The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-11-15
CAMPAIGN PARALLELS.
FORMER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
AS BAsIs!FoR PROPHECIES.

Ing Victories Apparently Over.
The Washington correspondent OF
the New York Evening Post says: AS
the Presidential campaign draws near,
there is much search for historical
parallels to the present situation, and
prophecies are nude on the basis OF
these comparisons. That there is q
good deal of nonsense in such mat
ters, no one doubts. For example,
the Republicans in 1884 were cheered
by the assurance that no man whose
name began with G ever had been, and
therefore mono ever would be, elected
President. That comfort was with
drawn for the next campaign, but in
1892 they were again confident of sue
cess, since no President, once defeated
for reelection, had ever been re-
elected. So it is not safe to rely upon
precedents. And yet there are certain
facts in history which are uniform and
reveal tendencies and influences.
These have fairly crystallized into
rules, which, however, like all the
other rules, have their exceptions.
Those who believe that President
Mckinley will be renominated rely
upon the fact that only one man, after
having been elected silent, ever
made IN unsuccessful fight for renomi-
nation. This was Franklin Pierce. 1t
is true that Fillmore, Johnson, and
Arthur were candidates for the nomi-
nation, but they had been elected, not
Presidents, but Vice-Presidents, and
their failure was the natural result of
the sudden shock of change, the intro
drction of new policies and new men,
and the disappointments which these
entailed. It is we'll known that no
Vice President who became President
was ever nominated for President at
the end of his term. John Tyler was
nominated by another party than the
Wings in 1874, but, after few months,
he withdrew from the race in letter
full of anger and disappointment. The
nearest parallel to the case OF Mr.
Cleveland was that OF Martin Van
Buren, who was elected by the Demo
Gratis in 1886, was renominated by
them in 1S40, wac almost nominated
by them in 1874, and was nominated
by the "Barn-Burners," or seeding
Democrats, who would not work for
Lewis Cass, in 184S. So strong was
the "Little Wizard" that he received
more votes in the States of Vermont,
Massachusetts, and New York than
Cass, although he carried no State.
Here are some interesting facts OF
the political successes and failures of
our Presidents, conveniently arranged:
Presidents renominated and re-elect-
ed-Washington, Jefferson, Madison,
Monroe, Jackon, Lincoln, Grant, and
Cleveland.
Presidents renominated, but defeat.
ed for re .election-John Adams, John
Quincy Adams, Van Buren, Cleveland
and Benjamin Harrison.
Presidents defeated for renomina-
tion-Fillmore, Pierce, Johnson and
Arthur.
Presidents who were not candidates
for renomination-Tyler, Polk, Bu-
chanan and Hayes.
Presidents nominated and renomin-
ated without Observation-Disclosures,
Jackson, Van Buren and Grant.
Presidents renominated without op-
position-Washington, J efferson, Mad
ison, Monroe, John Quincy Adams,
Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Lincoln
and Grant.
Only one President was elected
without opposition, Washington being
30 chosen twice. This honor would
have been given to Monroe for the
second term but for an elector from
New Hampshire, who voted for John
Quincy Adams because, he said, he was
unwilling to allow any man to be hon
ored as "Ihe Father OF His Country"
had been.
In speaking of nominations" it
must be remembered that in the early
days of the Republic there were no
political conventions, and consequent
ly no nominations in the sense in
which we use the term now. There
were many candidates for the chief
honors then who would have figured
in the political conventions had they
been held. John Adams, it is said,
seriously considered himself On avail
able candidate for the presidency when
Washington was elected. The first
thing like a convention for the nomin-
alton of a candidate for President was
the caucus which convened in 1904,
consisting of the Republican Senators
and Representatives in Congress, and
nominated Jefferson. At other times
nominations were made by State Le-
gislatures. In September, 1912, an
unofficial political convention was held
by the snti-Madison Democrats and
the Federalists to effect a coalition.
The result was the nomination of De-
Witt Clinton, of New York, for Pres.
ident, and Rufus King for Vice-Pres-
ident. The coalition was much more
powerful than is generally supposed.
Madison received 1913 electoral votes,
while Clinton received eighty-nine.
Only two Northern States. Vermont
and Pennsylvania, voted for Madison.
In 1924 minority of the Congress-
men held convention and nominated
W. H. Crawford, Secretary of the
Treasury, for President. This was in
deed an odd contest, the candidates
being three members Of the Monroe
cabinet-John Quincy Adams, Clay
and Crawford-and Senator, Andrew
Jackson. AS in 1900, the electors did
not decide this contest, no candidate
having q majority. The House of