Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-11-25
PRESIDENTS OF THE PAST.

| 1t Is doubtful II more ueep' sealcu, "lue'
spread and intense interest in Presidential
campaign has ever been felt or manifested
| than IL the late contest The hearty and
enthusiastic hard cider campaign of1S40, re-
sulting in the triumph of Gen. Harrison, or
"O!d Tippecanoe," over Martin Van Buren,
nicknamed "Little Matty Van" nor the
more notable and better.re membered cam.
paign Of 1860, when Abraham Lincoln be.
| came the choice Of the people, were all sur
| passed by the one just closed, both IL !ntsn-
sity of feeling and partisan bitterness.
l'he close Of President Arthur's term OF
office on the 4th of March next will complete
the iweuty. fourth presidential term of four
wears each siuce the adoption Of the Federal
| Constitutions During this period OF ninety
six years twcuty.oEe different persons have
occupied thai high office. Of these seven
teen were elected and four succeeded to its
honors from the Vice Presidency upon the
death Of the president. OF the seventeen
elected, two-Thomps jefferson for his first
terra and John Quincy Adams-weEe elected
by the House OF Representatives il accord.
ance with the Constitution, the Electoral
| Colleges in these two Instances having ial-
cd to make choice and one-Ruthertord
| D..
| torul commission created 10 adjudcate the
disputed and memorable election of1S76.
Seven Presidents were re elected 10 q Sec
ond term Washing ton, Jefferson, Madison,
Monroe. Jackson, Lincoln and Grant and
len TO bat a single term, viz, John Adams,
his son John Quincy Adams. Van Buren,,
Harrison, Polk, Taylor, Pierce, Buchanan,
Hayes AID Garfield. The contingent Presi-
dents have been John Tyler, MilIard Fill
| more, Andrew Johnson and Chester 4. Ar
| thur, they succeeding 10 the Presidency up.
| on The death Of Harrison, Taylor, Lincoln
and Garfield respectively. But two eS-
| Presidents arc now ving-General Ulysses
:. Gran, and Rutherford B. Hayes.
Gen. Grant was, upon his retirement
| r:o:, tn. White House in 1877, the only
living cx-Prcsident. this being the only in
-tance ps the kind since President Wash
| ingtou retired to private life in 1877
General Washington rendered his resig-
na:,ur :is enmmauderiE chief OF the army
| to tie Continental Congress then III session
ii Annapolis, Maryland, December %,
| 1883 Il was NOS until May, 1877. that the
cnn vcu,0n assembled IN Philadelphia 10
,dgi,t 4 constitution aud form govern.
msnt General Washington wa made
| e:,.silyn, OF this convention, ;:na il i said
|
lirmuess that the convention did act break
M in n row. He controlled this .jangling
body as he did his undscjpiuesi army.
| IL l7SS he WIS 81 :ciel President of tho
United states without opposition, every
| state casting lis entire vote for him except
| Naw York. l. would have done so had it
| not neglected 10 choose electors in time
| John AGams was elected vice. President.
| Toe, did not take :is much interest in III
| .n.rr,a,l0ns and meetings OF Congress then
~ now Although the Constitution provl-
| dei ;ha: the lirsE Congress should convene
IL Ntw York. on the 4th Of March, 1889, it
was not until April that a quoruni Of the
House OF Representatives was secured, and
five days later before the Senate was ready
for business Affairs dragged along so slow
| " that the inauguration did not take place
until The Both of April,
Before the close of his first term, Wash
iuglcn made it generally known that he
did Dot desire re. election, partly because
he desired 10 retire to the quiet Of his
| Nonnt Vernon home, and partly to stop
the talk about electing him for life. James
Madison and all the leading public men
joined not only in requesting him to serve
another term, but in insisting that he should
| do 50 He was reelected in 1892 without
opposition.
About the time Washington's second term
was closing the two parties, federal and
republican, were getting pretty well warm
| ed w. John Adams, the Vice President,
| representel the former and Thomas Jeifer-
son. tho first Secretary of State, the latter.
They both entered for the Presidency, and SO
din Thomas Pinckney and Aaron Burr.
Then no candidate was named for Vice
President, the Presidential candidate having
the second highest number of votes taking
it The friends Of Adams and Jefferson
work ed hard, AID when it came to vote
Adams had II, Jefferson 6S, Pinckney 50
and Burr 80, with q few scattering.
The (ederalistS rcnominated John Adams
and G. c. pinckney, aud the republicans, or
democrats, rs they were beginning to be
called. brought cut Jefferson and Burr
again The contest was very spirited. When
the electoral vote was counted Adams had
but 65, Piuckney 64, while Jefferson and
Burr each had 73. This necessitated throw
ip.r the election into the House, as Burr
was not designated as a candidate for Vice
President. and his friends claimed that he
was lust as much entitled 10 the Presidency
as jefferson. The contest in the House
lasted for several weeks, aud grew very
acri.n onious. Several Of the guarrels would
have resulted in duels had it not been for
he danger Of one Of the comhatants being
killed, thereby giving the other side ma
jority OF one. Finally, on the thirty sixth
ballot Jefferson won and Burr was declared
Vice President.
In 1904 Jefferson was elected President by
las out of l16 electoral votes, and 'ieoree
Cliuton was chosen Vice President. There
was not much of q contest at this election,
the bitterness of the former having nearly
al disappeared. Before his first election
Jefferson had said thathe would not remove