The Irish standard., 1904-01-30
DEMOCRATIC CONVENTIONS.
st. Louis has Been fionored Three
Times In 1l2 Years

\ Ae DeihoSiatlc party, whose ma
tional committee met in Washington
recently and for the third time
named st. Louis as the place at which
to hold the national convention, has
been in existence 112 years, saws the
New York Sun.
The party's first six conventions
We're held at Baltimore. The first, in
1872, nominated Jackson and Van
Buren,; the second, in May, 1886, NOM
mated Van Buren, and r. NJ. Johnson
Thirty-two states We're represented by
600 delegates. This convention was in
session three days. The third, MAY s.
6, 1910, renominated Van Buren,, but
made no nomination for vice-president,
leaving that Office to be filled by the
senate. The fourth, May 27-29, 1914,
nominated Polk and Dallas. In this
convention Van Buren, received 146
votes. A resolution was offered de-
claring him the nominee, but point
of order was made and sustained that
this would require two-thirds vote.
An appeal was taken, but after a
spirited debate it was withdrawn. On
subsequent ballot, the ninth, STAN.
pede for Polk was made and he was
nominated. He was the first dark
horse of any national convention. The
| fifth convention was held May 22-26,
1S4S, the. nominees being Lewis Cass,
the first Western candidate, and w.
o. Butler of Kentucky. This ticket
was defeated by Taylor and Fillmore,
the Wing candidates. The sixth con-
vention was held June IA, 1852, and
nominated Pierce and King. Pierce
was nominated on a stampede during
the forty-ninth ballot. In 1856, the
Democratic party, for the first time in
its history went West for it's conven-
ton, meeting in Cincinnati June 90,
James Buchanan and John G. Brecken-
ridge were nominated. Mr.. Buchanan
received the full vote of the conven-
ton on the seventeenth ballot. He
had received votes in the three previ-
GUS conventions. In this convention
Stephen A. Douglas was first support
cd for the nomina ton, receiving thirty
three votes. The eighth convention,
the most memorable in the history of
the party, met in Charleston, s. c., on
April 90, 1860, and remained in session
until May 3. Before it adjourned, the
delegates from Alabama, Florida, Mis-
sissippi and Texas and part of the
delegations from South Carolina, Ar
kansas and Delaware, withdrew. The
entire delegation from Georgia with
drew the next day, May 1. On May 2,
the remaining members of the conven-
ton balloted for candidate, without
result, Douglas leading with 151h
votes. The convention adjourned on
May 3 to meet in Baltimore June 1s.
When the convention reassembled,
several Southern delegations again
withdrew. Douglas was declared the
nominee. Benjamin Fitzpatrick of
Alabama was nominated for vice-presi-
dent, but he declined and Herschel v.
johnson of Mississippi was named.
The seceders met in Charleston, S. c.,
and nominated Breckenridge and
Lane. Twenty-one states We're repre-
sented, in whole or in part, in this
convention. Maine, New Hampshire,
Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jer-
sey, South Carolina, Ohio, Michigan,
Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin
were unrepresented. Four years later,
on Aug. 20, 1864, the party went West,
to Chicago, again to hold it's conven-
vention, and nominated Mcclellan and
Pendleton. The permanent chairman
Of that convention was Horatio Sey-
mour, who later became the nominee
Of his party for President. The Chica-
go convention nominated Mcclellan on
the first ballot. He received 2O21h
votes, Thomas H. Seymour of Con-
necticut receiving 2S1a votes. The
party four years later brought its con-
vention East. 1t was held in this city
July 4 to II. The permanent chair
man of that convention, Horatio Sey-
mour, was the nominee for first place,
in the twenty-second ballot, and Gen.
f. P. Blair was named for second
place. Others who received votes in
that convention for the first place
were G. H. Pendleton, Andrew John
son, Gen. Hancock, s. e. Church, Asa
Packer, Joel Parker, ]. E. English, ].
r. Doolittle and T. A. Hendricks. All
are now dead. Mr.. Seymour on the
stampede received every vote in the
convention, 81. The candidate for
vice-president was unanimously NOM
mated. In 1872 the party returned to
Baltimore, July 8, and ratified the
nominations Of Greeley and Brown,
who had been named in Cincinnati,
May 1, by the Liberal Republicans.
Mr.. Greeley died soon after the cleo
ton, and the electoral vote which he
would have received was divided
among Hendricks, B. Gratz Brown,
Jenkins Of Georgia and Judge David
Davis of Illinois. Seventeen Southern
votes, six from Arkansas, three from
Georgia and eight from Louisiana,
were not cast in the Electoral College
| Four wears later the Democracy. for