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Fall, 1868
The presidential nominating conventions were complete. General Ulysses S. Grant won the Republican Party's presidential nomination. Following presidential political customs, he stayed home and let his representative’s campaign for him. They campaigned on his slogan “Let Us Have Peace.”
Democratic Party presidential nominee Governor Seymour began dropping in the newspaper polls by mid-October. They held early state elections and local Democratic candidates’ losses mounted. The Democratic Party leaders panicked. Democratic Party-leaning newspapers began running editorials claiming voter fraud by the Republican Party.
Meanwhile, President Andrew Johnson was stewing in the White House, continuing to plot ways of overturning Governor Seymour’s presidential nomination. One day, a contingent of Democratic Party politicians came to the White House. They asked to speak with the president. “Mr. President, we need your help,” the Democratic Party leader pronounced. “Governor Seymour is threatening to resign the presidential nomination. He is refusing to travel and give campaign speeches. We need you to campaign for him.”
“I would like to run for president on the Democratic Party ticket instead of Seymour,” Johnson declared.
The Democratic Party leader chuckled. “No, that would be a disaster.”
President Johnson’s face became red, and he clenched his fists. “Well then, inform Governor Seymour to go on the campaign trail by himself.” And he stormed into his office. He picked up a full coffee cup from his desk and threw it against the wall. The black coffee began to drip down to the floor. As the Democratic Party contingent left, President Johnson realized his hope for another term as president had slipped away.
The Democratic Party leaders convinced Governor Seymour to campaign for president in Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago, and more key cities. But his campaign speeches were lackluster, and his racist slogan “This is a White Man's Country; Let White Men Rule” did not help him persuade independent voters to vote for him.
