Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1881-12-31
"Cliqucs' and Rings in the United States


"Cliqucs and Rings in the United States
There has been great deal of talk of late
about speech made in public 10y nm Intelligent
man high IN office i'll this Government, in which il
WIS asserted TINT rings and cliquea which had per
sonnl ends rather than the public good in view
prevailed in the politics of tho United States ani
that the Presidents had always been men whc
could bo controlled by such rings and cliquos--ol
words TO that effect,
So far AZ it was meant that rings and cliunes
had always, ut least for the last fifty years
existed in the political parties of the United
States, the statement is essentially true But that
such cliques have always prevailed, and that the
Presidents have been men controlled by them, is
VIGOROUSLY untrue, and u Islander on the country
ns reference to the facts will clearly demonstrate
Their Hscendanoy in the Government aud their
control of the Presidents, have not been the rule
hut the exceptions Let facts be submitted to y
candid world"
The frst five Presidents Washington John
Adams Jefferson Madison and Monroe made
Presidents for their services i'll the cabinet or in
the field during the Revolutionary War. In theii
day the politics of the country M ut present
existing, had not been so far crystaized that the
truth or falsity of the assertion We considering
could be predicted on them.
John Quincy Adams, the sixth President was
chosen by the House of Representatives under
the constitutional provision that when no man has
majority of the votes of the electoral colleges The
House shall select President from among the
three highest candidates. The candidates before
the electoral colleges in 1924, were Adams, Jack
son, Clay and Crawford. If there clique
candidate among them, certainly 1T was not John
Quincy Adams. Crawford was the candidate OF
the South. Clay of the Politicians, jackson of the
Rowdier, and Adams of New England. Adams
little the tool of cliques or rings that he
removed no man from office for political reasons
all through his administration.
General jackson, the seventh President, first
elected IN 1898, was made President mainly for his
services in the of 1872, and notably as the
hero of the battle of New Orleans, which termin-
Gted the war; lie WAS man of indomitable will
as little likely to be controlled by designing men
as can be well imagined though during his
second term he was largely under the influence OF
what was called Kitchen cabinet" of which
Francis =. Blair, Amos Kendall and John II
Eaton We're the controlling spirits. During Jack
sons administration, the doctrine that to the
victor belong the spoils,' first enumerated by
Governor Marcy, his Secretary of State, went into
effect as Il political principle.
Martin Van Buren,, the eighth President, was,
admit, III sense ring Presidential ring of winch
he himself was the center and circumference. Oui
friend whose position we are combating, Is
entitled to all the credit and comfort he can
derive from the Presidency of Martin Van Buren,
General Harrison, the ninth President, wal
selected by Committee of one from each State
appointed by the Convention to consider and
report who OF several candidates could carry the
most States, III opposition to the reelection oi
Martin Van Buren,. IL agreed that Harrison
could most surely carry the State of Pennsylvania
then considered a doubtful and the "pivotal >
State. The wisdom of the selection of Harrison
was confirmed in that, while he carried Pennsy
vania by majority OF less than 500, he swept ove
II number of States the Convention had no expect
alton of carrying when the nomination was made
The overwhelming defeat of Martin Van Burei
for a second term in 1910. was greatly attributed
to the immense defalcations that came to lgh
during has term, which, however, were i'll grea
measure an inheritance from the administration
of jackson. Harrisons term was SO short--son,
three months only-that there was scarcely al
opportunity of judging what his course woult
have been ii his life had been spared. Many sup
posed his life was shortened by his trouble il
uniting the cliques by which he was haunted HI
died with the expression On his lips--"I wish Il
administer the Government according to the prin
| ciples of the Constitution" Certainly he was no
| a CLIQUE candidate or ring President.
| Polk the eleventh Presdent-( Tyler the tenth
| was an accidental President-we are consider
! ing those only who We're elected 10y the people)-
and Pierce the twelfth. were men of small calibre
| and were Presidents during the retrogade days o
| the Republic. There was hardly character enough
in the administration of PIERCE on which to predi
cate principle, or build an argument. Polk wa
| nominated and controlled by the slave power an
| he waged y vile war against Mexico, to extend th
slave power by the acquisition of new territory 70
| slave States. He WAS successful IN gaining til
territory but his purposes were defeated by tn
| breaking ont of the gold fever, which drew north
| Mexico and California, and thus secured fire.
soil instead of slavery in those territories. Ou
friend may say, II he pleases, that Polk was electe
and controlled by the ring of the slave power.
General Taylor, the thirteenth President, wa
nominated and elected, M the hero of the Florid
and Mexican wars. Henry Clay was the princip;
ring candidate against Taylor, for nomination
the Convention and mark, the ring candidofe "a
not nominated " elected. Gen, Taylor, though
slavehoider, astonished the nation b, his just di