The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-07-23
Ix.-MINoR PARTIES.
nv LESSEE MACY. IL. D.

J American voters little groups or coterles Vi
citizens DESTROYS OF inaugurating some pol
itcal or Industrial or social reform, or rae
J tions especially opposed to certain meas
ures or tendencies of the great parties
have sometimes assumed the name ana
form of political parties. Occasionally
} these have become powerful enough per
manently to influence, for good or H. the
! course of political history more ire
! quently they have proved OF HUE lastIne
con seuuence and have only strewn along
the current series Of grotesque or tenn
porarily insignificant names whose origin
and meaning have been soon forgotten.
J Some OF the earlier of these names crept
into national political history from the
factional strifes which very soon became
, characteristic OF New York politics. Inc
superior wealth and power of three Srsa0
J families in that State produced there MS
} in no other State a tendency among par
ties and factions to divide along family anu
J personal lines.
"CIintoninns" add "Bucktaiis." ."
, After the close Of the war of 1872 the
) republicans of New York became divided
! in respect to the construction OF the Erie
, canal. This was the form which the pol
! icy of internal improvements by the gov
) eminent took in New York, and to the
promotion of that enterprise De Witt GIN
, ton devoted large part OF his public life
) His political followers were called Gin
I topians" and the cinal was derisiYely
. manned "Cllnton's ditch" Hence those
, favoring the general theory Of public I'M
provements are sometimes referred 10 40
Cllntonians.
Those in the New York assembly most
J strongly opposed TO the Erie canal were
, the Tammany members of the republican
, party from New York City. One OF the
J emblems OF the Tammany society was
} bucks tail worn in the hat. and from
that came the name "bucktails," by which
they were commonly known. During the
canal controversy the term came to %
} applied in a general way to all who OPP
posed the canal system.
The factions IN New York parties always
! tended to play an important part in what
are known as third party movements
in national politics. This was true in
J respect to the wide question of internal
Improvements, but these local names
, have, strictly speaking, no place in ma
tiona party history.
"HunIScrs," "Barn-Burners" and
J Loco FocOs."
These are all factional names originate
ing in New York. The "hunkers' ara
sometimes identified with "bucktails"--
meaning those opposed to the canal sys-
tem--but such an application of the title
is retrospective rather than exact, for The
name did not come into use until about
lS44. 1t was applied to the conservative
democrats representing, s4ys Prof. Jonn'
son, the inertia of the party" and OPP
posed to the barn burners, who were
the radicals The name Is believed 10
have come from the Dutch word "nouk,
station or home, and so stands for the
stay-at- home democrats who opposed
changes. Prof. Won Hoist, however, de
rlves it from banker" as indicating tina
greediness of the party for the spols OF
office.
The barn burners" were the extrem-
.sts who would burn down the building to
get rid Of the rats They followed Van
Buren, as their leader, and with him most
of them went into the free-soil party IN
1913,
Into these two factions the democratic
party was moro and more widely spit
during the years from 1874 10 1915. This
division was apparently healed in 49,,
but reappelred almost Immediately the
hunkers calling themselves the "hards' or
hard Shells" while their opponents We're .
known as "softs" The line of separation /
was drawn chiefly with reference to The |
slavery question. This fact.onal disn-
| tegration Of the democratic party gave !
opportunity to the wings, who elected |
their State ticket IN 1854. and the demo-
Gratis Of New York did not regain a ma
iority until 1862.
AS the democratic party In New York
was split by the canal question and by the
slavery question, so also was it split By
the bank controversy during 1889. Tho
| regular democrats, while opposing the
United States bank, favored the charterlng
| Of new State banks. The loco focos''
| called themselves the equal right.
party and opposed the giving of any
special privileges TO any incorporated
bodies. The name loco foco" seemed to
strike the popular fancy, and ere long be,
came national in its use as designating
the radical wing of the democratic party
and was often used in a general way for
the whole party
The origin OF the nickname is assigned
10 The year 1884, when at a stormy demo-
cratic meeting in Tammany hail, New
YORK CITY, the regular Tamnany demo-
carts turned out the gas and withdrew.
Inc other faction We're supplied with can
! dies, which they Immediately lighted
with loco foco Cor friction) matches and
! went on with their business.
Inc Two branches Of the party in New
York were brought together in 1897 by the
sMllful management OF President Van
buren,, but for some ten years longer tho
national and whlg party persistently an.
pied the name loco focos" TO their op-
ponents, seeking thus to imply that the
democrats We're opposed to the moueyed
! interests Of the country.
The Anti-Mnsons,
In 1926 New York man named William
Morgan threatened to publish book
which he had written exposing the secrets
OF the order of Freemasons. Shortly after
ne disappeared and was never again heard
OIL There was widespread excitement.
The leading Freemasons of the region
were freely charged with having consplred
ior Morgan's abduction and murder Moth
ing was ever proved, but the strong feel
ing aroused took political aspect.> A
'Irse anti Mason vote was cast at loc,i
ee,Nctons against candidates wbo ware
Masons' By 1880 the anti Masops had oh
soroed or displaced the national renub-
moan party in New York. Among The