The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-07-21
JEFFERSON and BURR,
HOW FORMER DEFEATED LAT.
TER IN 1901.
COL McClure's RecOllections Correct
ed--Alexander Hamilton Did. Not
Bring About the Result.

IL ouAieXandeT Hamilton Did No
,o Bring About the Result.
3 The following letter in relation
u to the fine article of Col. A. X
II McClure's, which appeared in tn,
>" Sunday Courier Journal of Jun,
i II, is of much interest to student
1t OF American history and is espe
e cialIy so to the descendants of Col
Il Matthew Lyon, who are numerou,
I in Kentucky. The letter was ad
S dressed to the New York Sun
I which also published the article.
!; To the Editor of the New York
. Sun-Sir' Mr.. A. X. Mcclure
y had a very interesting article in
, your paper Of Sunday, the 18th,
: INST, on ''Presidential Accidents, "
I but he repeats an error which has
been often corrected in relation
to the election Of Thomas Jeffer-
son as president. Mr.. Mcclure
says:
''But for the aggressive hostil-
ity of Alexander Hamilton to
Aaron Burr the chances are quite
even that Burr would have been
chosen president over Jefferson in
the House in the great battle Of
1901.
During the seven days ballot
ing between Jefferson and Burr
the latter received the vote of six
states, with Vermont and Mary
land divided. The change of a
single vote in the Vermont dele
CATION in the House would have
given the vote of that state to
Burr, the change of a single vote
in the Maryland delegation would
have given the vote of that state
to Burr, the change of single
vote in the New Jersey dele
CATION would have given the vote
of that state to Burr, making the
number necessary to his election.
Thus while the election Of Jetfer-
son by the House in 1901 is gen
orally regarded as enviable result
In point of fact but for the inter-
yention of Alexander Hamilton,
the leade. of the federallsts, Burr
would most likely have been made
president instead of Jefferson"
1t IS true that Hamilton urged
the federalists in the House not to
vote for Burr, but to vote for JET
ferson, but it is not true that any
of them followed his advice. JET
ferson during the whole thirty-six
ballots which were taken did not
receive single federal vote.
Hamilton urged, nay implored,
them to give their votes to Jetfer-
son, and wrote repeated letters to
his friends in congress to that ef-
feet, but he did not prevail with a
single man. ''Our opposition"
wrote Mr.. Bayard on the day the
ballotting closed the election OF
jefferson, WAS continued till it
was demonstrated that Burr could
not be brought in. y Mr.
J. did not get a federal VOTE"
n Mr.. Mcclure says the change OF
a vote in Vermont, of another in
and of another in New
Jersey would have elected Burr.
But such speculation is idle; the
changes were not made, though
Burr's friends among the federal
sts exhausted every effort to win
these votes, and Jefferson after
ward declared that hribes were
offered to DIR. Linn, of New Jer-
sew; Gen. Smith. of Maryland,
md Col. Lyon, Of Vermont, to in
luce them to vote for Burr. The
bribes were rejected and all three i
If the members named continued
10 vote for jefferson. The vote
was cast by states, and Jefferson
from the first to the thirty-ffth
ballot got eight states, just one
half of all, and on the thirty-siX
Or last ballot Col. Matthew Lyon
east the vote of that state for him,
which gave nine out OF sixteen
states. a majority for Jefferson
whereby he was elected presl-
lent. Maryland and Delaware
were frightened INTO submission
not through the advice of Hamil
ton, but by fear, the fear OF
the Marylanders that they would
lose the capitol of the United
States, which they had Just Sc
,ured after a desperate struggle,