Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-29

1ul hsct on the mS5SeS OF the C1mpsIeu
0gs, which swept over the entire land
uke great musical tidal wGve and CD
lisersted ell opposing forces-sll con
spired to make this the greatest pol zeal
victory ever wop and the mcsi famous
and memorable Presidential election in
our political history. General Harrison
of Onio, WAS electea President and John
Tyler OF Virginia, Vice-P-esloent. Pfesi-
dent Harrison WAS inaugurated Msrch 4,
1871, but died within month OF thar
time, and John Tyler became the Presi-
dent of the Unied States for the rest OF
the Term that ended with the close OF
1874
Henry Clay Of Kentucky, wss the can
diaste FOR Pc sidsnt Of the Wing party in
1874, and J,mvs X Polk CT Tennessee,
was the Democratic candidate. This
CANVASS wss nothing like so exciting as
the last; the Wings endeavored to win
again with the song and hurrah and other
tactics Of their last CANVASS, but failed in
their efforts, and the Democrats elected
James K. Polk, President, snd George M
Dallas, Vice President. In some respects
this was 8 unique campaign. The Dem
oc-ats, in their convention, after hard
struggle to secure an available candidate
among the many aspirants, iaally COM
promised en- the nomina,io OF Mr.. Polk,
who was then 30 little known in the
politics Of the country, as to excite the
III iverssl query: "Who is James K
Polk?' By mis- nomination and election
be acquired the distinction Of being the
first "dsrk horse candidate" in the politi-
cal history Of the country.
MISS the political tables were turned
sgain, mostly by the growing influence OF
the slavery question upon politics, and
General Z,charV Taylor, the hero Of the
NJ 3xican war, "Old Rough and Rsady,"
as he wss popular.y design.ted, was
elected President and Millard Fillmore Of
NV York, Vice President. General Tav
Tor, like General Harrison, his military
predecessor in the presidential chair,
died soon after his Inauguration, and
consequently Vice President Millard Fill
more became the President to the end of
that term in 1859.
The "Irrepressibla Conflict" as Mr..
Ssward happily phrssed the all pervadiug
slavery agitation, WAS now looming up
very conspicuously and overshado wed
the polisicsl field with serious aspect,
and this absorbing and exciting question
was the leading IL q uerce and animu5 of
the spirited campaign Of 1S4S, which re-
suited in q victory for the Wnig party, q
defeat of the Democrats, and s change OF
policy.
The growing political power Of the
newly orgsniz I'd Free Soil party reunited
Democrats OF all shades against it in the
canvass OF 1852, aud though all the early
fall elections were favorable to the Dem
ocrsts and they won great victory In the
Presidential election in November OF that
yeer, the CANVASS was not very exciting
one. franklin Pierce of New Hampshire
WAS elected President, and William r.
King CT Alabama Vice-President. The
Democratic party WAS again successful
in 1856, electlng Jsmes Buchanan of Penn
sylveDia Pre- iioent and John G. Brecken-
ridge of Kentucky Vice-Ptesident,af after q
comparatively quiet CANVASS, and the
country then drifted along over the
stormy sea of politics toward the mennc-
ing and inevitable crisis, until that me-
mentous epoch in our politicsl history,
the crest Presidential election Of 1850,
which resulted in the complete victory Of
the Republican party, the utter defeat Of
the Democrats, and civil war thai ragged
tour years in q fruitless effort to destroy
the Union.
The election Of Abraham Lincoln of
Illinois, President, with Hannibal Ham,
lin of Maine, Vice President; the COM
plete victory of the Republican psrty; the
secession Ct the eleven of the slsve states
and their formation Of q "Southern Con-
federacy;" the bombardmept Of Fort
Sumter and the civil war that ensued;
the surrender of Lee; the assassination
of Lincoln, and succession Of Andrew
Johnson to the Presidency, is FOO familiar
and recent history 10 repeat in this brief
sketch.
Abraham Lincoln was reelected Pres
ident In 1864, with Andrew johnson of
war had not then ended, and the voting
for President in this election was con-
fined to the loyal states of the nation, the
struggle for supremacy in this contest
being between the Republican and war
Democrats, who sustained the government
and the politicians OF sll parties and
factions that had met in convention at
Chicsgo, and voted that the war to pre-
serve the Union WAS q fsilure. and de-
manded that the government should i'm
mediatelY end it by compromising with
those then still in arms and fighting to
destroy the Uaion. President Lincoln
was killed by the assassin, John Wilkes
Booth, six weeks after he had taken the
oath for his second term, by which awful
deed the conscience of his indignant
countrymen and the whole civilized world
was sstoDished and shocked as never be-
fore, and Andrew johnson became Presi-
dent to the end Of the term OF 1868.
General Ulysses S. Grant was elected
President and Schuyler Colfax Vice.
President, by the Republicans, in 1868,
without much opposition, after G rather
uneventful CANVASS. In the campaign OF
1872 General Grant was reelected Presi-
dent and Henry Wilson Of Massachusetts,,
The campaign was not
very sctive or exciting, and the Republi-
cans easily carried the election.
The election Of 1876 in which Ruther-
ford B. Hayes WAS the Republican candi-
date and Samuel J. Tilden the Democratic
candidate, resulted in dispute-bota
parties claiming the victory. After tie
most critical and dangerous political
crisis that the republic has ever expert
enced, Rutherford B. Hayes Of Ohio WAS
elected President and William A. Wheeler
of New York, Vice-President, by the
electoral commission, body of promi-
nent citizens appointed by Congress, with
the consent of both parties, to settle this
most alarming and dangerous political
difficulty that then threatened to endanger
the future peace Of the nation.