The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-06-20

the city or CnlCaSO), qulte number or defeated candidates for the presidency hailed, officially at least, from small places, MT. Blaine was @ resident of Augusta, Me, pretty but unprogres- sive town of ten thousand; General Hancock was from Norristown, Mr. Seymour from Deerheld N. Y., and MT, Greeley from Chappaqua, Westchester county. where he made his home, while in business in this city Like many other traditions more honored in the breach than in the observance, the tra- ditiOn which relates to the choice of a presidential candidate applies with greater accuracy to the early days of the republic, when big cities were more rare than in the later days of political history. Moreover many residents of large cities have had country homes when candidates for office, and they have appeared on the lists as from the latter. Thus in the certificate of nom nation for for governor filed with the secretary of state in Albany, it ap peared that Levi F Morton was a resi- dent of Rhinecliffe, Duchess county, and his immediate predecessor in office was Roswell P Flower who appeared as a resident of Watertown, Jefferson county, N. Y., both having city resi- dences, and both long identified with business in this town. The complica- tions of city politics are much more embarrassing to a candidate for high elective office than the placid and uni form courses of politics in country ot semi-rural districts. In the latter lines of demarcation between the two parties are very evenly marked. and there is no room for any serious defection
 A candidate receiving a party nom- nation gets substantially the whole party support, and necessity of making a good fight against the common enc my strengthens the party lines and holds the voters of such party together. In the large cities, however, factional differences are many and perpleXing and a candidate who sides with one factions incurs thereafter the hostility of the other while a candidate who seeks to keep aloof from such factional differences finds, later on, perhaps, that he has antagonized both groups of the party upon which he depends for sup port. It is only when there is some sensa tional, political movement which breaks down the former political bar riers that candidate can hope to rise superior to the environment of faction al politics in great city There was such an occasion twenty years ago or more, when MT. Tilden antagonized, for a time, the regular democratic organi zation in New York, but later on, as one of the results of his efforts and af- | 1, T l., ,t,, ,,, ership, it was found supporting him for governor with as much heartiness and cordiality as if he had not been, a short time before, the leader in the opposi tion to it. But this was an exceptional case, and though Mir Tilden was a res ident of the city of New York and one of it's most conspicuous and public spirited citizens in its political, profes- sional, social and commercial life, he was fond of declaring that he came from Columbia county, in which the town of New Lebanon, his birthplace, is situated MT. Tilden was for many years chairman of the democratic state committee, and though a resident of New York was regarded by the rural democrats as their particular represen- tative upon it.
 In the choice of presidents of the Uni ted States the voters of the country seem to have followed to a considerable extent geographical lines. Beginning at the early settlement of the colonies at Jamestown, Vt, as starting point, and at Plymouth, Mass, as another, it is found that on line drawn westward from these two points and exten ling through Virginia on the south and through massachusetts, and eastern New York on the other presidents were chosen. Washington, the first; Jeffar- son, the third: Madison, the fourth, and Monroe, the fifth, were chosen from Virginia; John Adams, the sixth, and Martin Van Buren, the eighth, were chosen from the northern political boundary line This list includes all the presidents inaugurated during the first half century of the nations fife from 17S9 to 1S41 with the exception of Andrew Jackson, who was a native of North Carolina and resident of Ten nessee, little out of the line starting in Virginia. William Henry Harrison, the ninth president of the United States, was the first Ohio man to hold that office. He was a resident of the town of North Bend, O., when elected though, like so many of his predecas- sorS in the presidential office, a Virgin ian by birth, as was Zachary Taylor, one of his successors. Polk was a na- tive of North Carolina and Pierce a na- tive of New Hampshire. James Blu chanan was born in Pennsylvania and was the first and only president chosen up to that time from a section of terri tory midway between the Jamestown, Va, and Plymouth, Mass, line With the beginning of the war controv arsy in 1860 the lines of the former presiden- tial choice seemed to converge at the Ohio river and to continue through the valley of that stream westward to the Mississippi with little Interruption since.
 The various presidents of the coun- try, with the exception of MT. Cleve- land, have been shosen from the Ohio river region, following the line of the center of population which has been travelling from Cincinnati to the vicini- ty of Indianapolis. MT. Lincoln was a native of Larue county, Ky. Narue is directly south of Louisville.) General Grant was a native of Claremont coun- ty, O. His successor, Hayes, was born in Delaware county, o. The next pres ident elected to the position which Hayes occupied for four years, James A. Garfield, was a native of Cayuhoga and Harrison was born in Hamilton county, o. MT. Cleveland is -a'sre