The Washington herald., 1907-04-22

Il am glad 70 hear this talk about
selecting Baltimore as the convention
city OF the Democratic party in 1905, I"
said an old Washington Democrat
There are thousands or devoted and
ever-hopeful Washington Democrats who,
Of course, feel the same way.
When I speak of Baltimore as the
convention city, I mean it with special
stress on the the There may be many
who have not noted the fact, but accord
ing to the records she is at least the
national political convention city of the
United States. And. furthermore. the
most momentous conventions in American
history-the most far-reaching in their
resuIts-were held there. 4 have re-
freshed my memory and looked up some
facts which may have some interest in
reference to this statement
Move 10 Baltimore.
In 1860 the Democrats met in conven-
ton At Charleston. S. c., on the I'D Of
April. After a session of ten days during
which ffty-seven futile ballots were
TAKEN the convention adjourned TO meet
in Baltimore on June Is, 1850 The ad-
journed convention nominated Stephen A.
Douglas and HersChel V. Johnson for
President and Vice President respective
ly, but not before a split had occurred
which resulted in a second convention and
the nomination Of John c. Breckenridge
and Joseph Lane on an independent
Democratic ticket OF course, you re-
member that but for this split a Demo
crat would probably have been elected in
the place of President Lincoln. and the
irrepressible conflict delayed indefinitely
Lineoln's popular vote being 1850, l57, and
THAI Of Douglas and Breckenridge COM
bined amounting 10 2Z22.6IL
Lincoln Nominated There Once.
1t should not be forgotten, either, that
Bell and Everett, nominated by the Con-
stitutional Union convention. likewise
held in Baltimore. polled a vote OF 5S7, $50
As an addition TO this war record as
convention city. II may be added that
Lincoln and Johnson were nominated in
Baltimore in 1864
But started to show that Baltimore
Is the national political convention city
by actual comparative count Including
the Independent Democratic convention.
which nominated Breckinridge and Lane,
and that which named Bell and Everett,
and excluding all others except regular
conventions of the two great parties
there have been fifteen conventions held
in Baltimore since 1892, the year In which
the holding OF national nominating con-
ventiOns started.
Thirty conventions have been held in
other cities. counting the Liberal iepub-
liean and Straight Democratic In 1872; the
Peoples. the Silver Republican. and the
National Democratic in 1895, and the Peo-
Flla in aHafT4auuH 40 4-~ q
Of the Democrats, Wings, and Republi-
cans.
Chicago Is Second.
Chicago is BaltimOre's closest competi-
tor, with total of 10. St. Louis comes
next with 6. Cincinnati. 4; Philadelphia
8. and Harrisburg. New York. Louisville
Minneapolis, indianapolis, Kansas City,
and Sioux Falls, each.
But this high eminence is even ex-
cened by Baltimore, from a Democratic
point of view. She might well be called
the mascot municipality of the Demo-
Gratis OF her fifteen national political
conventions nine have been Democratic
Twelve Democratic conventions have been
held In other cities, as follows: Chicago.
4; st. Louis. 8; Cincinnati. 2. and New
York. Kansas City, and Louisville
StTalght-out, in 1SI2-1 each.
Is the Lucky City.
More than this. four out of the six
Presidents elected by the Democratic
party dating from 1882, were nominated
at Baltimore. These four were Jackson
for his second term-Van Buren,, Polk.
and Pierce. Buchanan was nominated at
Cincinnati, and Cleveland was nominated
twice at Chicago-and elected. In other
words land, If there is any virtue I'm
sentimental political lunches, the cir
cumstance should be given due consider
atom. there have been eight Democratic
national nomina ting conventions held in
Baltimore, excluding the Breckenridge
split with four nominees elected, and, in
Guiding Cieveiand's two elections, but
three nominees elected cut of twelve con-