Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1892-09-29
EARLY POLITICAL HISTORY-IM-
PORTANCE OF ONE VOTE.


1t is now but a few weeks until cleo
ton day rolls around, and we urge
upon the Republican voters of East
Tennessee to bestir themselves. The
result not only in this district, in some
legislative contests, but in the State at
large, may depend upon the amount of
work done by a few earnest and active
middle aged and young men of our par
ty between now and the closing of the
polls on the Sth of November.
1t is almost impossible for one not IA
miliar with the political history of the
United States to realize the mighty re-
suits depending on one or a few votes.
John Adams, our second President, was
elected by a majority of only two or
three votes. Thomas jefferson, our
third President and author of the i'm
mortal Declaration of independence,
was elected by exactly one majority,
and that majority was due to the activ-
'ty and patriotism of one man, Alex
ander Hamilton, the real father of that
grand old Federal Wing Party, whose
principles %triumphed in the crushing of
secession and the preservation of our
glorious Union. The Presidential con-
test in 1900 was between two Democrats,
Jefferson and Burr, and Hamilton s / in
f1uence decided the contest in favor of
Jefferson by just one majority. The
people having failed to give a majority
to either candidate, the election was
thrown into the House of Representa-
tives, and the Federalists, who held the
balance of power between the Jeffer-
son and Burr Democrats, under the ad-
vice of Hamilton, threw their votes to
Jefferson and elected him. Jefferson
was Hamilton's bitterest personal en-
envy, and Burr was not his personal en-
envy, but Hamilton believed that JEFF
ferson loved his country, and he knew,
as people generally did who knew Burr,
that Aaron Burr's greatest delight was
in the seduction of women, not even
sparing the wife or daughter of his best
friend, and he believed such a scoundrel
was capable of any crime. Subsequent
events proved that he was correct
in his estimate of that distinguish
ed Democrat, Aaron Burr, who was un-
questionably the worst man this
try ever produced, Benedict Arnold not
excepted. While Vice President of the
United States, to which office he was
elected by the reform Democracy when
Jefferson was made President, Aaron
Burr entered into a vile conspiracy to
disrupt and destroy his country to
separate the Southern and Southwest
ern States from the Union, conquer
Mexico, and of the whole make an EN-
pire, of which Aaron Burr was to be
emperor, and his daughter and only
child, Theodosia Burr Allston, wife of
the Governor of South Carolina, was to
be empress, with the right of succession
to the imperial crown in the descend
ants of their majesties, Emperor Burr
and Empress Madame Allston.
Had Burr been elected President he
might have succeeded in carrying out
his wicked designs, because it has since
been shown that General James Viii.
%kinson, the then Commander in Chief
of the United States Army (another
Democracy, vas the tool of Burr, and
up to his ears in the damnable conspir-
acy. 1t is enough to make a patriot
shudder to reflect upon the narrow es-
cape of his country in the defeat of
Burr by only one majority.
In this connection it is not %inappro-
pirate to call attention to the coinci-
dence that, in all our history, but three
men who have presided over the United
States Senate as Vice Presidents who
tried to destroy their country, and they
were all Democrats-Burr, Calhoun
and Breckenridge. We have had but
two traitors in the White House-John
Tyler, who died as a member of the
Confederate Congress, and James Blu
cbapan, both Democrats. John Van
Buren, said of Buchanan that he sat
in the White House like a bread and
milk poultice, drawing the rebellion to
a head