Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-03-29


s'mass,n the aplebeians, u "Jacobins,"
and finally Democrats ~ 1t has been
the delight of the luxurious rich in all
ages to make fun of the Ignorant Demo
crats,n and the 'sgreasy and sweaty fell
lows" and the comic poets and satirists,
who lived by faftering the patricians,
have left us some very funny sketches of
such men as "Cleon, the leather seller"
the "agrarian Gracchi" and other demo-
Gratis. Similarly in the United States,
from Jefferson to Cleveland, the party OF
the laboring man, the advocate of per-
sonal freedom and low taxes, has been
sneered at and laughed at rs Ignorant
Jacobins. But all the Same, this much
abused party has ruled these United
States for nearly two-thirds Of their mu-
tual nationality; and on the 9th Of June,
ut ST. Louis, it will name the president
for four years more.
1t is o good time, therefore, to review
the national conventions of this curious
party, which, in the elegant language of
one Ingalls,, of Kansas, 'hasnt brains
enough to run a country" and yet has
somehow trebled the original area of the
United States, paid two national debts,
and which, after long exclusion from
power, is again bearing rule. A very
curious party, indeed, to do all this with
out brains, and so we naturally look for
some very curious magic in its national
conventions. When the country was
young and the voters comparatively few
national conventions were not thought of.
Washington was taken by unanimous
consent, Adams as the legitimate sue
eessor, Jefferson as the organizer of the
siDemocratic clubs and Madison and
Monroe as pre-eminently fitted by train
ing and experience.
After the early Democrats came into
power they adopted what was called the
rule of "easy succession" by which the
secretary of state in one administration
was its favored candidate Tor the presi-
dency This was so well established that
the supporters of the AdamsClay COM
bination of 1926 had the presidency
disposed of Gin their minds'D for twenty
four years. Mr.. Adams was to hold OF
course, for eight years; in 1888 Mr. Clay
was TO succeed him, as previous secreta-
ries had succeeded their chiefs. and ap-
point q secretary who would take the
reins in 1871, and q breezy paragraphist
of that day tells us that he knew of san
guiue young men who had their eyes
hopefully fixed ON 1919. But q ''Jacobin'
named Andrew Jackson walked in and
knocked all the old arrangements to
smithereens, and thereafter national con-
yentious were q necessity
Besides the law of ''easy succession
there were congressional caucuses to de-
clare the party principles, and these were
generally held more than year before
the election. At the beginning the whole
Number of voters was less than 500, 900,
and as late as 1920 it was considered that
the congressional caucUses easily gave
effect to the intent of their respective par
ties, But in 1924 there were about9, 500,
900 people and many able men protested
against the caucus. All the candidates
but William II. Crawford opposed it. All
the newspapers not in his interest de-
nounced, belittled and caricatured it,
Nevertheless caucus was called. The
Federal party was extinct, and whoever
should receive the nomination of the
Republicans was thought certain
of election; but only twenty-four mem
bers of congress signed the call, only
Sixty-six attended it and the opposi
tion papers came out with broadsides Of
ridicule and much mot very refined
humor, headed 'sKing Caucus Dethroned.'
The caucus nominated William H. Craw