Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-07-06

- six years ago.. OF
the candidates for the presidential
nomination at Denver may lie men,
fioned William ]. Bryan of Nebraska,
John A. johnson Of Minnesota, David
Il. Francis Of Missouri. George Gray
Of Delaware and Lewis s. Chanler Of
New York. The convention will be
sailed to order by Thomas Taggart,
chairman Of the Democratic national
rommlttee.
= The first Demosgat;c. national con-
.vention opened in Baltimore May q.
1882. lts CHIEF duty was the nomina-
tion Of a vice presidential candidate.
President Andrew Jackson. then near
the close Of his first term. was SO uni
versally popular with his party that
no other name was considered for the
presidency. A resolution indorsing
Jackson in about hundred words was
the only platform adopted. Martin
Van Buren of New York Jackson's
own selection. was named for the vice
presidency.
Prior to 1882 presidential candidates
were nominated by mass meetings,
caucuses, legislative resolutions and In
other ways not national in character.
In the Baltimore convention all the
states except Missouri were represent
ed by delegates. Since 1882 the, Dem
ocrats have held quadrennial conven-
tions. and eight Of them, including the
first, have met at Baltimore.
At President Jackson's instance the
convention which named candidates
for the election of 1886 met May 20,
1885, nearly eighteen months prior to
election day, thus giving Martin Van
Buren, and, Richard NJ. johnson, the
nominees, the longest campaign in the
history of-Ameriea. This convention
adopted no platform. Andrew Jack.
son was the Democratic platform. The
whole power of Jackson's administra-
tion was eXerted toward the election
Of Van Buren, in order to overthrow
John c. Calhoun, with whom "Old
Hickory" had quarreled. -,. ,..-s
President Van Buren, was renominat-
ed in 1S40 the convention meeting
May 5, as the unanimous choice of the
party. The convention refused to re-
l.
ing. in fact, no nomination for that
office. Nevertheless Van Buren, was
badly defeated in the election by Will
liam Henry Harrison, while johnson
was elected vice president by the Unit
ed States senate. The convention OF
1910 adopted Il platform, the first ever
adopted by any national convention.
1t declared that the federal govern
ment is one of limited powers, which
should be strictly construed by all the
departments
The convention of 1,s44 met May II
and nominated james X. Polk Of Ten
nessee for president and Stas Wright
of New York for vice president, but
4 Wright refused to accept the nomina
ton. George NJ. Dallas Of Pennsylva-
MIA was placed on the ticket in his
stead. Wright's refusal was because
Of pique at the defeat of Van Buren,,
who tried to break down the two
I thirds rule and secure denomination
for himself Polk was the first dark
| horse nominee In our history. He had
not been mentioned for the presidential
1 nomination prior to the convention.
Lewis Cass of Michigan was nomi-
mated for president at the 1S4S conven-
ton, with William 0. Butler of Ken
lucky as the vice presidential candi-
date The convention met May 2.
The convention Of 1852, which open
ed June 1, was battle royal, and in
1.-THE end another dark horse, Franklin
IPierce Of New Hampshire, was named
Ifor president. The fight was between
ICass, nominated and defeated four