The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-10-17

\ pOuUlcal conditions in the United states
has occurred since the days, little
: over half a century ago, when Cling
| man first entered congress. There was
| wing party in the south, and that
| party often carried many states in that
| region, because the leaders of that and
the democratic party tried to keep the
| slavery issue out of politics, and did,
| Tor few years, prevent it from TAX
| ing dangerous phase. This was the
| question which erected the geographical
line In politics, and SO long as concession
| and compromise on 1t were possible two
great parties could maintain an exist
| ence side by side in the south. But the
adjustment of 1850, the third and last
Tor the Clay compromises, was the last
compromise of any sort which could
| secure sanction in either the north or
| the SOUTH. -Four years after the adjust
| ment of 1850 Stephen A. Douglas, in his
| Dill creating the territories of Kansas
and Nebraska, in which slavery was
| given an equal chance with freedom
In region from which slavery had been
excluded by the Missouri compromise,
/ aroused the cupidity of the south, en-
! ragged the north, started a civil war in
Kansas, destroyed all chances for fur
| Their peaceable adjustments, erected
| geographical lire in politics. caused "a
swift and sweeping reaEgnment of par
ties, which killed the weaker one, the
) whig and built larger and greater
| one, the republican, on It's ruins, and
ueatJ a dow TO the 0tnef party, the
| democracy, from which dt did rot fully
| recover foc a quarter of a century, or
| until Cleveland's election in 1854.
But during CIlngmans earlier years
| of political activity partisan divisions
| did not coincide with lines of latitude.
| states partisan affiliations could not
| be determined by its parallel as set forth
on the map. Harrison, the wing, carried
more southern states in 1910 than did
Van Buren,, the democrat. Taylor,
whig, in 1913. had more southern states
than Cass, democrat. Clay, the whig,
carried five southern states in 1874, as
against eight which went to Polk, the
democrat. If there had been a fair cleo
ton in louisiana, however, the proba-
billty is that Clay would have had six
southern states to Folks seven. The
democratic frauds in the parish of Pla-
quemine, La, was one of the many
sinister forces which were fighting
against Clay in 1874. Louisiana went
to Harrison four years earlier, and to
Taylor four years later.
Clingman's own state North Carolina,
in Chngman's younger days in politics,
oftener went against the democracy
than it did for that party. 1t was con-
sidered a reliably wing state during the
greater part of that organizations pc
Rod of activity For a short time, In
deed, the wings had some hopes Of
being able ITO capture" the whole south,
and drive the democracy out of bust-
ness. During few months after the
overwhelming victory of Harrison and
Tyler, in which those candidates carried
more states in the south than the demo-
Gratis Van Buren, and Johnson did in
the entire union, THE wings thought that
another EZRA of good feeling" like that
which came during Monroe's presidency
was at hand, in which only one party
would be in existence, and theirs would
be that party.
A greater delusion never seized the
| minds of sensible men. In the extra
session of congress which was called
by President Harrison March II, 1S41,
| two weeks after his Inauguration. and
which met on May 81, eight weeks after
Harrison's death and Tyler's accession
to the presidency the party quickly
wrecked itself in the contest with Tyler
on the question of the re-estabhshment
Of the United States bank. Clay, the
leader of the whig party in congress,
forced q bank bill through both
branches early in the extra session,
which Tyler vetoed and another bill,
altered in some of its details, but some
what similar in essence, was pushed
through congress and met the same fate
at Tyler's hands. Then Tyler was de-
nounced as a traitor to the wing prin-
ciples, was read out of the party" and
in the feud which ensued between the
larger end of the party which stuck to
Clay and the smaller end which chung
to Tyler, the wings lost ground seriusly
in the state elections of 1911, and the
congressional contest of 1912, though
they recovered their strength somewhat
in 1914, and would have won the presi-
dency had they carried the state of New
York
The assertion, though, that Tyler was
a traitor TO whig principles" in vetoing
the two bank bills, Is perversion of
history. In the campaign in which Har-
rison and Tyler were elected the wings
made no profession of principles" The
question of the re-establishment of the
bank. did not figure in the canvass in
which they were chosen. Moreover, Ty-
Ter was on record against the principle
involved in the bills which he vetoed
and all the wing leaders must have
known this. There Is a strong proba-
biMty that If Harrison had lived he
would have taken the same side which
Tyler did, and that a similar contest
would have occurred.
In fact, the true history of the contest
of 1910 is of interest as an illustration
of the striking difference between the
political conditions Of half century
ago-say in Cllngmans early days in
public life--and those which have pre-
vailed in recent years. Much that is
written about that contest, however,
under the name of history deserves a
different sort Of a designation. A fine
example of this kind of writing is fur
nished in Richard w. Thompson's ''Rec-
elections of Sixteen Presidents" pub
llshed two or three years ago. II have
personally participated somewhat ac-
lively in sixteen presidential campaigns,
covering q period of more than. three
score years." said Mr.. Thompson in that
book, referring to the contest of 1910,
land 1 do not hesitate to affirm that
have never known one when the dts
tinctively political issues involved were
discussed and investigated with more
thoroughness This is certain,
as every survivor Of that period will
remember, that the opinions of Harri-
son upon all these questions were well
understood by the public-for what he
thought and believed with reference to
them was made the special object of
public inquiry"
This is an odd delusion. The distinct
| iveiy political issues involved" in the
! campaign of 1910 were not discussed
! and investigated" with 'thoroughness."
| There were no "distinctively political
! issues" in that campaign, so far as re-
| CARDS the whig party. for whom Mr..
| Thompson speaks. The wings in that
year did not discuss any issues, inquire
! for any, or want any. The convention