The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-28
HOW PRESIDENTS
 ARE SELECTED Some Historic Misconceptions
 Accounted PIERCE, THE DARK HORSE Democrats May as Well Prepare to Meet the Very Finest Material the Republicans Have
 to Offer.
PIERCE, THE DARK HORSE

From the Louisville Courier-Journal.
 There are some historic misconceptions touching the nomination and the election of several of our presidents.
 Pierce, for example, was not so sponta- neous a choice, such a very dark horse" as he seemed to be- and as subsequent writers have thought him to have been, in the national democratic convention of 1852, which was held at Baltimore. He had been in grooming all the previous winter and spring by group of political trainers made up of his former colleagues and cronies in the two houses of congress. Polk was unthought of for president when the Baltimore convention of 1S44 assem- bled. He was a weak aspirant for the vice presidential nomination on the templated Van Buren ticket. When the Van Buren men found their candidate cir cumvented by the two-thirds rule they re- Venged themselves on the men who had boxed the compass on them using Jack son himself, Van Burens friend, to that end, by taking a nominee right out of the Jackson menage. Jacksons own home representative and protege, Polk, greatly to the countrys and Folks surprise.
 Crittenden made Taylor the whig nomi- nee in 1S4S-partly, 1t may have been, to have an end of Clay for whom Critten- den entertained no consuming love, but also and mainly because Clay was thought by a great many of the very best whigs to be q whig hoodoo and there appeared a much surer thing in old Rough and Ready Taylor's military fame and popu- larity; albeit, Taylor was at the same time closer to Crittenden than any other ,1a inc at fbHaf ta haVr ever, except for the defection of Van Bu- ren, who ran as a free soil candidate and lost New York to the democrats Class, and not Taylor would hav. been elected president.
 President Garfield.
 There does not seem much room to doubt that in nominating sherman in the national republican convention of 1880, Garfield spoke two words for himself to ore for his principal. Hayes nomination in 1876 looked like a case of spontaneous combustion but quite two months before it had been so fully anticipated in these columns that the day after the event in Cincinnati the CourierJournal reprinted its forecast it's comment
 The rise of Arthur Cleveland and Roosevelt reads like story out of the Arabian Nights. Indeed If some ready writer had leave to tell it all, great Nolume-replete as a fairy tale with the sudden and unexpeeted-might be made under the title of The Romance of the White House.
 Once again the old. familiar kinome- tograph is about to be rigged up in our political House of Mirth as we approach the time appointed for the naming of candidates and the election of q Presi- dent. The managers of the show are all agog But the figures. which move and counte move. are mostly in shadow Is of confusion. Both parties are groping in the dark.
 MT. Bryan Is accepted by certain or ganization democrats, with the too l frequent appendix, i've can't elect him." l whilst it may be surmised that the | President will hang on to Judge Taft | Hike grim death to dying nigger." till Fairbanks or Hughes Is actually | nominated
 Significant Phase.
 A significant phase of the situation | is the pertinacits with which those ! democratic politicians, who. like Mrs. | Wilkins Micawber, iterate and reiterate that they w..I never desert MT. Bryan. 1 cling to the idea that Mr. Roosevelt hip,ee': is to be the republican nomi- nee. That those republican politicians who have schemes to work and axes to grind sh ould bawl themselves hoarse shouting "one term more for Theo- dore," is as simple pick up sticks but why should the peculiar friends of MT Bryan take them at heir word and echo their insincere and thrifty music? Can 1t be. that they think Bry- antics corolary of Rooseveltism and vice versa? Or, may 1t happen that, hot headed and fanciful 1t Is both their destiny and their judgment to miscal- cuate and go astray? It is our opinion that the President was honest in his voluntary renuncia- ton three years ago, and is honest now but it is also our opinion that If he were not honest, but were playing the vile game assigned him by his enemies, he could not in any event obtain the nomination.
 The republican party Is a militant and triumphant organization. It's dis cipine is perfect and intact. It's lead CTS are experienced and sagacious pub lie men. With an ample field, and q | good field. to choose from. the nomlna tion of Mir. Roosevelt would be d wan | ton act of causeless suicide. The merest political tyro ought to see that
 President No Fool
 The President is no fool He knows l that to go back not only upon his word, but upon his friend, and take the nominal tion himself. would fully confirm the worst charges of the most inveterate of his traducers; that 1t would put the brand | of sef-seeking and falsehood upon all ! his antecedents and pretensions. that 1t l would present him to his countrymen as a detesta ble and selfish conspirator, aim | ing after power and power alone; that. | fin one word and at one fell swoop, the |
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