The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-10-25
NEW YORK POLITIC6L


| of parties and politics in this country. The
two parties which now contend with each
| other have existed, under one name or another,
| from the time of the adoption of the Constitu-
ton down to the present moment; and both
of these parties have, generally, been divided
| into factions whose rivalries and conflicts
have. at times, been more bitter than the con-
| tests between the two great organizations
During the discussions on the Constitution of
1889 New York was inclined to be anti-Fed-
| eral, or, what is now known as Democratic.
George Clinton was at the head of the anti
| Federal party and Alexander Hamilton was
the leader of the Federalists who, likewise,
counted among their adherents the Van Rem
selaers, the Schuylers, and other powerful
families. Finally, the Federalists prevailed,
and New York came into the Union as
Federal State. At this time Aaron Burr be-
came the Republican Cor Democratic) leader.
In 1900 jefferson was the Democratic candi-
date for President and Burr for Vice President
against Adams and Pinkerton. The electors in
New York were chosen by the Legislature, and
Burr formed ticket in New York city on which
were placed the names Of Gov. Clinton, Gen.
Gates and Edward Livingston. This ticket
was elected 1t decided the complexion of
| the Legislature and secured the election of
| Mr.. Jefferson. Its success, nevertheless,
| gave rise to the extraordinary struggle be-
tween Jefferson and Burr, in the House OF
Representatives, which led to change in the
| Constitution as to the manner of voting for
President and Vice-President Then arose
| split in the Democratic party among the
| friends of Clinton, Burr and Livingston,
which continued for twelve years. The Clin-
tonians gained the ascendancy and cast the
vote Of the State for George Clinton, against
Madison in 1912. After that time the divi-
sions were of local nature, until 1926 when
the anti-Masonic movement entirely changed
the geographical relations of the two parties.
| Up to that time the Democratic strength had
| been in the West, and the Federal strong
| holds were in the East Morgan was resi-
dent of the West, and his mysterious disap-
pearance created an unparalleled excitement
in that portion of the State, and led to the
formation of the anti Masonic party, which
revolutionized New York beyond Cayuga
Bridge and placed it in opposition to the
Democratic party. From that day to this
the Democrats have never recovered
their ground in Western New
| York. But the effect in the East
was Just the reverse. Thousands of Federal
lists were driven into the Democratic party,
and the region from Long Island to Cayuga
| Lake became the Democratic stronghold. In
| 1912 another disunion took place in the
| Democratic party, on the question of the
canal enlargement and the State finances.
| Sias Wright, Michael Hoffman, and other
| Democratic leaders were in favor of direct
tax to pay off the State debt, and they were
opposed by another section who desired to
prosecute the canal enlargement The
Wright section were stigmatized as Barn.
| burners, because one of their leaders had de-
! clared that he would burn down the barn to
get rid of the rats and they applied the term
of Old Hunkers to their opponents, as a refer
ence to their supposed conservatism. The
Barnburners were in favor of the denomination
of Mr.. Van Buren,, and when. in 1913, Gen.
Cas- was nominated, they called convention
at Buffalo and formally seeded from the
national organization. They succeeded in
almost exactly dividing the Democratic vote
of the State, and thus threw it into the hands
of the opposition At this time the Barnburners
assumed the distinctive name of Free Sellers,
because they adopted the Wilmot Proviso ex-
Guiding slavery from the territories, as the
foundation of their national policy.
The division was partially healed in 1880,
at which time Horatio Seymour made himself
prominent as contriver of the reunion OF
the party. A portion of the Hunkers refused
TO 90 into the arrangement, and, from their
obstinacy or frmness, got the name OF
"Hards," whilst the others, who affiliated with
the Barnburners, were called "Softs" This
division lasted till 1856, and led to double De-
mocratic delegations in the conventions OF
1852 and 1856 In 1852 the two sections united
on Pierce, and in 1856 on Buchanan. They
carried the State for Pierce but lost it in 1856,
ON account of second and permanent seces-
sion of the Free Soil element arising out of the
J Kansas Nebraska controversy. This seces-
sion not only vastly strengthened the opposi-
ton, or Republican party, as it then, and still
calls itself, in the West, but wrenched all the
Northern counties and the whole Southern
: tier from the Democracy, thus throwing the
latter back on the line of the Hudson river.
, The extent of this revolution may be estimated
from the fact that St. Lawrence, once strong
Democratic county, now gives 1000 Repubii-
can majority. The old Democratic counties
b | of Jefferson, Oneida, Herkimer, Steuoen
! Broome, Chenango, and Delaware, now
go Republican by majorities varying from
1000 to 5000. But in the mean time, the
great Democratic element IN the East had
assumed proportions that enabled it first tc
compete with, and finally to preponderatt
T over the Republican part of the State. This
d was due to the rapid increase of the cities o.
}. New York and Brooklyn. New York city, fol
instance, gave Van Buren, only 1000 majorit,
= in 1910. 1t gave Mcclellan 1000 in 1864
4 and went Democratic last year by 10000
= Brooklyn, which, twenty years ago, scarcel!
e counted in the vote of the State, last yea
| I Q0n narnootatio majority From