The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-07-07

Dental nomination prior to the con-
vention.
Lewis Cass of Michigan was nomi-
mated for president at the 1S4S con-
vention. with William o. Butler of
Kentucky as the vice presidential can
didate. The convention met May 2.
The convention of 1852, which
opened June 1, was battle royal, and
in the end another dark horse, Frank
lin Pierce of New Hampshire, was
named for president. The fight was
between CasS, nominated and defeat
ed four years before, and James Blu
chanan of Pennsylvania. Finally
Pierce was voted for on the thirty
fifth ballot by the Virginia delegation.
which persisted in voting for the New
Englander until on the forty-ninth
ballot nearly all the other delegates
swung over and nominated him. Will
liam r. King of Alabama was named
on the second ballot for vice president.
Baltimore Loses to Cincinnati.
In 1856 the Democracy finally broke
away from Baltimore and met in Gin
cinnati on June 2. During all of Presi-
dent Pierce's administration James
Buchanan had been absent from the
country as minister to England and
thus had escaped the fierce conflict on
the slavery problem and the incidental
anarchy in Kansas. Buchanan, Doug
las and Cass were candidates before
Tic CO1NeIlllOn 1lerCe SOUGHT a re-
nomination and received a substantial
vote, but his attitude in having favor
ed the repeal of the Missouri compro-
mise rendered him a weaker candidate
than Buchanan, whose absence had
been his political salvation Buchanan
received the nomination, with John c.
Breckenridge of Kentucky as the vice
presidential candidate. The platform
adopted at this convention approved
the course of the Pierce administration
in repeating the Missouri compromise
and thus giving slavery a chance to
intrench itself in the new territories
north of the southern line of Missouri.
South Carolina i'm 1860.
The convention of 1860 met at
Charleston. S. c., April %. This was
the fiercest Democratic convention ever
held, slavery extension being the bone
of contention. Stephen A. Douglas was
by far the strongest presidential prob
ability. The convention voted fifty
seven ballots without casting the nee
essary two-thirds vote for one man.
Finally the convention adjourned to
meet in Baltimore June IS. Before
adjournment several southern states
withdrew, being opposed to the Doug
| las platform. The seeding delegates
held a convention in Charleston, adopt
ed a platform for which they had con-
| tended in the regular convention, then
adjourned to meet in Richmond the
| first Monday in June. On this date
! the seeding delegates met and again
adjourned to the 21st of June. Mean
while on the 18th the regulars" met
\ in Baltimore and nominated Douglas
| for president and Benjamin FitZpat-
rick of Alabama for vice president.
Fitzpatrick declined, and the national
committee named Herschel V. Johnson
| in his place. Some of the regulars"
bolted the Baltimore convention and
nominated for president John c.
| Breckenridge of Kentucky and for vice
| president Joseph Lane of oregon. The
"seceders' sitting in Richmond accept
ed this ticket.
The Mcclellan Convention.
At Chicago in 1864 the Democratic
| convention, which met August 29. was
national only as it related to the north
ern states. The eleven southern states
then in the confederacy, of course.
| were not represented. General George
b. Mcclellan was named for the pres
| idency on the first ballot and George
| H. Pendleton of Ohio for the vice
presidency on the second ballot. The
platform pronounced the war a failure.
| The only time the city of New York
ever entertained the national conven-
| ton was in 1863 when the body met
there on the Fourth of July and NOM
mated for president Horatio Seymour,
! governor of New York, and for vice
president Frank P. Blair of Missouri.
Back TO Baltimore.
In 1872 the Democracy as then con-
stituted returned to the first love of
| the party, Baltimore, meeting in con-
vention July 8, and nominated for the
| first and second offices in the land
two Republicans, Horace Greeley of
New York and G.. Grant, Brown of
| Missouri. This anomalous situation
was brought about by prior conven-
ton of Liberal Republicans" at Gin
cinnati. led by Carl Schurz, which
nominated Greeley and Brown. The
only hope of defeating President
| Grant for reelection was in a COM
bination of the Democrats and the
Liberal Republicans, who had de-
clared violently against the Grant ad-
| ministration. The Baltimore conven-