Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-08-11
Popular Mass Meetings In Presidential
Campaigns.

tend Presidential election have always
been shown in the same way will be sur.
prised to know that the monster meetings
and the universal stump-speaking are
comparatively modern practice. The ma
tional nominating convention itself is moi
half century old. The old practice was
caucus of the members of Congress belong.
ing to the different parties. The last oi
these was held with doubt and protest iu
1924, and nominated Mr.. Crawford, the Sec
rotary of the Treasury under Mr.. Monroe
But that election was "scrub-r race" be-
tween General Jackson, John Quincy Ad.
ans, William ii. Crawford, and Henry
Clay, In which the caucus candidate receiv-
ed only forty-one electoral votes, while
Jackson received ninety-nine, Adams
eighty-Iour, and Clay thrty.seven. This
was the end of the Congressional nominat-
ing caucus. The next step was the nomin-
alton by State Legislatures, and at length
| by the National Convention. As the meth
cd of nomination has become more popu-
lar, the prosecution of the canvass has as
sumed more OF the same character. The
fathers of the Constitution intended that
the selection Of a candidate should be made
not by the voters themselves, but by repre-
| sentatives chosen by the people for that
purpose. But this method failed for obyi.
Gus reasons. The nomination by the Con-
| 81 essional caucus was a practice which re-
tained something of the spirit of the orig
inal plan. But the argument against the
one was conclusive against the other, aud
as the method of nomination has changed,
so that ofthe election will probably be mod
flied.
With the nominating conventions, which
were in the beginning often mass-meetings,
the system of monster meetings was intro
duced. The beginning is noticed by John
Quincy Adams, the most experienced po-
litical observer in the country, with great
alarm and apprehension. The convention
of the Wing young men in Baltimore in
1910 which nominated Gen. Harrison
amounted, he says, with anlszement, 10
twenty thousand delegates. This was fol-
lowed by "convocations of thousands of
people TO hear inhammatory harangues
against Martin Van Buren, and his admin
istration by Henry Clay, Daniel Webster,
and all the principal opposition orators in
aud out of Congress-" Mr.. Adams was
invited TO address such meetings in all
parts of the country, including Virginia,
Tennessee and Maryland, but he declined
with kind Of terror. Mr.. Caleb Cushing's
political friends gave him a public dinner,
amidst popular festivities, at Newburyport,
and invited their neighbor, the ex-Presi-
dent, tough and courageous man of sew
enty-six, TO attend. But he declined, and
wrote in his diary: "Mr. Webster and Mr..
Saltonstall were there, and stump-speech
scatlold, aud, it is said, procession of six
thousands people or more, and a dinner of
eighteen hundred. Here is revolution in
the habits ard manners of the people.
Where will il end? These are party move
ments, and must in the natural progress OF
things become antagonistical. These meet
in2s cannot be multiplied in numbers and
frequency without resulting in yet deeper
tragedies. Their manifest tendency is TO
civil war;
The experience of Il generation has not
justified these lusubrious ferebodings,
which were yet natural to public man,
seventy-six years old, who had seen the
NalliSI anu slilIlI ulelnOuS. n man, now
ever, who had also seen the election of jeff
erson by the House might have felt that
there was no more danger in the popular
than in the exclusive system. Party spirit
was never more fierce than in the younger
days Of John Quincy Adams. The later
methods of free and general expression
have remedied some of its perils. The
which Mr. tAop1o
plated with establishment and dread was
full of good humor. II will always be
known AS the hard-cider campaign, and ii
was kind of universal jollifiealion. "Lil-
libullerO" did not more surely sing King
James out of the three Kingdoms than Zip
pecanoe and Tyler too" sang Van Buren,
out OF the Presidency.
There will be nothing at The Centennial
Exhibition so remarkable and significant
to that distinguished visitor, "lhe thought
full foreigner" as the spectacle of the ma
tion itself engaged in the canvass for the
Presidency. 1t is at such times, in the
midst Of great assemblies stimulated and
swayed by partisan oratory, that the essen-
tial character of our system is seen. The
meetings are huge, but they are instinct
lively self-governing. The police would be
powerless should they attempt 10 cope with
any serious disturbance at such meetings,
except from the consciousness of eX cry Of
ticer that he is supported by theapproval,
and If necessary the muscle, of the vast
multitude. The crowd does not represent
hostility 10 the government or to law, for it
is itself consciously part Of the govern
ment and of thelaw- making power. More
over the great meetings are great safety
valves. Passion exhales in free express
sion. The appeal 10 rancorons and mis-
chevous feeling falls in comfortable and
good natured crowd of industrious people
who have real "stake in the state"-and
almost every large collection of Americans
must be Of that kind-as Canning's radical
failed with the needy knife-grinder. In-
deed, it is the radical who must have a sto-
ry 10 tell. The first requirement of the Or
ator of monster meeting in Presiden-
tial campaign is that he shall be entertain
ing. Mr.. Webster did not prove to be the
hero of such assemblies. 'Tom" Corwin,
"Jim Nye"-then on the other side-and in
one year John Van Buren, were the kind
of orators that the occasion demanded. Mr.. |
Adams would have been lost in amazement
If he could have known that, twenty years
after he saw with fear the beginning of the !
mass meeting, and on the eve of a dread
ful civil war, the Presidential canvass
would be conducted with perfect toleration
upon beth sides in that part of the country |
where there were two sides.
The ''thoughtful foreigner" will see the |
same spectacle this year, happily without |