The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-31
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Tennessee, held d mass meeting al Maryviiie early in the year 1923. they little thought that their action was to revoiutionize the methods of choosine a President of the United States: that they were to be responsible for the beginning of political party organiza- tions in this country; or that they were to take the first step in the movement which succeeded in obtaining recog- hilton of the fact that any man nas a right to aspire to the office of Pres. ident. whether trained or~untrained in statecraft. These yita$ly important things which directly xesulted from the Blount County mass meeting. pc. came issues in the campaier of ls24 and caused that contest to be the first in which the American nation selected q President according to the general methods still obtaining.
 This Blount County mass meefins started all the trouble It refused to be bound by the then recognized rules that a President must be selected rom among those schooled in statecraft and experienced in administration. Every President up to that time had been man directly connected with the sep aration from England and the forma- ton of the Republic under the Con- stitution. Each President had been either vice-President of Cabinet or fcer in the administration preceding his selection, The people had practl. caliy nothing to say In the matter or choosing electors and such thing as popular interest In Presidential cam paign was unknown. Furthermore. win the execution of the four years of John Adaniss administration. the head of the Government had been virEinian and a representative of an exclusive clique which set much store by book-culture, however Demoeratle they may have been in their theories of government.
 The idea of the succession to the Presidency was firmly fixed Tn the minds of the politicians. It happeheo that four candidates appeared on the horizon They were John ouicy Ad- arns of Massacusetts, Secretary of State; william H. Crawford of Georgia, Sec- retary of the Treasury; John c. Cal. houn of South caroiina. Secretary of War. and Henry Clay of Kentucky. Speaker of the House of Representa- tives. Sd 1t appeared that the eoun- try was safe, whatever the outcome, for every one of the aspirants was 2 trained statesman of prominence In the administration.
 Then this Blount County mass meet ing appeared on the scene. It pow. vowed awhile one "first Monday" and 
 nominating for President of the United States Andrew Jackson of Tennessee. Thus originated what would pc known in twentieth century political nomen- ciature as the 'erennessee Idea" An- drew Jackson had been q great sel- dier Everybody recognized that race and everybody praised him Tor tne strategy of The Horseshoe and the mil- itarv genius of the battle of New Or leans. But he had little or no experi- ence in stateeraft. notwithstanding short service In both houses or Con- rress. The conservatives all over the country held up their hands in Tt or holy horror and cried out: This man Is not 1t to be President lie IS un- dignified He can't speak Erench. ns doesn't know the classics. He wouldn know how to act at a dinner party He iis unspeakable.'f
 7 For sa time the three members of Monroe's Cabinet and the speaker oI fine Ho,,se who were running for Pres ident declined to pay much attention to the Jackson candidacy. wnicn was regarded as a joke. At this tiihe, " mist be remembered there was oniy ana marty. The old Federal Party orr gantzation had disappeared and Mon roe had received every vote but one in the electoral college of 1920. The Dem ocratlc Party had everything US own way.
 The Tennessee idea was crystallized fin a set of resolutions passed py the State Legislatures of other states TOT anrrovai Announcing King Caucus.
 pregidentIal nominations had been dic. tated by the Congressional caucus, but the methods was already becoming un- nopular. The Tennessee Idea spread and with its spread the Tennessee ean- didate became stronger. The hero of New orleans appealed to the popular idea. even if he was unpopplsr with the
 EaTiy in 1924 King Caucus made last stand. only se of the 2e1 members oI Conarass attending the meeting wnich soleranIy declared William H. CraWlefo Secretary of the Treasury. to DO tne regular Democratic Republican nofnl- nee. although either name was used populariy. s The old conserVative or ganization made 6 firm stand Tor craw- ford. He had the support or fnonas Jefferson, the. founder of the party of President Monroe, and of all the , u,- tra-conservative forces. But Jackson strength began to be apparent' ana some of the practical politicians Of the East were not slow to recognize the fact. A Jackson convention was hela at Harrisburg. Pennsylvania, whlch adoptAd a resolution denouncing the scheme of succession to the presidency by a cabinet officer. George H. Dallas was then boss in Pennsylvania and he handed. the state over to Jacksen' Whereupen- Calhoun. whose main strength had been in Pennsylvania' withdrew from the race and was ac- cepted by everybody as candidate TOT vice. president.
 Jackson was hailed as the Peoples candiAate" on the one side, and de- nounced a san audacious and presumpt- uous ignoramus on the other. There were a4 States in the Union Tn ten of these. presidential electors were chosen by the popular vote TOT A general ticket, in the fashion now universally prevailing. In seven. the electors were chosen by the legislators and the people had no vote for presi- dent at all. These states were New York, Delaware Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, Vermont and Indiana.
 The Jackson people began a great hue and cry against the appointment ed that the people have voice in pre- sidentiaI elections. As e matter of fact up to that time. the people had never shown any vital interest in the pres identtal elections. Even in the states where electors were chosen by votes. the suffrage was so limited by prop erty and other qualifications as to make the result anything but popular. The conservatives controlled the legis- latures, however. and Indiana was the only state to yield to the popular out cry and change from legislative to popular selection of electors during that campaign.
 In the New York legislature a craw- So.a AaaaAs combination was forrned