"FRIDAY, _June 25, '80_.
"MY DEAR GOVERNOR,--I have not had a moment's time to write
until now, and I have very little to write except what you have
already read in the papers.
"It was very apparent to any one that it was not possible to have
nominated you even if you would have taken it, as I know you would
not. The element that sold you out in Washington in 1877, with those
who were _honestly_ fearful you could not win, were enough to defeat
you under any circumstances, and yet the fear that we meant to try
to do it prevented our being able to.
"This feeling was kept alive by earnest but injudicious friends of
yours from New York and elsewhere, and this and the action of our
own delegation absolutely destroyed our influence in the convention.
The Brooklyn people did not want you, and Jacobs, Pratt, and others
told people they would not go for you or be transferred by you. Had
they been absolutely with us, and had Manning spoken your wishes,
we could have nominated Mr. Payne. M. seemed to fear the Brooklyn
people, and I don't wonder, for I never saw any set of men act so
very ugly as they and the Fox-Shay New York gang.
"Randall also acted bad, and talked bad, and yet, under your advice,
or what I took to be your advice, I acted with the Brooklyn and Fox
gang and named him as our second choice. I did not like to do so,
for I feared Hancock's nomination, but did not fear it so early.
"Had your letter been there Saturday morning, and had _we_ all acted
together--_i. e._, your friends--we could have nominated Payne. I
don't think we could have nominated Randall.
"The South and Southwest and New Jersey were represented by a bad
lot, and the convention was nothing to compare with the convention
of 1876. So far as I was concerned, I was good for nothing, for it
took about all my time to keep our delegation from kicking over the
traces in some way.
"I cannot write in detail, but will talk it all over with you if you
want to know anything more of the disgusting subject. I do not think
it an easy victory for any one, and am confident that the ticket is
a fairer representation of _that_ convention _than you would have
been_. The fact is that in the talk and action the old dictation of
the South was prevalent without the old intellect.
"I cannot express my contempt for New York's and Brooklyn's acts.
"Barnum will tell you of the talks with Hancock people. I hope he
(H.) will make it apparent that he is to be your friend, and if so
that you will help him through. I am about dead, as I have not slept
over two hours a night since I came.
Yours very truly,
"SMITH M. WEED."