The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-07-14
DISAPPOINTED SEEKERS FOR THE
PRESIDENCY.

The divine injunction, "Seek and We
shall ffnd," does not-at least, in all its
force-apply to all those persons who
desire to be placed at the head of the
American Union. As there could have
been but twenty-five elected Presidents
of the United States between 1889 and
1877, even had each President been
limited to one term, and as seven Presi-
dents were reelected, it follows that the
number of successful aspirants to our
National Chief Magistracy has been but
small while the number of unsuccessful
aspirants has been very large, something
like legion, when we count not only
those of their number who received
nominations or electoral votes, but those
also who were "named for nominations, I"
or who were pushed forward by admir-
ing but not very iudicious friends. Per
haps running sketch of the history of
Presidential aspiration may not be out
of place at this time, when Presidential
aspirants are 80 numerous, and when the
host of the disappointed is so sure to be
heavily reinforced before the close of
the first century of the Republics life,
not month hence-for there are about
score of men now aspiring to be Presi-
dent Grants successor, who have fair
pretensions to the favors of the parties
to which they belong and yet but two
of these nen can become candidates with
anything, like well-founded hopes of
success, and but one of them can be
chosen to the Presidency. Then there
are twenty more, perhaps, who have
been talked of, or Thought of" in
limited circles, but of whom the great
public, the people, have heard little in
any case, and nothing in most cases.
The first and second Presidential elec
tions were not contested, so far as the
first office was concerned. Washington
was made President without open oppo-
sition, receiving on both occasions all the
electoral votes but as the system of
voting in the colleges then stood, every
man who received vote was candidate
for one of the two offices that were filed
by the action of the electors and there
were no less than ten such persons, with
the following result John Adams, "a
John Jay, 9; r. Fl. Harrison, 6 John
Rutledge, 6; John Hancock, 4 George
Clinton, 8; Samuel Huntingdon, 2;
John Milton, 2; John Armstrong, l;
and Benjamin Lincoln, 1. With two
exceptions, all the men who received
these votes were famous revolutionary
characters and Mr.. Adams, though he
had not majority of the electoral votes,
was legally chosen to the Vice-Presi-
dency, according to the manner of fill
ing the second Office in 1889.
Our first contested national election
occurred in 1876 and very close one
it was, Mr.. John Adams beng chosen to
the Presidency by II votes, and Mr..
Jefferson receiving 68 votes and these
last votes made Mr.. Jefferson Vice Presi
dent. 1t was in that contest that disap-
pointed aspirants began to appear.
Some of the Federalists desired that
John Jay, of New York, should be their
party's candidate, and probably he would
have been supported by that party, and
Mr.. Adams have been set aside, had
it not been for the circumstance that he
was laboring under the odium that fol-
lowed from his having negotiated the
famous treaty with England-"Jay's
Treaty." as it was denominated-and
hence he was not available. He can be
set down as having aspired to the Presi-
dency, though he did not seek it and
had he remained Chief Justice of the
United States Supreme Court, and had
he taken no part in politics in 1789-'96,
in all probability he would have been
our second President, as he was one of
the very first men of that period In every
respect. But there was another aspirant
in 1896 who failed. Thomas Pinckney,
of South Carolina, prominent man, was
the Federalist candidate for the Vice
Presidency and it was intended by some
of the Federalists that he should be
made President, they having an irwin.
chile distrust of Mr.. Adams. As Gen.
Pinckney must have known what it was
contemplated to do, we must set him
down as having been very much dis
appointed man when he found that not
only had he been defeated for the Presi-
dency, but that he had failed to get the
Vice Presidency. A number cf the
Adams Federalist electors withheld their
votes from him, the plan that had been
formed for the defeat of Mr.. Adams
being thus turned against Gen. Pinck-
ney himself, with fatal effect. Mr..
Adams had II votes, Mr.. Jefferson 6S,
and Gen. Pinckney SO. In consequence,