The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1856-03-14
THE CONVENTION SYSTEM.

On The 23d of February, 1908, under the
cal ofthe Hon. Steph,n X. Bradley, demo
cratic Senator of the United States from
Vermmt Il caucus. composed of the repubIi
can Numbers of both Houses Of Congress,
was hdd in the city ofWashington, for the
purpose of nominating candidates for Pres
dent AID Vice President.
This was the initi4ton of what is now de.
nominated the conTntion system Mr..
Bradley assumed to act by virtue and "n
pursuance Of powers vested in" him. There
were nmety,fuur members present-Mr. Mad.
ison receiving the nomination over Mr.. Mon
roe, his principal competitor 1t was the
peculiar friends of the former who conceived
the idea Of thus presenting him MS the choice
OF the party. Mr.. Moproe's friends regarded
the movement as altogether anti.republican
in character, and elieun,ed to subvert and to
prostitute the true public opinion, OF the
country. They were outsiders at the time,
and great efforts were made to induce Mr.
Monroe 90 denOunce tue caucus; but it had
been bitterly assailea ty the surviving ee-
mens of federalism md his denunciation
would lead him into their ranks, and compel
him to share the odmm which attached to
their political ideas. Dir. Monroe had, there
fore, no alternative hut to submit, and to fall
into the ranks of the democracy, which had
thus established an intermediate estate be-
tween the constitution and the people.
1t was, therefore, unfortunate that, in the
initiation of the caucus system in this coun.
try, the only solid means of resistance to its
usurpations was in he hands of asnrants for
the Presidency. lteave 10 Congress, in fact,
and not to the peOpe, the power OF selecting
the President. ItaEgrrgatcd 1t into a great
central, irresponsible, and seli-consttuted tri.
| bunal. all the local machinery under which
| members OF COngreis had been elected and
| transferred from thd people the actual power
of selecting their hi dhest officer nlhe federal
administration. 1t Mas natural enough that
it should be so bntit is inconcsivab!e how
such system has lben pcrprtisled in the
face of the fruits ithas borne to lhe country.
| The next C0ngre+iona caucus was held in
| 1912. OI one hundTd and thirty.three demo-
cratic members, eEhty-two attended this
meeting In his lPdy Virginia had as many
delegates as New Ybrk, Connrctcut, Mas-a.
chusetts, Rhode lshnd, New Hampshire and
7 Vermont. DrWittElnton sufftred his name
to appear before tlEs caucus as a candidate
against Mr.. Mladisot and such was the tyran-
ny Of the men COMPOSING it that Mr.. Clinton
was utterly proscryd as II democratic politi
cian, because he submitted ais name to the
consideration of what was clussed us delb-
erativc body.
Perhaps in the whole history ofconventions
there is to be fnundno instance TO compare at
all with the proscrption of Mr.. Clinton for
thus daring to thwart-not exactly that, but
to Interfere at all--with the edict which had
gone forth from the leading politicians OF the
country re nominating Mr.. Madison. The
caucus itself is thus proven to have been II
mere form. hnuia= no executive powers, and
entitled by the structure or poittical affairs n
the time to no earthly discretion in reference
to its nominees Mr.. Monroe was Virgin.
ian, and it was then, rs it has been ever since,
that the Old Dominion contrived to preserve
the moral energies of her leading men into II
compact union. lIcfe Mr.. Monroe declined
to be n candidate in opposition to Mr. Mndi.
son, not because he approved the principles
upon which the latter was nominated, but
because he was afraid to meet the penalties
to result from offending the caucus by which
he, Mr. NJ, was PLACID in nominntion-pre.
cisely those penalties that were visited so
mercessly upon Dewitt Clinton.
In 1916 another Congressional caucus was
held The republicans, or democrats, had one
hundred and forty-ohe members, one hundred
ard eighteen of whom united in the meeting.
AT this convention what had previously been
enacted in the caseot Mr.. Madisnn's nominu-
ton and Mr.. Monrbe's dsalltcton was re-en.
acted in the pcrsoD of u new aspirant for the
Presidency, then young but very popular
and very promising man. Mr. Clay offered
resolution not to make any nomination. 1t
was the purpose Df Mr.. Clay to break up the
caucus system AMI secure the selection of
unpedged Presidential electors by each State;
but The caucus decided to make nomination,
and Mr.. Monroe was the nominee over Mr..
Crawford, who received sixteen out of nine
teen votes Of the State of New York, while
PENNSYLVANIA votd thirteen for Mr.. Monroe
to five for Mr.. Crawford.
Thus, having first secured Mr.. Madison by
bonds of personid interest, and subsequently,
Mr.. Monroe by like tenure, the power of the
caucus was regarded ms safe, and its naugu.
ration as II permanent element in American
politics secured, 1t was new institution,
embracing all the active politicians, who, be
sides the advantage OF II vast reduction of
numbers in fixing The precedence and promo.
ton of individuals. thus secured the absolute
control Of executive appointments. 1t is easy
to see tllt,t the politicians became the actual
constituents of the Executive. They nomi-
mated him, and he was indebted to them for
his position. Strictly speaking, the President
was bound to regard them ~ the rightful
controllers OF the patronage of his adminis-
tratiun.
From this point of view we are enabled to
see the origin of Congressional interference
with and control of the public offices and of
their absorption, to great extent, by mrn-
bers Of the two houses The election OF Mr..
Monroe produced peculiar calm in all our
political waters. The war had lust termi.
mated, n new impetus had been given to every
branch OF industry, men readily found EN-.
poyment, and sor eight years of his admiuis.
lralon there was little active political effort
in the country. Meanwhile, the Conuression.
al caucus had been bitterly assailcd, aud half
fallen into general disrepute. But il was not
easy to eradicate az evil which had borne such
fruits to the thousand politicians oil the coun-
| try; so in the place of the Congressional eau
Gus. State and national conventions were sub.
stitucd in 1924, and delegates chosen to tie
latter, purportng to derive their authority di.
rect from the people.
! II is manifest, il we consult the history of
| this new phase OF political management, that
il was simply jumping from the frying pan
! into the fire. The conventions, MS organized
were no improvement upon the old caucus
system. 1t was only making delegates by the
! authority that intrigue, members of Congress.