Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1872-02-24
EXAMPLE,.
Coalitions of the Past--1S4O--IS14--
IS4S--lS56.

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When Mr.. Van Buren, ran for his
second term in 1910, the Democratic
party seemed to be as thoroughly
united and almost as powerful as in
the days of Jackson. a small body
of conservatives, whose leaders had
held prominent positions in the
Democratic party, dissented from
Van Buren's financial measures.
They were denounced as ''sore-
heads" and "bolters," and their in
fluence laughed to scorn by Van
Buren's supporters. But this body
of dissenters, though not cOnspicu-
Gus for their number in any one To-
cality, were widely diffused through
the country, and proved to be
strong enough in the close States to
infiict a signal defeat upon the Sage
of Lindenwald. So it was III 1914
when Clay ran against Polk. The
Liberty party nominated Birney on
platform which, ten years later,
was adopted as the creed of the new
Republican organization. The Biz
neyites gave only small number OF
votes, but they cast some in lOcali-
ties where the great parties were
nearly equal, and especially in New
York, which took from Clay States
he would otherwise have carried,
and thus caused defeat. The IA
nous contest of 1913 is not less in
structive. Cass and Taylor were
the candidates of the Democratic
and Wing parties. The warm per-
sonal friends of Van Buren,, in or
der to cancel an outstanding debt
against Cass, determined to destroy
him. The Barnburners of New
York took the lead of the dissen-
tiers, summoned a convention at
Buffalo, nominated Van Buren, on
Free Soil platform, which the Re
publicans six years later closely CO.
pied, took from Cass the State of
New York, seriously demOr2liZed
the regular Democracy in other
States, and, finally, in the irrever-
ent language Of Prince john of Lin
denwald, "killed the Michigander,
and sent his body home by the way
of the upper lakes" We might re-
| fer for further illustration TO the
! contest of 1856, when certain class
of Democrats in the North united
with other political elements in or
ganizing the Republican party.
| The coalition ran Fremont, a Demo
crat, for president. The refusal of
| these Democrats to vote for Buch-
anan, and their Jealous support of
| Fremont, reVolutiOniZed the politics
of half . dozen States which had
been invariably Democratic since
the time of Jackson, and which
| thencefOrward were among the
steadiest Republican States down to
the election of Grant. The same
principle was also illustrated in the
election of 1856 by the course of Dir:
Fillmore. y candidate of the old
line Wings and hnow-Nothings he
prevented the concentration upon
Fremont of the whole anti-Demo-
cratic vote, and thus insured the
success of Buchanan as q minority
candidate. Though other political
contests of like character might be
referred TO, these are enough to es-
tablish the proposition that in order
TO defeat a dominant party it is not
necessary that there be a detection
in its ranks so great as to amount
anywhere to an open revolt, but on
" a widely diffused dissatisfaction
with its measures or candidates,
which, though not powerful enough
to capture its stronghoIds, is suffi-
cient to deliver its weak places to
the foe. 1t viii be noted also that
IN the cases We have cited the dis
senters accomplished their purposes
in two different modes: by uniting
with their allies in the support OF
one candidate, as the Conservative
Democrats united with the Wings
upon Harrison to defeat Van Buren,;
or by running an independent can
didate of their own, as the Barn
burners ran Van Buren, to demolish
Cass.-N. J. Sun.