Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-01-11
POLITICAL LANDSLIDES.
Only Three In America, and Two Affected
Harrisons.

| been only three Sucn events since une
foundation of the government, says
the New York sun.
When Democrats get tired OF re-
joicing over the great victory won
Tuesday, and Republicans get tired
OF wondering how it all happened.
they can find rest and amusement in
comparing 1t with similar events that
took place tifty-two and forty years
ago respectively.
They will find many interesting
condolences when they come to pre-
pare the three great events in Amer
ican politics.
One Of the first they will notice is
that Benjamin Harrison's grand
father, William Henry HaI rison. was
elected President In 1910 by a land
slide as big as the one that defeated
the grandson in 1892.
Twelve years later the second great
landslide occurred.
Martin Van Buren, who was re.
garded as something of politician IN
his day, was on the wrong side of the
slide that carried Grandfather Har-
rison into the White House. He
afterward became a sort of standing
candidate for President, but never
again got an electoral vote. He was
nominated by the free soil party four
years later, and by the knownothing,
or American, party eight years after
ward, but failed to carry single
State either time.
Gen. Winfield Scott went down un.
der the great Democratic landslide of
1852 along with the Whig party.
The political landslides of 1910 and
1852 differ from the one this year in
that the successful candidates in those
elections got comparatively small ma
jorities of the popular vote, while
they had four-ffths Of the votes in
the electoral college.
The political leaders of 1910 ana
| 1852 we're surprised as much at the
result-in those years as Chairman Car
! ter was when he heard that Ohio had
gone Democratic.
There were 1873 votes in the first
/ electoral college, the one that elected
George Washington President the first
| time. Twelve candidates for Presi-
dent were voted for, and Washington
/ got SO votes on the first ballot
In some of the States the electors
were elected by the legislatures.
There is no record Of the popular
vote.
In 1892 there were no conventions
| platforms, or nominations Wash
| ington got 1872 of the electoral votes
/ that year,
The election of a President was
without special interest until 1900,
! when Thomas Jefferson and Aaron
| Burr received an equal number of
| electoral votes and the election was
thrown into the House of Represen-
tatives, which elected Jefferson after
thirty-slx ballots
In 1904 Thomas jefferson got 1872
Of the 176 electoral ballots. This
could not be called a landslide, be-
cause his opponent was Federalist
| and that party was then very weak,
and electors were chosen by the Legis.
| lature in six States.
In 1920 the Federalist party had
| practically ceased to exist, and James
Monroe had no opposition. He got
every electoral vote except one,
| which was cast for John Quincy
Adams.
The first political conventions to
nominate candidates for President
! were held in 1882. The Democratic
convention met in Baltimore on
| March % of that year and nominated
| Andrew jackson. The platform con-
tained just three brief paragraphs,
the first declaring in favor of protec-
tion to American industries; the
second in favUr Of internal improve
ments, and the third in favor of civil
, service reform.
The National Republican, or Whig,
| party convention nominated Henry
Clay, but adopted no platform. The
party was then in its infancy, and
Jackson received 2l9 of the eletori0l
votes.
In 1886 the Wings held no conven,
tion and had three candidates for
President The Democrats nomi-
mated Martin Van Buren, but adopted
no platform. Van Buren got 10
electoral votes and was elected, but
his majority of the popular vote over
W. ii. Harrison was less than %, 900.
-Four years later, in 1910, came the
first real landslide in American poll
stronger by that time. They nomi-
mated William Henry Harrison, who
had commanded the American army
in the Indian wars John Tyler of
Virginia, was the candidate for Vice
President. The Wings again adopted
no platform.
The Democrats nominated Martin
| Van Buren for President and adopted
platform directly contrary to the
one on which Andrew Jackson had
been elected in 1892. The 1910 plat
form declared against internal i'm
provements, against national banks,
and in favor of tariff for revenue
only
The famous ''TIppecanoe and Tyler
too" or log cabin campaign that fol-
lowed is within the memory of many
men now living. But the result was
surprise to the politicians.
Harrison swept the country, get
ting 234 of the 294 electoral votes.
OF the popular vote, however, he re-
ceived only 1,275,017 Van Buren
getting ], ,l2S, 702.
-Four years later James X. Polk ana
Henry Clay were the opposing candi-
dates for President. Polk got 10
electoral votes and Clay los. In the
popular vote Folks plurality over
Clay was only 10000. This was
largely due to the great personal
popularity CT Clay.
In lS4S the Wings elected Zachary
Taylor by a small majority, because
he had made a splendid record In the
Mexican war.
Four years later came the second
great landslide in American politics.
The Democratic and whig parties
were supposed to be about evenly di-.
Yided.
Tie Democratic convention met liz
Baltimore on June !, 1852. and after,