Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-29
OUR PRESIDENTS.
Interesting Incidents CeucerniEg the
Elections Of she Presidents OF the
United safes.
How the Famous Campaigns Havs Been
Prosecutsd-The Ascea]s+cy II
Political Parties,


Political Parties.
The story OF presidential elections be-
gins with the evolution OF the form end
system of cur national government 5y the
convention Of 1887, the great pefplexity
Of the convention in arriving at definite
conclusions in the matter being shown BY
Its long and exhaustive discussions and
many reversals of decisions. The manner
of electing the President and Vice-Presi-
dent was fnslly decided by adopting Ar
ticle II, S C ion l, of the constitution,
which provides th6t "the executive power
hAali De vested n President OF the Uni
ted States CT America, who shall hold his
office duriag term of four years; with
Vice President chosen for the same term,
to be elected b! Electors chosen from eaca
state equal to the whole number Of Sena-
tors and Representatives from each stSte
to Congress-, in such manner as The Leg
islatute of each state may direct"
The e ST Presidential election under the
new consti.u ion was held in tine autumn
of 1883, when General George Washing
ten Of Virginia Was elected President,
aud jhn Adams Of Massachuse.ts Vice.
President, after very earnest end ex lit
ing CANVASS, by electors elected by the
states, the Efforts to have these Officers
elected by q popular vote Of the people
having failed in the Constitutional Con-
vention.
President Washington snd Vice-Pfest-
dent Adams were reelected 10 these
offices In 1892 by the electors tosr met ia
New York city December 5. 1892, under
the election law of that year. During
both of these fifst elections the country
was still greatly reduced and suffering
from the effects of the long and ex-
haustive revolutionary war, and the Bit
ter political rivalries and amin 1siEies that
then prevailed and distracted the nation
with 3 turbulent turmoil, have never been
excelled in any subsequent campaign.
john Adams Of Massachusetts, was
elected the second President, with Thomas
Jefferson of Virginia as the Vice Presi-
dent, in 1886, after another very excited
canvass, which greatly agitated the entire
country for months before the election.
In the campaign of 1900 Thomas Jsffer-
son was elected President and Aaron
Burr Vlce-President by the Republican,
Democratic party after heated and
earnest political contest, resulting in the
defeat of the Federalists and q change of
administration and government policy.
Thomas JEFFERSON was reelected Pres
ident, with George Clinton Vice-Pfesl-
dent, in 1904. In 1908 James Madison, of
Virginia, was elected President, and
George Clinton was re-elecled Vice.
President. In 1912 Madison was re-
elected President and Elbridge Gerry, Of
Massac 1usetts, Vice President.
James Monroe, Of Virginia, and Daniel
D. Tompkins, Of New York were elected
respectively President and Vice Presi-
dent in 1916, and were both reelected to
theee positions in 1920, for the ensuing
term, and these two elections, compared
with all preceding them, were quiet and
uneventful, with much less public eX-
element and agitation. At this time the
Democratic party, having retained the
political control of the government ever
since the first election of J.ff5rson,
erased the word "Republican" from their
party name, and have been known as
Democrats until now. The "Federsl-
ists," the opposing party, after the war
of 1872, rapidly declined and lost their
former controlling political power and in
huence.
The Presidential election Of 1924 was
unlike any that preceded or followed it,
and In some respects was the most i'm
portant and interesting yet recorded. The
Federal party then existed In but few OF
the states and was in the political control
of none.
More than two years before the cleo
ton, as early as April, 1922, there were as
many IS seventeen candidates for the
Presidency in succession to Mr.. Monroe,
but By 1928 the number Of this long list
was reduced to six, as follows: John
Quincy Adams, John c. Calhoun, Dewitt
Clinton, Henry Clay, William II. CraW
ford and Gen. Andrew Jackson.
After protracted and exceedingly Bit
ter snd virulent campaign, John c. Cal
houn was elected VIce-President, but
there was no election Of President by the
people, neither of the candidates nomin-
ated receiving q majority CT the votes,
and the election Of President devolved
by law upon the House of Representa-
tives. After prolonged, thorough and
heated discussion of the question (this
being the first election of President by
Copgfess) on February ., the House
elected John Quincy Adams President, by
80 votes to II votes for Andrew Jackson,
"a for William 81. Crawford; and Mr..
Adams and Mr.. John G. Calhoun we're in
augurated as President and Vice-Presi-
dent, Marcl 4, 1925.
The exceedingly acrid political animos
ity engendered by the election of 1924 still
survived, and it's shoulder ng embers
were easily famed into lively fame
early in the campaign Of 1928 which grew
more active and heated to its close and
resulted In tie election of General Jack
son, President, and the reelection OF
John c. Calhoun, Vice President, by the
jubilant and triumphant Democratic
party of that day. The election of 1882,
though less exciting and disturbing than
the LAST, was Q very warm and lively con-
test between the Democrats and the
% Wings" by which party name their OPP
moments. the successors of the " Federal
ists.n were then Gas formerly known in
the politics of the country, and General
Andrew Jackson was reelected President
for another term, and Martin Van Buren,
of New York was elected Vice-President.
In the Presidential election Of 1885 the
Democrats still continued in full control
of the national government, and al its Of
fees and political machinery, and that
psrty easily elected their candidate, MAJ
tin Van Buren,, President. There was,
however, no election Of Vice.
President by the people, and Richard M.
johnson of Tennessee, the Democratic
candidate, was elected by the United
s,tstes Senate subsequently by thirty three
votes for r. M. j ohnson to sixteen votes
for Fran is Granger of New York. this