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

| -.
P'"cuceo oy "'' pa'ues'
On the 23d of February, 1903, nnder the
call Of the Hon. Stephen X. Bradley, demo-
cratic Senator of the United States from
vermont, caucus, composed Of the repnbli.
can members of both Houses of Congress,
was held in the city of Washington, for the
purpose of nominating candidates for Prcs.
dent and Vice President.
This was the initiation Of what is now de-.
nominated the convention system. Mr..
Bradley assumed to act by virtue and "in
| pursuance Of powers vested in" him. There
were nlnety-four members prescnt-Mr. Mad.
lson receiving the nomination oyer lIr. Mon.
roe, his principal competltor. IT, was the
peculiar friends OF the former WHO conceived
the idea Of thus presenting him MS echoice
OF The party. MIR. Monroe's frichas, regarded
.he movement MS alt g"ti,er .spsi "a shlican
!" cnafae'er, ana calculated To su6veft iiidto
prostltute lhe true public opinion of the
country. They were outsiders at the time,
ana great eiioris were made to induce Mr..
monroe 10 denounce the caucus; but it had
oeen bitterly assalled by the surviving ee-
mehis OF federalism, and his denunciation
would iead MN INTO their ranks, and compel
nm TO share the odinm which attached to
,heir Po''tcal IDEAS. Mr.. Monroe had, there
lore no alternative but to submit, and to fall
INTO the ranks OF the democracy, which had
mus established an intermediate estate be-
tween the constitution and the people.
~ was, therefore, unfortunate that, in the
lh't'a.lon oi the caucus system in this coun-
ry' thc oh'y solid means OF resistance to its
usnrPations was in the hands of nsprants for
'he Presidency. 1t gave to Congress, in fact,
ana not to the people, the power of selecting
the president. 1t aggregated into a great
central irresponsible and self-consituted tr.
ouhal, all the local machinery under which
mrin0ers OF Congress had been elected and
transferred from the people the actual power
OF selecting their highest officer in the federal
administration. II was natural enough that
IL should be so; but it is inconceivab!e how
such system has been perpetuated in the
face OF the fruits il has borne to the country.
The next Congressional caucus was hed in
1917. vi one hundred and thirty three demo.
cratic members, eighty-two attended this
meeting. In this body Virginia had rs many
delegates as New York, Competent, Mas>a.
chusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and
vermont. Dewitt Clinton suffered his name
to appear before this caucus us candidate
against MIR. Madison; and such was the tyran.
ny OF the men composing it that Mr.. Clinton
was utterly prescribed as democratic politi.
clan, because he submitted his name to the
consideration OF what was classed rs delib-
crailve body.
Perhaps IN the whole history ofconventions
tnere Is TO be found no instance TO compare at
h'' WIN the prescription of MIR. Clinton for
mus darlng TO thwart-not exactly that, but
10 interfere ut all-wth the edict which had
gone iortll from the leading politicians of the
country fe-nominatlng Mr. Madison. The
caucus 'tseli Is thus proven to have been a
| ileIe FORM, having no executive powers, and
eht't!eu Dy lIe structure OF political affairs at
INC t'he 10 no earlhly discretion in reference
10 us nominees. MIR. Monroe was Virgin
IAN, ana u was then, as 1t has been ever since,
that Inc Old Dominion eontriyed TO preserve
o"n. a"v ".u,"' eners'es 9i he, e"H'hs men INTO a
to , ha o,mI1', "'' 'ae WI: nlo'.'oe ueci'hea
con No, '1 ha"a',s'' !" "ppos'','" 10 Mr' si'n'-
rnor ,,I,;,,L ,La' H., ~ "PP'os'u VI. P''nc'p'es
Lpearso NV" h ."s '"r'e' e;, was ho','""'eo' put
70 r.',,I, S m"s '.,,u 70 meet 'l'r Prha,.ies
Lo Mr M 'o n,o o',I.us ,',uaa .ne caucus ny wnle"
n;a,i,, ,,' we" p,:.eu VI ho"''''"'.on-p'e-
.mJse peI'''1,c1 ,:. ii'.' were visited SO
,o,e up"' Dc " III |'.h'on'
hoid tTo .ph "'o.iei Nongress'oh"l caucus was
u I'D "o 'ePuo'Ic"hs' or democrats h'd one
""Iuteu . ; 'iu 'o.ty-ohe members one hundred
'' u, tis''een ., "hom nn'ea IN the meet'hg.
as'l a s,,s convention ven, ~iat hnd previously been
,"".nu ~ ''e c"se o, Nir. MADISON S nomiha-
w." a 1;,u Mr' monroe dlsailectIon was re'en'
1,'eu 'h the person oil new asplrant Tor the
ond varv n,on,is;n' & 'Uu"s W Su' very rHp",'n
roSoIntion s nn, ,a I'."'. "r' o':y "nereu =. y
was ,hs nrrnosa ar Ms %,y, Guy ."i'.'''t',' h'I' M ~
c,ucus srstnm and sa.,. H., " ia,;u o'I"" w '"e
nnnIaJ, ,rod p.".;I,,;'i idu ~, '"o ae'sotvm W
hnt tha oa,ons Sn;inI ,'e.'oa "y e"e'; SUI
ma Mr M"nn o'u'u'a ,L ~ ,,l'Nt ''oa,''l'',u, w
Cra,,,ca.J ,,.ho ""s VIZ .o'''''eo wy. WI
toon uotos ""T 49, S, a'Hen W w. " n;, n,He
p.nns''i,,"n;. WV '2'".e ,,;. W New u1", Mn"e
~ fna ~" I M. ,".su .n','ee" 'or MI "oh'oe
~ IVY wi n'' ".""io'u'
nus, h"Vlng hrst secured MIR. Madison by
pohos OF personal Interest, and subsequently
Mr. Monroe by like tenure, the power OF the
caucus was regarded as safe, and Its lnaugu
rat'on as permanent element in American
Polit'cs secured. II was new institution
embracing all the active politicians, who, be
SIDES the advantage OF vast reduction O
numbers IN nS'ng 'he precedence and promo
uon vi l,ulv'uun,s' mus secured 'he aoso'u''
to'.", w. eHse'.''e nppolh,heh's' IL 's e's.
oons,i,"", v ' ro"i."s T.',; oeo''iy ''e ".'u';
na,ad h;n, ~ " t"e Wv n.ne.u,'.' MY mum
XIV" liz s;,i' H'' ""S ne m"s 'noeo'u W u.e", 10
,naa "n" Ppa', LI Soo.y speaN'he' ,ne ireS,ush
o","i,' m", "Jnau W .es"ln 'nen az ,ne I,Snt'u
t,n,;,n " WV f'''0'"e' VI MS "u''''"'A
''",''"'
FROM inns point OF view we are enabled t
| see the origin oil COnnrpsSlonul iptnrIprpur