67, demanded that Hoffman be made president of the
Democratic State convention. It was a bold claim for a defeated
candidate. After Fenton's election in 1864 Seymour had deemed it
proper to remain in the background, and for two years did not attend a
State convention. He had now reappeared, and the up-State delegates,
delighted at his return, insisted upon his election as president.
Instantly this became the issue. The friends of the Governor pointed
to his achievements and to his distinguished position as the great
apostle of Democracy. On the other hand, Tammany, with its usual
assurance, talked of its 50,000 majority given the Democratic ticket
in 1866, declared that Seymour had had enough, and that Hoffman needed
the endorsement to secure his re-election as mayor in the following
December. Thus the contest raged. Tammany was imperious and the
country delegates stubborn. One year before these men had allowed
their better judgment to be coerced into a condemnation of John A. Dix
because of his alleged ill treatment of Democrats; but now, standing
like a stone wall for Seymour, they followed their convictions as to
the best interests of the party. In the end Hoffman became temporary
chairman and Seymour president. The generous applause that greeted
Hoffman's appearance must have satisfied his most ardent friend until
he witnessed the spontaneous and effusive welcome accorded Seymour. If
it was noisy, it was also hearty. It had the ring of real joy, mingled
with an admiration that is bestowed only upon a leader who captivates
the imagination by recalling glorious victory and exciting high hopes
of future success.[1133]

[Footnote 1133: New York _World_, October 4, 1867.]

The selection of candidates provoked no real contests,[1134] but the
platform presented serious difficulties. The Democratic party
throughout the country found it hard to digest the war debt. Men who
believed it had been multiplied by extravagance and corruption in the
prosecution of an unholy war, thought it should be repudiated
outright, while many others, especially in the Western States, would
pay it in the debased currency of the realm. To people whose
circulating medium before the war was mainly the bills of wild-cat
banks, greenbacks seemed like actual money and the best money they had
ever known. It was attractive and everywhere of uniform value.
Moreover, as the Government was behind it the necessity for gold and
silver no longer appealed to