The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-07-13
NAMING A PRESIDENT:
The Methods Have Not Always Been
the Same.
System of Nominating Conventions
Came Into Vogue In 1886.

btdtc3 OF tne country IN tne urSt year IN
which the Republicans put up candidate
for president In 10 states In the second
year and In IL states In the third contest
for the presidency In which the Republican
party participated no electoral ticket was
run for the Republican candidate.
Originally, until the constitution was
amended, the president and the vice presi-
dent were voted for on the same ballot, the
candidate receiving the highest vote be-
coming president and the candidate receiv-
| ing the next highest vote being chosen vice
| president. When the constitution was
amended In 1904 the electors voted for
| president and vice president separately, and
| it was not until 1928 that presidential
electors I'm all the states (South Carolina
was an exception) were chosen by popular
| vote In their respective states. Originally
and for many years there were no national
| nominating conventions, and prior TO 1900
| the general custom was for the legislatures
| Of the several states TO choose the requisite
number Of electors who voted for such can
| didates as they favored, the nominee re-
ceiving the largest vote becoming president
| and the man receiving the next highest
vote becoming vice president
The legislatures of the several states
have, under the constitution, the same
| right TO choose presidential electors, with
| out reference to the vote of the citizens If
such method Of election Is lawfully pre-
scribed by the legislature, and as late as
| 1875 Colorado legislators chose tho three
electors to represent that state, without
any popular vote, in tho electoral college,
and it was the three votes OF Colorado
| which turned the scale from one party to
another in that year. In 1900 there was
established what Is known as the presi-
| Dental caucus, a gathering of the mem.
bers Of congress of the two parties for the
| designation Of n satisfactory and eligible
candidate for the presidency by each party.
| This plan of selecting the candidate by
| congressional caucus continued In force
| until 1894, when the complications and
uncertainties arising from such q primitive
and unsatisfactory method eliminated in
n failure of the electoral college TO make
| choice from among four candidates, and
| the matter was thrown into the house of
representatives.
Following the election Of 1924 the legis-
| lature of Tennessee, of which state Andrew
| jackson, one of the defeated candidates,
was a resident, put him In nomination for
| the ensuing presidential race, irrespective
Of any congressional caucus or cabal, and
| this was the first overt nominating con-
vention held In the United States for the
choice of q president, though 1t can hardly
be said TO have been national in character,
as it was limited to the official representa-
| tives of one state, and the opponents of
| General Jackson, who supported John
Quincy Adams of Massachusetts,, held no
! such convention, but agreed upon their
| candidate in the old way.
In the city of Baltimore in September,
| 1881, more than one year before the ensu-
| ing presidential election, n veritabhe ma
tional convention was held by what was
then known as the anti Masonic party,
and there were delegates in attendance
| from each state Of the Union as then con-
| stituted, but not chosen on the basis of its
| electoral strength as Is the case now A
| president and vice president were nomi-
mated and platform of principles adopted
particularly directed against the evils then
said TO be incident TO the existence Of Sc
cret societies.
In May, 1882, six months In advance OF
the presidential election Of that year. the
first national convention OF the Democratic
party was held In the city of Baltimore,
and IL was at this convention that the two
thirds rule (making the nomination of a
Democratic candidate for the presidency
of the delegates) was adopted, and IL has
been the rule of the Democratic party ever
since There were 313 delegates present at
this convention, and the only disputed con-
test was over the vice presidency. At this
distance from the date of this convention
the necessity Of some uniformity of action
seems TO be clear, for there were 90 candi-
dates in tho field for the presidency In that
| year, four only having what now would be
called regular nominations. Tho op-
ponents of General Harrison, the Demo-
| cratic nominee held their convention in
Washington and put up Henry Clay. Sew
enteen states were represented at that con-
vention, though there were In the Union
at that time "a states.
Following the election Of 1899 the sys-
tenn of nominating conventions came to be
an established one by both political par
ties. The Democrats In 1885 assembled in
Baltimore and the Wings in Harrisburg.
In 1S40 the Democrats again met in Balti-
more, the Wings for a second time in Har-
risburg, and the Abolitonists held their
first national convention in Warsaw, n.
Y. The popularity of Baltimore as a meet
Ing place for Democrats caused it TO be
known among the politicians Of genera
tlon ago as the Convention City, but Of
late years il has been neglected by both
parties the Democrats especially regarding
1t as ominous to the chances of candi-
date. The overt break between the north.
ern and southern wings Of the Democratic
party occurred ut the Baltimore national
convention in June, 1860, and eliminated
In two rival presidential tickets, the
Douglas ticket, nominated In Baltimore,
and the Breckenridge ticket, nominated in
Richmond. Twelve years later, in 1879,
the Democrats held their national conven-
tion in Baltimore and ratified the choice Of
Horace Greeley for tho presidency, a sclec-
ton which proved disastrous one TO the
party later on. In 1874 both the Demo
cratic and Whig conventions were held In
Baltimore. In lS4S the Democrats met In
Baltimore and the Wings in Philadelphia.
In 1862 both the Democratic and tho Whig
conventions were held In Baltimore. In
1856 the Democrats met In Cincinnati, the
Republicans In Philadelphia, their first ma
tional convention, the Wings In Baltimore,
their last national convention. The native
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