The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-04-18

The Democratic Candidate for the Next
Frcsidcncy-Thc Difficulty of the Two
Thirds Rulc.
The success of Tammany Hall at Albany, In
gaining the one republican needed to carry
through the whole budget of the ''party mea-
sures" of ''the ring" win give TO the Old Wig
wan a powerful foothold for the next Presl-
dency. 1t secures this State to the democracy
against all probable contingencies, and will
enable the Tammany managers, through their
powerful financial means and combinations, to
control to a great extent, except the two-thirds
rule, the National Democratic Convention
Meantime, although Tammany has officially
withdrawn her candidate for the next Presi-
dency-Governor Hoffman-it is with tho
understanding that he is still held in reserve
to take his chances in the Convention on the
same general footing as all the other aspirants
of the party. Among the other democratic
availables whose claims have been discussed
in the newspapers are Charles Francis Adams
and John Quincy Adams, both chips Of the
old federal and wing blocks of Massachusetts;
General Hancock. OF Pennsylvania Governor
English, of Connecticut; Thomas A. Hen
bricks, of Indiana; Senator Thurman, of Ohio;
General Frank p. Blair, of Missouri; Governor
Haight, Of California; George w. Cass, of
Pennsylvania Thomas W. Garrett, President
of the Baltimore ard Ohio Railroad, and last,
though not least, George Ii. Pendleton, Of
Oslo.
But of all this list, looking to the difficulty
Of the two-thirds rule of The democratic nomi-
ma ing convention, ii is probable that not one
will be able to run the gauntlet. The two
thirds rule was first brought effectively to bear
in the Convention at Baltimore of 1914 In
| that Convention Martin Van Buren, had clear
majority Of the delegates but he had like
Henry Clay, declared himself against the an
nexation OF Texas because he thought it
| would be anneXing war with Mexico, and
that, was enough for the Southern pro-slavery
oligarchy, who were resolved, war or no war;
upon The acquisition of Texas as slave State
| to maintain their lance Of power in the United
| States Senate. They accordingly enforced
tie two-thirds rule upon the Convention, and
SO cut out Van Buren, and secured the nomi-
| nation of Polk, of Tennessee; and on the
Texas annexation cry they succeeded, by
every tight squeeze" in electing him. But
this very act, designed to strengthen the
Southern oigarchy and their institution of
slavery, was the entering wedge to the destruc-
ton of both.
Texas was annexed, and the act did involve
the annexation of a war with Mexico. But in
the second year Of this war, with the occupa-
ton Of the Mexican capital by General Scott,
Mexico vas so completely at his mercy that
the whole republic was offered to him as
dictator in the name of the United States.
But General Scott declined the offer, because
be could not see how the equality Of races
the supreme law OF Mesico-could be recon-
ciied with negro slavery-the supreme law
Of the United States However. in lS4S,
treaty of peace was concluded, whereby, in
addition to the disputed boundary Of Texas,
we acquired all that vast region now COM
prising the States Of Nevada and California,
and the Territories of Utah, Colorado, New
M xico and Arizona, except that portion Of
Arizona subsequently, acquired by the Gads-
den treaty with Santa Anna. In the settle
tories began that fierce revival of the slavery
agitation which has ended in the fifteenth
amendment. All the intervening momentous
events in our political history, including the
rebellion and its consequences, may be traced
to that two-thirds rule of the Democratic
Presidential Convention Of 1874.
Mark how it worked. Martin Van Buren,
g. ~ ~ H.
superseded in that convention, and in 1913,
with the regular party nomination of General
Cass at Baltimore, he ivan BUREN, became the
Presidential candidate, with Charles Francis
Adams for Vice Presiden', Of the free soil
party" their platform being the exclusion of
slavery from the Territories acquired from
Mexico. The main object Of Van Buren, was
revenge for that affair Of 1874; and he had it
in carrying eff so large vo.e from the demo-
| cratic party in New York as to give the State
| by an overwhelming majority to General Tay-
lor, whereby be was elected and Cass was
handsomely defeated. The important national
results which next followed were the admis-
| sion of California as free State, and Henry
| Clay's great compromise measures of 1850 on
the slavery question, including the Missouri
compromise line. north latitude 36 80, north
of which slavery was not to pass and south of
which slavery was left an open question.
We shall next see how the Southern oil
garchy violated this compact. or what were
the consequences uoder this democratic two
thirds rule.
In the party Convention OF 1852 at Balti-
more, upon Cass, Buchanan, Marcy, Douglas,
Houston, Dickinson and other candidates the
Convention was balloting for week, and at
the end of the week a man whose name had