, the chairman, declaring it
carried, put on his hat and quickly left the hall. It was an audacious
proceeding. Two-thirds of the convention stood aghast, and Church, the
next morning, found it necessary to make an abject apology.
Nevertheless, his purpose had been accomplished. Adjournment gave
Tammany the time fiercely to assail Dix, who was now charged with
consigning Democrats to Fort Lafayette, suppressing Democratic
legislatures, and opposing Seymour in 1864. John Morrissey, the
pugilist and congressman, declared that Dix could not poll twenty
thousand votes in New York City. Meanwhile Democratic leaders, closing
the door against Weed and the Conservatives, quietly agreed upon
Hoffman. Had Dean Richmond lived a month longer this _coup d'etat_
would probably not have occurred. In vigour of intellect, in terseness
of expression, and in grasp of questions presented for consideration,
Richmond was recognised as the first unofficial man in America, and he
had long thought it time for the Democratic party to get into step
with the progress of events.

[Footnote 1085: New York _World_, October 5, 1866.]

The next morning, as pre-arranged, Edwards Pierrepont took the floor,
and after characterising the assembly as a Democratic convention whose
programme had been settled in advance by Democrats, he formally and
apparently with the assent of Dix coolly withdrew the latter's name,
moving that the nomination of John T. Hoffman be made by
acclamation.[1086] This was carried with shouts of wild exultation.
Many Dix supporters, anticipating the outcome, had silently left the
hall, but enough remained to hear, with profound astonishment, the
confession of Pierrepont that he had united with Tammany for the
nomination of Hoffman before the meeting of the Philadelphia
convention. Why, then, it was asked, did he advocate Dix the day
before? and upon whose authority did he withdraw Dix's name? After
such an exposure it could not be said of Pierrepont that he was
without guile. "It was the occasion of especial surprise and regret,"
wrote Weed, "that even before the National Union State convention had
concluded its labours, Judge Pierrepont should have assumed that it
was a Democratic convention, and that its programme had been settled
in advance by Democrats. This was not less a surprise when I
remembered that on the day previous to that announcement, Judge
Pierrepont concurred fully with me in the opinion that the nomination
of Gen