Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1900-12-19
nAsror THE s4RNEUHNEns
d Death Of James g. Smith Recalh
stirring Political EyenIs.

Tia death on Wednesday, september
%, OF James &. Smith OF Lanandiag Va,
Cogmer supreme court Jusoice OF this
district at the advanced age OF "a
years, served TO recall some OF them
JereSting and SURFING events dating
back before the war, when the dis
tdnGuished jurdst was leader in state
politics.
AS one of the ablest judges who
ever sat on the bench OF this state,
Justice Smith was known personally
to the older members of The local bar,
but as a political leader before he add
but as a political leader before he as
gumed Judicial honors his career is
probably gnown to few outside the
students of history.
Attorney Arthur C. Smith of this
city showed Herald reporter docu-
ment drafted and signed by his father
and presented to the Democratic MA
tdonal convention held at Baltimore
dn May, 1s48, that us not only Of great
historical value, but recalls anincident
Of New York politics over a half a CEN
tury ago that influence radically the
later history of the nation.
This document is a protest signed
by the delegates of New York state,
who were excluded from the Balti-
more convention of 1S4S. The pro-
test was dictated by Mr.. Smith, and is
In the handwriting of Peter Oagger,
an old+timer.
The paper is signed by all the thirty
six delegates representing the barn
burner" faction, and a numder of
the original signatures are Of national
interest. James c. Smith signed as
member of the twenty con-
gressional district, and he was the sole
survivor. All the signers to the his
borical document are now dead. The
late Judge H. r. Seldom of Rochester
signed, representing the twenty-e ghth
district, General James s. Wadsworth,
father of the present congressman,
signed as a representative of the
twenty NINTH district. Samuel j. Til
dem and James r. Doolittle, afterward
q United States senator from Wiscon-
aim, also signed it. This is a copy
o6 the document:
ITO the Baltimore convention: The
delegates of Democracy of the State
Of New York to the Baltimore conven-
tdon respectfully protest against the
and confirming the adoption by the
committee ON credentials of TeSolu-
tdon by which said committee refused
TO open the discussion to the two CON-
fdcting parties from New York con-
tending for the seats in the national
convention until each party should
pledge themselves to abide by the de
cision of said convention and agree
to support by all honorable means its
nominees.
"They would feel themselves I'M
worthy to represent the Democracy
Of New York if they couldt submit
to a condition which impeaches the
integrity of their representatives and
which would dishonor our state by
subjecting qts delegates to condi-
tion which the convention expressly
declined to impose upon the dele
gates of any other state in the union
prior to their admission. The dele
gates must be admitted to the Baiti-
more convention unconditionaaly or
not at ALL"
No more interesting incident i'm the
HISTORY of national conventions can
be found than the dramatic withdraw
from the convention jim 1S4S. Ehese
thirty-eGx men defeated the election 10
the presidency of the candidate otthah
convention, Lewis Oass OF Michigan.
Not only was the influence OF this Doll
led by the latte Judge Smith. lmmed1-
ately felt in national politics, but the
principles advocated by his colleagues
who signed the foregoing document,
grew and developed until the uitlmate
settlement of the question OF slavery
and secession.
FIarlv in President Folks admmls-
tututdon appeared the division OF New
work. Democrats into 'barnburners
ord cold bunkers." The former were
radicals and strong adherents OF Mar
tin Van Buren,; they were opposed 10
the annexation of Texas as a slave
territory. They were called barn
BURNERS" by their opponents In rlol-
Guile. who Ekened them TO the FARMER
who burned his barn ITO md them Oh
RATS. The "old hunkers were the
so-called northern" men w.th south
ern pr:nctples-the supporters OF am
nexaition, the respectable, conserVa-
rive practical men who were SAID 10
banker after the offices"
PromfnltnIt among the "barnburn-
ers" were Governor Slas Wright, Ben
iamdn f. Butler mot en-. Ben of Low
ell. Mass. John A. Dix and Prince
John VAN Buren,, the batter SON OF
the ex-presidemt and called prince
because he danced with young pr1n-
cess. Victoria, i'm England. Among
the Youngest additions TO the group
were Samuel j. TIlden, James ,.
Wadsworth and Henry 5. Seldom.
Chief among the 'hunkers' were
United StaesSenator Daniel G. Nck-
mson and William l.. Marcy, eX-goV-
ernor and ex-senator, who Is credited
with having been the author OF the
famous phrase ITO the victoTs belong
Nhe spoils.
With the annexation of Texas and
the Mexican war i'm 1916, which the
"barnburners" opposed, and in 1S4o,
when peace measures were under dls-
cussion. David Wilmot of sylvanda
offered i'm congress his famous pro-
yiso providing that slavery should be
excluded from all free territory ac-
auired by the United States. The
'sbarnburners" approved the proviso,
and upon the issue the battle was car
RED into the state convention, held
at Syracuse in September, 1s47, where
the ''hunkers" prevailed. The barn
burners" fhereupon secedeG, cnarsas
their opponents with fraud and called
a mass meeting at Herkimer month
l-t-fl lA1 an