Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1881-10-27
bents of that Office, and four vice presi-
dents have died in office.

Ilel6 nave Deell SOUu lluly lltH
of high ability vice presidents, in spite
of the insignifcance the public at
taches TO the Office, until there seems a
prospect of its incumbent exchanging
it for the higher one. Undoubtedly
the greatest of them was Aaron Burr.
His name needs no comment, even
now. Gov. Tompkins was a tremen-
dous figure in the local politics of his
time. He was congressman, a noted
leader in Tammany hall, being one of
the hundred young men Tammany
bought house for to share among
themselves at the time it was neces-
sary to be a householder in order to
have vote in the city, and four times
governor, during one of which terms he
almost beggared himself raising and
contributing money for the carrying on
of the war of 1872. John c. Calhoun
was a political Colossus, more sinned
against by history than SHINING against
it, and John c. Breckenridge and Rich
ard NJ. Johnson were both able law.
yers and astutc politicians. George NJ.
Dallas was mayor OF Philadelphia,
United States senator, and ambassador
to Russia and England at various
times, and an able, though not aggres-
sively busy, man. The least note
worthy of our vice presidents, Hamlin,
Colfax, Wilson and Wheeler, have still
won regulations as public men, which
tie bulk of their fellow citizens may
well envy them. Hannibal lIamlin
was chosan governor of this state in
1857, after having been speaker Of the
state assembly, and congressman and
senator. Schuyler Colfax was in con-
gress in 1855, was chosen speaker of
the house of representatives in 1873,
nd is best known nowadays as a
temperance lecturer Wilson and
Wheeler rank lowest in the scale of
vic presidential eminenGe. The lat
ter, especially, presents the least sig
niicant ngureo anyman who has held
his late Office. But he is an able busi-
ness man and "A good lawyer, and had
done excellent legislative service.
There have been various methods
applied in the election of vice presi-
dents of the United States. In 1789
and again in 1892, Washington had
had every vote cast for president,
But at his first election no less than
eleven persons were voted to fill the
second office. At the election of 1900,
the head of the contest muddled things
SO that the necessity of some definite
method of distinguishing president and
vice president in the popular vote be-
came apparent. There were four prOmi.
nent aspirants ts--JeffersOn and Burr,
both republicans, and Adams, and G. c.
Pinclney, both fedcralists. There was
Il tie between Jefferson and Burr,
each having 73 of the l38 votes
Adams had IS, PinCkney had 81, and
one Rhode Islander voted for John
JAY. The election went TO the house
of representatives (where each state
had only u single vote, and after
week Of excitement and thirty-siS
ballots, Jefferson got ten of the six
teen states, Burr four, and two votes
blank. The constitution was then i'm
mediately amended 50 as to require
the electors to designate on their bal
lots their choice for president ant
vice.
A caucus of members Of congress
then, was the first method hit upor
for the selection of candidates. 1t i;
difficult to conceive of any other plar
suited to the state of things at thai
time, A national convention, even il
it had been thought of, would have alb
sOrbed the greaterpart Of the year, an(
there was then no press which could
in any sense he called national. Tht
newspapers were few, and of limited
circulation, and Il nomination by then
would have been considered imperti
nent by the country gentlemen then 81
influential. The congressional eau
cuses were held with closed doors, ant
no part of their proceedings was com
municated TO the public excep
the result Five presidents il
succession were chosen in this
manner. Then, when Andrew
Jackson's first term neared its end ant
his reelection became an object in thu
near future, the idea Of Il national con
vention was suggested, it is said, b!
Mai. Wm. B. Lewis, confidential
friend of the president, in order to de
feat Calhom's intriguas and secure th'
election of Van Buren, to the vict
presidency.
The convention met in Baltimore il
May, 1882, and it consisted of 32S
delegates. Leading members who were
disinclined to vote for Van Buren, wert
given distinctly to understand tha
they must vote for the presidents can
didate, or be prepared to quarrel will
the president. Such was the power o
the administration and such the dis
cipline of the party, that out of the 81
delegates only 66 presumed to Civ
vote against Martin Van Buren,
! Just enough to impart to the delibera
tions of the convention slight show o
independence. The people, however
were not quite so obedient to the mar
dates of the party chief. Gen. JACK
son received 2l9 electoral votes i
1882, while Mr.. Van Buren, receive
but 189, which, however, was A nor
than he needed
Thus was inaugurated the system G
nominating candidates by national col
; vention, which has continued to tn
present time-a system, it is scarcel
; an exaggeration to say, duo to tn
! ! vice president, whose value the publ
only acknowledges when it sees
: chance to use him, and whose valu
; on an emergency a great bulk of I'll
) public has no clear comprehension
!, at all.
: Men Who Brag.
|, 1t is natural for man to brag. An
: frequently the less he has to brag oy'
/, the more Dragging he will do. III
$ most trifling incident are sufficient
: keep some men Dragging all their live
:. We once knew a man whom Hem
s Clay kicked out of his way, and Il
| n.,1.... l,,,o,s,ol 90 ~ oil tho ract of n