The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1883-05-03
sARsBURNeRs AND HUNssas.


How aud when did the political
ncknames "Hunker" and Barn
burner" originate in the Saate of New
York?
Answer.-The Democratic party
within New York state became badly
divided soon after the Inauguration Of
MIR. Polk, i'm 1915, owing TO the Sights
put ON Governor Silas Wright, OF
that State, To whose immense pOpu.
larity Polk really owed his election.
Wright could not carry all his friends
over TO Polk, as is shown by the fact
that he was elected Governor by TO-
$50 majority, while Polk carried the
State by D, lU6. This, however, de.
eided the electoral count In his favor.
Polk was really weak man, and
showed II In nothing more than In
his jealousy of Wright and annoyance
ut the general ascriptiOn. Of his cleo
ton by the organs of both parties, to
Wrights influence. He rendered
Wright the choice Of places in his
Cabinet under cOnstraint Of the gen.
eral wish of the party, and knowing
that the statesman felt bound to re-
tain the high Office to which the peO.
pie Of New York had elected him.
Wright declined, but asked that
Azariah Z. Flagg, of New York, be
made Secretary of the Treasury, and
he understood the President to
promise this; yet afterward the latter
declined to make the appointment,
and gave the portfolio of Secretary Of
State to Ex-Governor WIN. l.. Marcy,
of NewYork, who was by no means
friendly to Wright. The Collector
ship Of New York. II was understood,
would he given Us Governor Wright
and ex-President Van Buren, should
request. but here again the President
disappointed them. All this reminds
us fOrcibly of the divisions in the Re
publican ranks i'm the same State, due
to the Garfleld-Conkling feud. The
trouble ranked, and the Democratic
party became divided into two pro-
nOunced factions before the election
of delegates to the next guber-
material convention. There were
the administration Democrats
calling themselves Conservatives
and the ''sore-heads" Of those days,
stigmatized AS Radicals, because,
among other things, they were affected
with anti-slavery, or free soil" senti-
ments: whereas the administration
marty was strongly pro-slavery. In
the Democratic State Convention. held
at Syracuse early in lSi7. the latter
faction, by political manipulation. &c.
cured the Organization OF that body.
and decided nearly all the contested
seats in their own favor and made the
State ticket and State Committee to
suit themselves In other words, scar
ried off the hunk, !" and fairly won the
nickname of "Hunkers." The other
faction, led on BY Governor Wright's
friends, Mr.. Van Buren,, Colonel sam
uel Young, Michael Hoffman, aud
Others. refused to support the ticket,
and as a consequence the Wings car
ried the State by over 1000 majority
in tine gubernatorial election. One If
the Hunker orators liken.d the Wright
and Van Buren, faction To the Dutch
farmer who burned hi. barn Ia rid
himself nf rats, and thenceforwar,i the
nnrii- Barnhirners was fastened on
them, aud the Two nicknane-. bunker
4ui i,aruuurner. were handled back
ana forth until after the latter Joined
with the Lih,rty party, in 1852. to
support AIR. Van Buren, a. tine Free
Soil candidate for the Presidency.