York, June 13, 1899.]

[Footnote 1765: On June 9, S.H. Bradley of Cattaraugus, made a
personal explanation in the Assembly, charging Loren B. Sessions, of
the Senate, with offering him $2,000 to cast his vote for Depew.
Sessions denied the charge. Investigation proved nothing, and an
indictment, subsequently returned against Sessions, resulted in a
trial and an acquittal.]

This opened the way for Warner Miller, who received in caucus on the
fifth ballot sixty-two of the sixty-six votes cast for the long term.
By previous agreement a Stalwart was entitled to the short term, and
had Cornell allowed his Stalwart friends to enter the caucus he might
have had the nomination. But he would not oppose Conkling. Moreover,
the belief obtained that the Democrats and Stalwarts would yet unite
and adjourn the session without day, thus giving the Senator time to
elect other friends to a new Legislature, and the Governor would not
disturb this hallucination. With Cornell out of the way Elbridge G.
Lapham easily won the nomination on the second ballot. Lapham had been
the first to desert Conkling, who now exclaimed, not without the
bitter herb of truth: "That man must not reap the reward of his
perfidy."[1766]

[Footnote 1766: New York _Tribune_, July 7, 1881.]

The caucus did not at once bring union, but on July 12 Miller's vote
reached seventy; on the 15th it registered seventy-four; and on the
16th, with the help of Speaker Sharpe, who had encouraged Conkling's
going to Albany, Miller was elected.[1767] Lapham's vote, however,
hung fire until July 22, when, during a brief and most exciting
conference in the Assembly Chamber, State Senator Halbert, the
Conkling Gibraltar, exclaimed with the suddenness of a squall at sea:
"We must come together or the party is divided in the State. I am
willing to vote now."[1768] Reason and good nature being thus
restored, each Republican present rose and voted his choice, Lapham
receiving sixty-one, Conkling twenty-eight. In the general rejoicing
State Senator Pitts, a leader of the Independents, no doubt voiced the
feeling of all at that moment: "I am as happy as Mr. Halbert. This
nomination has been made good-naturedly. It is an augury of good
feeling in the future. New York proposes to stand by the Republican
administration. I hope we shall never hear more the words Stalwart,
Featherhead, Half-breed."[1769] When the joint convention again
reassembled the fifty-sixth ballot gave Elbridge G.