Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-03

| several at the city hall. and among the
| prominent local lights were Robert Oud,
Daniel Radcliffe, ]. D. Hoover, John f.
Norris, B. B. Curran and J. F. Ennis
Each party held ratification meetings at
| the city hall front, and after the election
the democracy had a monster jollifcati n
| there with a torchlght procession The
sources Of information were the telegram
| offices. the 1ntelEgencer, Star and Union
| newspaper offices, and these were besiesed
| election night and the day after by ex-
| cited crowds. every dispatch being regarded
| as important: no matter how small were
some places. they were regarded indi-
! eating how the state would 60 The agony
| was, however, soon over, for the returns
| from eleven states were received by No
| vember and the election of Mr.. Buchanan
| was assured. Two days after all but Wis
| consin California, Louisiana and Texas had
| been heard from. This campaign having
brought the slavery question well to the
| front, there was much feeling exhibited. and
| alterations growing out of discussion Of
| that question were as frequent as those
| between the know nothing and the for
| eigner but all animosity was over in few
| weeks.
| Election of 1860.
There probably never was such a po-
/ litical contest, one fraught with such
| radical results. as that Of 1860. The anti
| slavery party, which had been known
| the free soiIers' had come to the front, and
| the opponents of the democratic party in
| large numbers voting with them as repub-
| Iicans, 1t became formidable party. Here
many old line wings Joined that party,
| and we had a Wide Awake Club number
| ing several hundred. After the nomination
| there were Lincoln clubs established In
| various sections, and these were made up
| largely of those who had been in the Amer
| lean party.
! There were some still loyal to that party
and the democrats kept up their organiza-
| lions, though there were two wings 10 the
| party.
There were four tickets in the field
| Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamin,
| republican; ]. c. Breckenridge and Joseph
Lane, southern democratic; John Bell ana
| Edward Everett, union; Stephen A. Doug
las and Herschel V. johnson, democratic.
There were friendsso each ticket in wash
| ington and feeling ran high There were
many discussions in the hotels ana otner
public places The republicans were con-
fident from the beginning, and in little
| time 1t seemed that every one was wearing
| their party colors, habit which II many
| instances invited attack. Torchlight pro-
cessions and bOnfires were common, ana
the republican headquarters, occupied by
the Wide Awakes in what is now the ire
mont House, at I'd street and Indiana ave
nue. was attacked by a mob which did
some damage Notwithstanding there We're
four tickets In the field, many could not be-
| lieve that the Lincoln ticket would be sue
cessful, but they could give no reason or
| figures for the belief other than the cleo
ton might go to the House.
well, election day came, and all was ex-
element This state of affairs continued
| through the night and the following day
many were nearly frantic in their desire
to hear the news. Receiving it, they would
not believe. In this period there were many
knockdowns and scrimmages.
1.-The following day the announcement
| was made that the success of Mr.. Lincoln
depended on New York, and it con-
coded that a majority of $4,000 in the city
would be necessary to offset the republican
majority in the state, and as the city ma
jority was but $4,000. it was conceded that
Mr.. Lincoln was elected
Predictions were plentiful that he would
not be inaugurated. and that dire conse-
| quences would occur 1t is matter Of
| history how these predictions became real
| lied, and in the memory of numerous
| Westinghouse the date Of the election is
| regarded as that of a break in ties of blood
| which required years to heal.
Praises the Constitution.
| Before closing" remarked the narrator
of this story, Il will tell you that after
reading the constitutional requirements for
the election Of President a lawyer said:
| am convinced there is nothing in the world
| like the Constitution Of the United States.
1t appears to have been inspired. In every
portion the language has precise mean
| ing and the various portions fitted
that If the people followed It's provisions
there would be no Earring of the machinery
| Of government. Look at the provision for
| choosing a President. Each state shall ap-
| Der Of electors. These shall meet in their
| respective states and vote by ballot for two
| persons, Of whom one shall not be resi-
dent Of such state, and shall send the re-
! suit under seal to the president of the Sem
ate and In the presence of the Senate and
House of Representatives; and the person
| having the majority of such votes shall be
| the President. Should there be election
| the House shall choose a President, each
state having one vote; and after the choice
| OF President the person having the greatest
number Of electoral votes shall be the Vice
| President.
| Now, observe the first clause says Of
| the persons voted for one shall not be an
| inhabitant of the state with themselves.
| After having read the debates on the Con-
| stitution the biographies of many Of
and looking at this clause that
each state could, if so disposed vote for a
| favorite son and one other was 1t not in
| tended that the voting should show the
preference of each STATEN other words to
| furnish a list of candidates whence the Sc
| lection should be made by the House. where
each state was an equality, having but one
voter
Take the present campaign" the old
veteran proceeded. 1T is not the first time
| that defeated candidate has made a Sec
| ond race. as Mr.. Bryan is doing. Andrew
Jackson was defeated the first time in 1924
| and twice elected after, in 1928 and 1892
Henry Clay was three times a candidate
In 1924, 80 and "A, but failed. Van Buren,
| was elected to one term, 1885, and defeated
for second. 1910. w. H. Harrison was de-
feated on his first run, 1885, and elected on
| the second. $780,