The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-02
Nv.

Although the book before us shows that eau.
cuses of members of Congress for the purpose Of
nominating candidates for the Presidency and
Nice-Prcsidency were, held in 1900. and prOba-
bly, in 1896. it was not until 1901 that the first
regularly called caucus for that purpose took
place. From that time until 1924 the Congros.
sional caucus constituted the regular nominal
ing machinery. The organization and procedure
Of such a caucus were the same. that We now
witness in n joint caucus OF tho party members
Of the two houses of a State Legisla turc OF tho
present day. held for the nomination OF q candi-
date for the United States Senate. From tho
beginning the caucus had to encounter such OPP
position as was expressed by Austin. The
assumption by Senator Bradley. Chairman Of
the caucus of 1904, OF the right to call n similar
caucus in 1903 aroused n good deal of protest
at the time, but this soon subsidized. Again.
in 1912. the boiling Peace Republicans" In
their address in favor OF the candidacy Of
De Witt Clinton. declared that the nomina-
tion of a candidate for the Presidency OF the
United States by nm association OF members of
Congress convened at tho seat OF Government
is hostile to the spirit Of the Federal Constitu-
ton, dangerous to the rights of the people
and to tho freedom Of election" Two years
later. in 1914, Mr.. CASTOR OF North Carolina
made a bitter attack upon the Congressional
caucus system. denouncing 1t as n direct viola
tion OF the spirit OF the Constitution. 1t was.
however, tho result OF tho Republican caucus
Of 1916 which did more than anything else to
arouse the mass Of the people against tho sys-
tenn. William II. Crawford. n man whom the
people at large had never thought of for presi-
dent. came near TO receiving the Republican
caucus nomination. which, at that time, was
equivalent to an election; and this seems
to have excited alarm. even in the minds
of aOmp who eight Ypara Inter WarA fha
most strenuous advocates OF tho caucus
system. Mr.. Dallinger cites. for instance. the
National Inteiii0encsr OF April g, 1915, which.
In an outspoken editorial on the subject, said:
80 strongly impressed, indeed, are wo with the
conviction that the sense of the people was not
truly represented in that meeting. from whatever
causes, that our confidence In the expediency of
this mode OF collecting the general sentiment ia
shaken. we had almost said destroyed. Should
the day. unfortunately, ever arrive when a nomi-
nation should be made averse to the public sen
timent, the evil of this system will be felt"
With tho so-called EZRA Of good feeling" never
thcless, when Monroe was elected President O
second time by an electoral vote which only
lacked one of being unanimous, there came a lull
I'm the opposition TO the Congressional caucus,
but toward the latter part Of the summer OF 1892
tho latent hostility broke out afresh. Tho
first gun lcvelled at the system was tho noini-
nation OF Andrew Jackson for the Presidency
by an informal meeting of the members Of
tho Tennessee Legislature in August of tho
year just named. Tho friends of jackson
thus announced that they would not be bound
by a Congressional caucus, but that they pur-
posed TO substitute another Iaode OF nomination.
Their example was followed by the friends of
Clay, who in November nominated their favor
lite atR similar meeting of the members OF tho
Kentucky Legislature. Thenceforth Jackson,
Clay. Adams. and even Crawford were. at Differ
cnt times. formally nominated eithor by State
Legislatures acting in their official capacity
or by State Legislative caucuses. A heated
controversy between the friends and the
opponents of tho Congressional caucus now
began to be wagod. both in tho newspaper press
and elsewhere. Tho system WAS defended by the
american Sentinel OF Philadelphia. tho Rich
mond Enquirer. and other Republican Or
Rans, while the principal opponent on the part OF
tho press WAS NiIes's Register. In April, 1928.
q caucus OF the Republican members OF the New
York Legislature adopted q set of resolutions
urging tho holding of O Congressional caucus in
1924. In October the opponents of tho system
adopted tho same tactics. The Tennessee Legis-
lature in Its oticial capacity passed resolutions
condemning the caucus system In the most