Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-09-24
THE DEMOCRATIC SPLIT IN l848.


VISION IN the same OrpulliHlttnnt uWrllS |
the Presidential campaign in 1878, The |
current speculation as to the strength |
which will he shown by the indianapolis |
ticket next November suggests an cxami-
nation of the result when the same party
was split nearly half century ago.
Polk had been elected to the presidcD
cy by the Democrats in 1914 through the
desertion of Clay by few thousand
Wings in New York-then, MS often since,
..the pivotal Staten-who supported Bir-
ney, the candidate of the Liberty party,
and enabled the Democrats to secure a
narrow plurality of about 5000. The an
nexation of Texas and the Mexican war
under Folks administration committed
the Democratic party to open support
of the slavery side in the controversy
which was then becoming the burning
| issue. The party convention in isis
nominated for the Presidency Cass, n
| Northern man with Southern principles, "
| who had declared himself in favor of
letting slavery into any new territory ii
| the people of the territory should wish u.
| A large element in the Democratic
party mt the North had condemned the
| growing subserviency of its management
| to the slave interest of the South. rms
| element was particularly strong in New
| York State, where it was also helped by
a fractional division in the party. EARLY
| in the Polk administration there had APP
peared the "Barn-Burners." so-called
after the Dutch farmer who burned his
barn to clear it of rats; and the Hunk
ers," whose opponents said that they
.hunkered' for office. The Barn-Burners
were led by Silas Wright, Benjamin +.
Butler mot the massachusetts man OF the
same nance, John A. Dix. David Dudley
Field, Samuel ]. Tilden, and other men
of ability and character, while they on
joyed the sympathy of Martin Van
Buren,, who had been deprived OF The
Democratic nomination for the Presiden-
cy in 1874, when he had majority in
the convention, by the nsistence of the
Southern Shareholders and their Northern
allies upon the enforcement of the two
thirds rule. They opposed the Mexican
war, and supported the Wilmot proviso,
proposing to exclude slavery from any
territory acquired from Mexico.
The Hunkers controlled the State con
yention in 1917, and defeated a resolution
declaring '.uncompromising hostility to
the extention of slavery into territory
now Free whcreupon the Barn-Burners
seeded and called a new convention to
choose contesting delegates to the ma
tional convention of 1S4S This conyen-
ton offered to admit the rival delegations,
with the votes evenly divided between
them but the Barn-Burners refused the
compromise. and called a State conven-
ton at Utica in June, which nominated
Van Buren, for President. This State
convention in turn called a national con-
, vention at Buffalo in August, which en-
dorsed it's action and made Van Buren,
the candidate of what was now called the
Free-Soil party.
, Taylor was the Wing candidate. and
: . the split in the Democracy left from the
first no real doubt as to his success. The
i, chief curiosity was as to the way that thu
. Democratic vote would divide in the
North--for the Southern Democrats were
solid for Cass. The result showed IL wide
6 variation in the treatment of the boiling
Democratic candidate by different States
in both the Fast and the West. Var
a Buren, carried no State, but he polleC
more votes in his own than his rival
= New York giving him 120,510, Cass Iii,
31S, and Taylor 21S,6O3. The adoinin,
:, States of Massachusetts and Vermont oil
i the East did even better. the former Civ
y ing Van Buren, 3S,05S votes, Cass 81, 2S1
and Taylor 61.070; and Vermont, Val
, Buren, 1887 votes, Cass 10,9iS, an,
Taylor 3,l22. But in the adjoining
u States of Pennsylvania and New Jerse.
= on the south and west. the bolt cut scarce
y ly any figure, Cass polling III, JIG vote
in the former. and Van Buren, only IL.
!. 2i3, against 1S5.513 for Taylor; and New
;. Jersey was still more nearly solid for til,
II regular candidate, giving the hotter onl,
= 500 votes, while Cass received 36,9O1, an,
" Taylor 40,O15. Rhode Island gave Val
u Buren, about sixth of its Democrat
u votes $50 to 3,646, for Cass and GU
for Taylor; New Hampshire about
fifth 1850 to 27,763 for Cass, and IA
= 7S1 for Taylor; and Mime nearly
y fourth 12O95 to $3.50 for Cass and 81
" 125 for Taylor.
70 Almost as striking differences wer
"a shown west of the Alleghenies. Ohio ha
=, been expected to make the best shown
!, for Van Buren,, but he sccuged there onl
~ 35,354 votes to 154,T75 for fass and 13S
~ 800 for Taylor. This was smaller prt
!. ~ portion for the boltcr than in Cass' ow
a. State of Michigan, which gave him 30, 6S
II votes, Van Buren, 1O3S9, and Taylor %
~ $40. In Indiana the boilers were niue
=, -, weaker-S,1 100 for Van Buren, to T1,TI
~ ~ for Cass and 69,007 for Taylor: viii
~ in Illinois their proportion rose Va
.. Buren, polling 15,774 votes to 5G3OO f,
80, a Cass and 53,dl7 for Taylor Iowa to I'll
-, west of Illinois, and Wisconsin to IL
~, north, showed an extraordinary differcn,
~ in sentiment. The former State ga,
~ Van Buren, only 1.126 votes, against II
=, OBJ for Cass and 1,0S1 for Taylo
w, while in Wisconsin the boiling candida
~, received 10,41S votes against 15,001 (,
hr the regular Democrat and 13,747 for IL
" Wing.
Of This review shows how very Different
nj Democrats were affected by split in Il
~, party forty-eight years ago. In son
~ States more than half of them support,
"' the bolting candidate; in others not on
-, tenth. One State might give him a m
~, jOrity, and its neighbors on one side Il
~, same. while neighhors on the other 81,
on allowed him not more than @ OF even
~ per cent. The prospect this year in VA,
-. GUS States is involved in even great
w. doubt by reason of the fact that son
~ Democratic leaders earnestly advise s,I
- port of Palmer, while others as earnest
~ urge all who would insure Bryan's defe
o., %, to vote directly for Mckinley.
ice
Dr- New u. g. o. Station in Baltimore.
a.. 1t I