The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-06-23

| adherent OF JeGer ep.,, and vas COW Secretary
| Of State. The cthor vas Cplonel Hoproa who
had been %in..ts e ms nc; ans sS Ssrs
and Madison sas nominated bv eighty three
votes, George Clinton, the then Vict-presdenr
| receiving a denomination for that office, For
a second term Madison received a UNANIMOUS
caucus nomination in 1912, and Elbrdge Gerry
was named for the Vice-presidency' after !. nau
been offered and declined by John Langdon, OF
New Hampshire
| Great die satisfaction with the caucus system
had now grown up. The monopoly or the
| Presidency by Virginia was bitterly compares
OF, especially by New York. which had a isvorie
candidate candidate in De Witt CLINTON. III
| WAS seen that the Congressional cnucuses were
! controlled by Virginia Influences, and that tsat
| State still desired to supply Presidents TO the
| country. Still the Republicans adhered TO the
! caucus syatem while longer. caucus TO
| nominate Nadhon's successor met I'M the hepre-
sentatives Hall on the l6Ih OF March, 1916
| ll9 members Attending. Nineteen Republi-
cans refused Co be present. from dislike OF the
caucus method Henry Clay, the leader Of the
House was opposed to caucus nominations,
but consented TO go to the meeting, where
he offered resolution that caucus nomina-
ton was not expedient The motion was voted
down and now. amidst much excitement an
informal ballot WA taken. Menroe, Secretary
of State. was the Virginia and administration
| candidate and received 65 votes William III.
Crawford, OF Georgia, the choice Of those Re-
publcans who were opposed to the Virginia
succession, received "a votes and Monroe was
nominated. For Vice-president, Daniel ID.
Tompliins had 85 votes, and Simon Snyder 30
and Tompkns, u New York rival OF Dc Witt
Clinton, was chosen. There was great discon-
tent among the defeated faction. and at one
moment it seemed probable that they would
coalesce with the Federalsts. The latter sup
ported Rufus King and John Eager Ho ward for
the two offices, and after an exciting contest,
the Monroe ticket was chosen by 1873 electoral
votes against "a for King. MIR. Clay gave his
support to Monroe.
In 1920 the hostility to tho caucus system
had become so formidable in the ranks of the
| Republican party that it was resolved that no
| nomination should BIO made. This proved in
| the sequel wise forbearance for Mr.. Monroe
was reelected by every electoral vote but one,
that one being cast by Mr. Plumer of New
Hampshire, for John Quincy Adams, on the
| dent unanimous vote. We now reach tina
period which Witnessed the final struggle be-
| tween liking Caucus" and his enemies
| As Monroes second term approached its end,
it became evident that sharp contest for the
| Chief Magistrates chair WAS about to ensue.
| Several eminent men doomed up as aspirants,
each with strong force OF followers. There
was tho polished and genial Crawford, OF Geor-
gia who had already been put forward to OPP
pose Monroe. There was the eloquent and
chiyalrous Harry Clay, the ablest Of Speakers
and the most dashiDg Of party leaders. There
was rough-hewn Andrew Jackson, the hero Of
| New Orleans. There was, finally John Quincy
Adams, scholarly and vigorous, who now occu-
| pied the office of Secretary OF State. Against
the protest Of q large number Of Republicans,
a caucus was called to make choice Of ono OF
these four. Only 6S members attended, but
some of them brought proxies OF absent
| Republicans After vain attempt TO procure
an adjournment, Dir. Van Buren, induced tho
caucus to proceed 10 domination A ballot
being taken, resulted as follows William ii.
| Crawford, ca John Quincy Adams, 10 ; An
| drew Jackson, Nathaniel Macon l. bal
! lot for Vice president resulted in the nomina-
| ton OF the venerable Albert Gallatin. Tho Sc
| quel soon proved that this result of the caucus
system was distasteful to the mass Of the dom
inant party in the country. Everywhere
appeared protests aga inst it, The Republicans
| in the Massachusetts Legislature nominated
| John Quincy Adams, aud this nomination was
| confirmed by tile Legislatures OF Now Hamp-
| shire, Maine, and Rhode Island, and by con-
ventions in several other States. Tennessee
| put Gen. Jackson into the field, and kentucky
named Henry Clay 80 that there were four
candidates, all professed admirers OF the ad-
ministration party. The result, as is we'll
| known, VAS that there was no choice by the
people, and the election of President and Vice
President devolved upon the House Of Repre-
| tatlves. MIR. Clay a leading member Of
that body and when it was found that he cast
his influence i'll favor of Adams, and that i'm
mediately upon the latter's election Clay was
| appointed Secretary OF State. loud accusations
OF bargain were made by the disappointed
Jackson men.
Gen. jackson became tlae candidate of that
section Of the Republicans who took up posi-
ton OF opposition to the Adams administration,
and who now assumed the name or " Demo-
Gratis y and when election year came around
again, III 1923, thore was no need OF caucus
or convention to nominate him. He tTi-
umphed in the electoral colleges by Il vote OF
| 173 to SO.
1t was in the year 1881 that the first national
conventions TO nominate candidates for Presi-
dent met. The example was set, curiously
enough, not by either of the regular political
parties but by the faction which came into OK
istence solely to oppose the secret ordor Of Ma
sonry. 1t ID worth while to notice that it was
this movement which gave an opening to the
public careers Of two men who afterward rose,
ono to the Presidency, the other to the Senate
and the Secretaryship OF State. These were
William IL. Seward and Willard Fillmore. The
Antlmasonic party grow out of the excitement
produced by the mysterious disappearance of
! William Morgan, n member of the order who
was supposed to have divulged its secrets.
In September, 1881, national convention OF
this party assembled at Baltimore. John
Mclean, of Ohio, since Judge Of the. United
States Supreme Court. was adopted ~ their
caDuluate Tor tue Presidency but hc promptly
declined. The convention then rendered the
nomination to the famous Maryland lawyer,
William Writ, formerly Attorney general who
accepted it and Amos Elmaker, OF Ponnsyl-
vanis was added to the ticket as candidate for
Vlce-presidCnt.
Tho caucus system WAS now evidently ex-
tinct no party would have dared to attempt
its revival. The system of national conyen-
tons, exemplified by the Antima sons WAS seen
to be the only feasible substitute. As the sup
porter Of Jackson now called themselves
Democrats, 40 lis opponents adopted the
designation OF - National Republicans" The
latter party was first in the field to call M
tional convention, and this convention met at
Baltimore III December, 1881. Its session was
brief, for public opinion had already marked
out Henry Clay its candidate. Clay was
nominated on the hrst ballot and John Ser
gealit was given the second place on the
ticket. Thus tho oppositiou TO Jackson,
which was strenuous and hot, was vet di-
vided at the start Of the race between Clay and
! Writ.
The Legislature OF New Hampshire issued
the first call at this time for Democratic
National Conventon-the first OF that long sc
rice Of powerful and exciting conclaves which
have 80 often designated our rulers since.
/ VI -. I'D. -.