The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-06-14

| Of whom was a candidate for the Of
| flee" In 1904 the constitution was
amended by providing that electors
should vote separately for president
and vice president.
Jefferson, in 1904, and Madison, in
1903. went in by large majorities. In
] 1912 Madison had 12S votes against SO
for De Witt Clinton. Had Pennsyi-
vania supported Clinton and a peace
policy he (Clinton) would have been
| elected. In 1916 Monroe carried every
state except Connecticut, Delaware and
Massachusetts, and in 1870 every state
but New Hampshire. In 1924 there
were four candidates, Jackson, John
| Quincy Adams, Crawford and Clay,
and no one of them had majority,
| Clay being at the bottom Of the list and
| Jackson at the head with 80 votes
against 81 for Adams. When the
! house came TO ballot Clay threw his
votes to Adams The latter was the
only president who received a smaller
| popular and electoral vote than his
leading rival. In 1928, however, Jack
son had larger majority in the cleo
| toral college than Adams had votes.
Jackson was reelected in 1882, having
90 vote to 40 for Clay, though the
popular vote stood 6S7, SOP for Jack
son TO 531, 1S9 for Clay. In 1886 Van
/ Buren, went in by large electoral ma
jority, due principally to the effort of
| his enemies in the senate to disgrace
him by refusing to confirm him as min
| aster to England.
In 1910 Harrison went in as ga hur-
rah candidate" but his early death
made Tyler an accidental president
Mr. Rodgers, speaking of the nominal
ing convention, says:
Among Clay's ardent supporters was
John Tyler of Virginia, who was so
chagrined over the defeat of his chief
that he wept bitter tears. The conven-
ton was DESTROYS of placating Clay's
friends, and. seizing on those tears as
evidence of warmest personal and po-
Ktical friendship, Tyler was nominal
ed for vice president. 1t seems likely
from all reports that the choice would
have fallen on John NJ Clayton of
Delaware but for those tears. II Clay
ton had been president instead OF Ty-
Ter how different might have been the
history of the Wing party!
In 1914 Folks nomination was an ac-
cident. An adjournment when his
support was going over to Cas- saved
him. He was the first presidential
dark horse. In 1S4S Taylor fell short
of popular majority, but went in on
his military reputation. This contest
is remarkable as the one in which
Webster threw away the only chance
he had of being president. He was
offered the nomination for vice-presi-
dent, but refused 1t. Had he taken 1t
he would have succeeded Taylor at
the latter's death. Pierce in 1852 was
dark horse. put up to run Cass off the
track In 1856 Buchanan was elected,
though he had only a minority of the
popular vote, and in 1860 Lincoln was
also in large minority. He was tri-
umphantly reelected in 1864, and
and johnson was an accident As to
recent elections Mr.. Rodgers says:
Grant was twice Overwhelmingly
elected, but there were vacancies in
the electoral college each time. The
Hayes-Tilden contest is too recent to
need reviewing. But Blaine would
probably have been nominated in 1876
had not the gas been turned off in the
convention hall. Garfield. who was
the darkest of dark horses, owed his
election to the efforts of Grant and
ConkEng Arthur became president
solely through the favor OF Conkling,
who secured his nomination as vice
president. General Butler in his mem
oirs says that thousands OF votes cast
for him in New York in 1884 were
counted for Cleveland. II true, Mr..
Blaine was really elected, as the Dem
ocraic majority in the state was only
about 100. Blaine could have been
nominated almost without opposition
in 1883, and possibly could have been
elected, thus. like Clay and Cass, mar
rowly missing the presidency three
times
As the result of his review Of con-
tests Mr.. Rodgers finds that Thomas
Pickney, Charles G. Pinckney, Aaron
Burr, De Witt Clinton. Henry Clay,
John NJ. Clayton, Daniel Webster,
Lewis Cass, Benjamin F. Butler,
James G. Blaine, and Samuel ]. Til
den came within an ace of being pres
ident; while John Adams, Jefferson
first term, Madison Second term,
John Quincy Adams, Van Buren,. Will
lam Henry Harrison, Tyler, Polk, Tay-
Tor, Fillmore, Pierce, Lincoln first
term), Johnson, Hayes, Garfield, Ar
thur. Benjamin Harrison. and Cleve-
land first term) were either accidents
of politics or were barely elected The
only presidents ever elected who were
the leading choice Of their party be-
fore nomination were Washington,
Jefferson, Madison first term), Mon
roe, Jackson, Lincoln Second terml, !
Grant, and Cleveland second term. |
Mr.. Rodgers analyses clearly show
the fudlity Of political predictions and
the slenderness OF the threads upon
which presidential hopes often hang
1t is usually the unexpected that hap
pens. And it happens so often at con- |
yentiOns and at the polls that Mr..
Rodgers has some warrant in saying
ne IS a rash man who dares predict |
who viii be next president.
---------
HE WAS A BRICK
Like Mark Twain, George Francis