ssociated with Azariah C. Flagg in the publication of the _Rough
Hewer_, a weekly paper of radical views, issued from the press of the
_Argus_; but his sympathies were with the Conservatives, and when
they sought to re-elect him public printer, the Radicals, led by
Flagg, announced as their candidate Henry H. Van Dyck, the owner,
since 1840, of a one-third interest in the _Argus_. For seventeen
years, from 1823 to 1840, Croswell had held the office of state
printer, accumulating wealth and enjoying the regard of the party; and
Flagg and his colleagues contended that he should now give way to
another equally deserving. This was a strong reason in a party that
believed in rotation in office, especially when coupled with a desire
on the part of the Radicals to control the _Argus_; and, to avoid an
open rupture, Croswell proposed that a law be passed making the
_Argus_ the state paper, without naming a public printer. Van Dyck
objected to this, as it would leave Croswell in control of the
establishment. Besides, Van Dyck claimed that, at the time he
purchased an interest in the _Argus_, Croswell promised to support him
for state printer. This Croswell denied.

Instantly, the air was alive with the thrill of battle. Croswell faced
difficulties such as no other office-seeker had thus far encountered,
difficulties of faction, difficulties of public sentiment, and
difficulties of personnel. Flagg's conceded fidelity and honesty as a
public officer, supplemented by his shrewdness and sagacity, made him
the unquestioned leader of the Radicals; and, in this initial and
crucial test of strength, he was indisposed to compromise or
conciliate; but in Edwin Croswell he met the most impressive figure
among the gladiators of the party. Croswell was the veteran editor
whose judgment had guided its tactics, and whose words were instinct
with life, with prophecy, and with fate. When he entered the
pilot-house of his party, men knew something was going to happen. A
perceptible hush seemed to announce his presence. At such times, his
caustic sentences, clear and compact, were rarely conciliatory; but
when he turned away from the wheel, achievement had proven his right
to leadership.

In his contest with Flagg, however, Croswell encountered angry
criticism from the Radicals and frigid approval from some
Conservatives. His candidacy plainly impaired the high respect which
his conduct and abilities had brought him. It was a mistake from every