Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-07-05
BEE HIVE DRY GOODS STORE.


tation of the famous bargain and COR
! ruption" charge which, constantly re-
| peated pursued him through the best part
of his public life.
| The charge had its origin in the cam
| paign of 1924, when Clay was candidate
| for the presidency, having for competi-
| tors such men as John Quincy Adams,
| Andrew Jackson and William H. Craw-
| ford. No one of these candidates received
| a majority of the electoral vote, so the
| election devolved upon the house of rep
| resentatives. Clay, standing fourth in
| the electoral votes received, was pruc-
tically out of the race, and he used his
| influence in the house for John Quincy
| Adams, who was elected
| The friends of Jackson and Crawford
alleged the existence of a corrupt under
standing between Adams and Clay, and
| this accusation was believed at the time,
| because Adams promptly offered Clay the
| portfolio of secretary of STATE, and Clay
| as promptly accepted it. The bargain
| and corruption" charge, however, was
disproved by the well established fact
| that Clay, Immediately after the result
| of the presidential election in 1924 became
| known, had declared his determination to
use his influence in the house for Adams
| and against Jackson. The odium of the
| charge stuck to both Clay and Adams,
| however, as was shown in the next presi-
! Dental contest, in which Jackson beat
| Adams. 1t was conceded that Adams
| might have beaten Jackson in that cleo
| ton but for the clinging of the bargain
| and corruption" charges
| Clay made another attempt for the
| presidency in 1882 as the candidate of
| the national republicans. He was dis
! astrously defeated in this election, re-
| ceiving only forty-nine electoral votes.
| Clay seemed sure of the presidency
/ when. on May 1, 1914, the whig national
| convention nominated him by acclama-
| ton. James K. Polk was the nominee
| of the democrats and the first presi-
| Dental dark horse. In the whig national
| convention of 1889, which nominated
| Harrison and Tyler, Clay would GER
| tainly have been the choice if the unit
| rule had not been adopted.
The annexation of Texas was the main
| question in the presidential canvass OF
| 1874. Clay had already declared himself
| against annexation in the famous
Raleigh letter" of April II, 1914. There
| was a plank in the democratic platform
| recommending the annexation of Texas.
| In this condition of affairs Clay, yielding
| to the entreaties of southern wings, who
/ feared that his declaration against the
| annexation of Texas might injure his
| prospects in the south, wrote another
| letter, in which he said that, far from
| having any personal objection to the an
| nexation of Texas, he would be glad to
see it without dishonor, without war,
| with the common consent OF the union
| and upon fair terms"
| This declaration of C1ay's turned
against him many anti-slavery men in
| the north, and is believed to have cost
| him the vote of the state of New York,
| and with it the election. Had Clay kept
| the anti-slavery element on his side, as
| it was at the beginning of the canvass,
| he would surely have been president.
Clay was defeated for the presidential
| nomina ton in the whig national conven-
| tion of 1S48 by Gen. Zachary Taylor. 1t
has often been said that only the latter's
| military glory gave him the nomination
| over Clay.
webster's One Chance.
Daniel webster, Incompatible as ora
| tor and defender of the constitution,
never had but one really good chance to
become president, and that he put aside
for the very good reason that it was I'M
worthy of him and his great reputation
The Mexican war had brought Gen.
Zachary Taylor into the foreground as
candidate for the presidency, and some
of the whig managers proposed to nomi-
nate Mr.. Webster as vice president.
Had Mr.. Webster accepted second place
on that ticket he would have become
president of the United States on Taylor's
death.
Mr.. Webster Indignantly refused to ac-
cept the second place on the ticket, but
Mr. Clay's defeat in 1874 had made many
wings afraid to take him again as a can
didate Mr.. Webster, on the other hand,
was thought to be entirely too independ-
ent.
On President Taylor's death, July 9,1850,
Mr. Webster became President F'ilmore's
secretary of state. An earnest attempt
was made by his friends to secure his
nomination for the presidency in 1852,
but on the first ballot in the convention
he received only twenty-nine votes, while
there were 131 votes for General Scott
and 1873 for Mr.. Fillmore. The result was
great disappointment to Mr.. Webster,
who refused to support the nomination
and took no part in the campaign. His
death followed soon after, on October "a,
1852.
Cass Missed Twice.
Gen. Lewis Cass, who was secretary Of
war under President Jackson, was twice
in the race for the presidency and twice
seemed to have the coveted honor within
his grasp.
Cass was strong candidate for the
nomination in the democratic national
convention, which met in Baltimore May
q, 1874. At that convention Van Buren,
was the favorite. and for three ballots
he had the majority, but lacked the two-
thirds necessary to nominate.
by the seventh ballot" says Joseph M.
Rogers, "his support began to go to Cass,
who would probably have been nominate
ed but for adjournment A copbination
was effected over night and James X.
Polk was nominated next day. But for
this totally unprecedented move in poll
tics either Clay or Cass would have been
elected president, with the chances In ia
yor of Clay. Neither ever won that goal"
General Cass resigned from the United
States senate in 1848 on his nomination
as democratic candidate for the presi-
dency. Zachary Taylor was elected,
however, receiving 1853 electoral votes. as
against 127 for Cass.
In this contest there was triangular
fight, and this 1t was that brought about
| the defeat of Cass.
In the Herkimer democratic convention