Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-05-31
THE CHICAGO CONVENTIONS.
The Conventions Of 1860, 1864,
1868, $780, 1854.
how TIE CONVENTION SYSTEM WAS CREATED
The Old Caucus Rule Where the Ma
tional Conventions Have Been Held
"A Sketch Of the Contests of
Twenty-Five, Years.

II --e
Special Correspondents Of THE EVENING STAR
- fiCHICAGO. May 80.
The national republican convention, which
meets in this city on Tuesday next, the Sd of
June, is the sixth presidential convention. and
the national democratic convention, which
meets on July 8, will be the seventh held In Chi
cago For many years In the early history of
politics In this country Baltimore was known as
the ''City of Conventions" the first one having
been held there in 1881, and the last, which
nominated Horace Greeley, in 1872 but lattery
local as well as national questions have entered
almost as much into the location of national
conventions as the issues of politics and cand-
dates and they have usually alternated between
the east and the west every four years; but
during the past eight years the conventions
have been held in the western cities Of st.
Louis. Chicago and Cncinnati-Chicago lead
ing as the Convention City,
THE OLD CAUCUS SYSTEM.
For more than thirty years candidates for the
presidency were nominated by caucus COM
posed Of U. s. Senators and members of the
House of Representatives, which continued till
1874 when the memorable caucus insisted upon
by Martin Van Buren, and other friends OF VIM
b. Crawford, of Georgia. defeated the latter as
candidate and effectually killed the caucus sys-
tenn, which had become almost tyranncal in its
rule. This famous caucus was attended by most
of the Senator'S, but by only eight members of
the House OF Representatives out Of twenty of
the tWenty-f0ur states Of the Union. Most Of
your readers are aware Of the rest of this polit-
1cal history. which sent the election into the
House, where the friends Of Clay voted for
Adams to defeat jackson, which killed the
republican party of that day as well as the rule
OF the caucus.
THE EARLY CONVENTIONS
The first convention for the nomination Of
President and Vice President. which came about
as the result of the death Of the caucus system,
was the anti-Masonic convention held in Bati-
more in September, 1881, and which was fol-
lowed In December of the same year by the first
national republican convention Of the old party
OF that NAME which nominated Henry Clay for
President and John Sergeant for Vice President
These were followed in Baltimore by the demo-
cratic convention of 1882, which nominated
Jackson and Van Buren,: the democratic one
of 1885, which nominated Van Buren, and John
son; that OF 1870 which again nominated Van
buren,; the wing convention of 1914. which
nominated Clay and Frelinghuysen; the dem
ocratlc of 1S4 which nominated Polk and
Dallas: also of 1St8 which named Cass and
Butler (who were defeated by Gen. Taylor; the
wing convention of 1852. which presented Scott
and Graham. who were defeated by Pierce and
King. who were also nominated the same yearin
baltimore; the wing convention of 1856 which
nominated Fillmore and D0nelson and which
was buried with the whig party; the consttu-
tlonal union party of 1861 which named Bell
and Everett, and the seceders of the democratic
party. who put forward Breckenridge and Lane;
the republican of 1864 which renominated Mr..
Lincoln and put Andrew Johnson second on the
ticket, and the last one in 1872 which, as al
ready stated. ratified the nomination of Mr..
Greeley. During this time three national con-
yenfions were held in Harrisburg. five in Phila-
delphia. one in New York. one in Buffalo, one in
Utica three in Cincipuati. three in Chicago, one
in st. Louis. and one in Charleston. Up to four
years ago the east and the, west have divided
the honors. Now, both conventions are held in
the west.
THE FIRST CHICAGO CONVENTION, IN 1860.
The first national convention of the republic
can party met here on May 10th, 1850, and nomi-
mated Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin.
The convention was the second one of the
republican party of this day Four years after
wards the democrats held a national convention
here in August, and nominated George B. Nc
Clellan and George H. Pendeton. Both con-
ventiOns were held at critical periods in the his
tory of the country. Happily, the one which
meets on the shores of Lake Michigan next
Tuesday finds the city of its location in the
hOOdtide OF peaceful prosperity, typical of the
solid interests of the whole country.
At the republican convention in May go, del
egates were in attendance from all portions of
the northern states and from the then slave
holding states OF Delaware, Maryland Virginia
Kentucky and Missouri. delegation claimed
to represent Texas but it was subsequently
proven to have been gotten up in Michigan and
was ruled out. The District of Columbia sent
one delegate. Gen. Joseph Gerhardt. we'll
known resident, who died a year ago. Mr.. Geo.
Ashmun. of Massachusetts,, who was president
of the convention, was the last gentleman with
whom MIR. Lincoln held any official relations on
the night OF his assassination. Mr.. Ashmun
presided In a mammoth temporary structure,
known at the time as ''the wigwam," and situa-
ted on the lake front not far from the site of next
weeks convention, and which held at least ten
thousand people. The nomination Of Mr.. LIN
coin, which was made on the second ballot, was
almost as great surprise to the convention as
that of Mr.. Hayes at Cincinnati, eight years ago,
and confirmed "a most ingenious paradox" in
the action of national conventions: that the
strongest candidates often prove to be the
weakest Ones!-though Mr.. Lincoln was second
on the first ballot, and remained SO until he was
nominated on the third ballot. But before the
convention met he was not regarded strong as
candidate when compared with Seward Chase
or Bates. Ex-Secretary of State, Mr.. Evarts,
put Mr.. Seward In nomination Mr.. Judd, CT
Illinois, named Mr.. Lincoln. Mr.. Cartier, of
Ohio, the present Cher Justice of the Supreme
Court Of the District, nominated Mr.. Chase, and
Mr.. COrwin, OF Ohio, presented Judge Mclean.
The Indiana delegation and Mr. Delano, of Ohio,
seconded the nomination Of Mr.. Lincoln; ex-
Gov. Blair, Of Michigan seconded that Of Mr..
Seward. as did Mr. Schurz, the late Secretary Of
the Interior. Other candidates were voted for,
including Wade, Cameron, Bates, Read, Dayton,
Sumner, Fremont and Collamer Mr. Stewards
canvass was in the hands Of Thurlow Weed, the
ablest political manager of his day, whose devo-
tionto Mr. Seward amounted almost to idolatry.
Who that was there can fail to remember the
scene when the first ballot was read: Seward,
1731a; Lincoln, 1925; Cameron, ,5015; and the
rest scattering; or when it rose with the excite
ment of the second ballot, when Cameron was
Withdrawn and Pennsylvania divided it's vote,
1915; and Chase, A21s. The third ballot was
begun at once, amid shouts which followed the
GREATNESS expectancy as each vote was an
nOunced though as the contest narrowed and
the busy pencils put down the vote the vast
thrOng-there were at least 10, OOO-were silent
till the roll call Of states was finished, when
1t stood: Seward, 100; Lincoln, 23i1&; Chase.
"a; Bates, %. This gave Mr.. Lincoln within
two and One-half votes Of a nomination. and
before the result was officially announced
Mr. Cartier. as Chairman of the Ohio dele
cation, arose and said: s'I rise, Mr. Chair
main, to announce the change OF four
votes from Ohio from Mr.. Chase to Abraham
Lincoln" That was enough. Mr.. Lincoln was
nominated, and for fully five minutes the wig
wan literally resounded with thunders of APP
chusetts was next. with Missouri, Minnesota,
Iowa and Kentucky In close order, when the
third ballot was announced: "Whole number Of
votes cast, 466; necessary to choice. 1884," Mr..
Lincoln received 354, and was declared nomi-
mated. On motion of Mr.. Eyarts the nOmina-