The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-11-13

GQ1rQS ruiz u0pE1N6O ALh Va 1uLS du-
vantage over. his rivals, and pro-
longed balloting produced much bad
feeling between his supporters and
the supporters of his chief competi=
tor, Cass. On the eighth ballot forty
four delegates voted for James K.
Polk, who up to that time had been
mentioned only as a possible candi-
date for Vice President and on the
succeeding ballot, he was unanimous
~ nominated. Polk had been Speaker
of the House, but he was not a man
of any great national reputation.
1.-The nomination" says Thomas H.
Benton, twas a surprise and marvel
to the country"
CLAY's SECOND SLIP.
Clay was nominated by acclama-
ton by the Wings, but again an IN
toward accident blocked his path to
the White House. The great Ken
tuckian, at an early stage of his
career, had given serious personal
offence to James G. Birney. The
latter was conspicuous as an Adolf
ZIONIST, and there was some trif1ing
strength in the so-called Abolition
party in the North. In New York
State there were a few thousand
scattered Abolitionists, and they
met in a convention and nominated
D;.-o- Co. 4bo D~~oCi1onor Ho ia
not wish to run, and the most intel
ligent of the Abol1tionists were op-
posed to any organization ; but there
was at that time a general belief that
Birney saw in his candidacy chance
to punish Clay. Birney therefore
ran, and he had such revenge as
caused the Wing party to lose the
Presidency, for his popular vote of
so, 300 was sufficient to turn New
York and Michigan to the Demo-
Gratis.
The sequel proved that Clay's po-
litical sun had set for in 1848, when
it was almost certain that the Wing
candidate would be elected, he was
put aside for Taylor, one of the
heroes of a war which the Wings
had denounced as a crime.
wEBsTER's SECOND CHANCE.
Webster, also, in 1848, missed his
last opportunity to become Presi-
dent. Before the Wing convention
met, Thurlow Weed again urged
Webster to become the Wing candi-
date for Vice President. Again he
refused, and the nomination, after
going begging, was finally given to
Millard Fillmore. Taylor died soon
after taking office, Fillmore became
President, and Webster returned to
Washington to serve him as Score
tary of State, as he had similarly
served the accidental Tyler twelve
years before. In place of either of
them he might have become Presi-
dent.
The unexpected befell in the Demo
cratic convention of 1852. Cass,
Buchanan, and Douglas were the
leading candidates, but Cass's can
didacy had the stigma of defeat
Buchanan lacked an attached per
sonal following and the envy and
the personal hatreds caused by
Douglass brilliant career as a leader
in the Senate prevented his nomina-
ton. There is little doubt that Dan
iel S. Dickinson, of New York, would
have been nominated as a cOmpro-
mise candidate had he not peremp-
tOrily declined to allow his name to
go before the convention, for the
reason that he was pledged to Cass.
Finally the Southern delegates said
to the New Hampshire delegates
that any New Hampshire Democrat
upon whom they could agree would
be supported by the South, and thus,
after a ~protracted contest, Franklin
Pierce was nominated. Pierce had
and a member of the Senate, but
was so little known beyond the Dor
ders of his own State that many
Democrats had never heard his name.
Scott, robbed of a nomination when
he could have been elected twelve
years before, was now made the
standard bearer of the Wings. He
met with one of the most overwhelm-
ing defeats On record, only four
States voting for him in the Electoral