governor, and in the preceding winter
Theodore M. Pomeroy, then representing the Auburn district in
Congress, presented him for speaker.[1003] Schuyler Colfax controlled
the caucus, but the compliment expressed the esteem of Fenton's
colleagues.

[Footnote 1003: New York _Tribune_, December 7, 1863.]

He was singularly striking and attractive in person, tall, erect, and
graceful in figure, with regular features and wavy hair slightly
tinged with gray. His sloping forehead, full at the eyebrows,
indicated keen percept