The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-09-05
Presidential Campaigns
W--.7he Polk-clay Race of 1894
By Fredric J. Haskin.
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ington Globe represented the ruling Democratic powers. On April 27 there appeared in the National Inteliigencer an open letter from Mir. Clay saying he was opposed to the annexation of Texas without the consent of Mexico
 as 1t would mean war. In the Globe Of the same day there was published an open letter from MT. Van Buren saying that he was opposed to annex ation of Texas without the consent of Mexico. as it would mean war. This remarkable coincidence of the simulta-
 neous publication of the identical views of the two leading candidates
 for president caused tremendous sensation.
 Andrew Jackson, old but wise. saw nat 1t meant, the defeat of Van Buren
 and he immediately groomed his dark
 horse for the race. Delegates to the Democratic convention announced that
 they would break instructions for Van Buren. Others resigned rather than
 to vote for him. Mass meetings were
 called at various places in the South to rescind Van Buren instructions. When the convention met Van Buren
 had majority of the delegates on
 the first ballot. but the two-thirds
 rule. the product of his own scheming,
 was in effect
 On the ninth ballot James K Polk of Tennessee was named. as Jackson had planned two weeks before. and
 the convention declared for the 're- annexation of Texas and the reoccu-
 patton of Oregon" Texas had been claimed under the Louisiana pur-
 chase and the Oregon country as far north as "ffty four forty was claim ed by right of discovery. Texas was
 wanted to add to the influence of the slave states. oregon was claimed to give a hostage to Northern Demo- crats. The campaign was conducted
 with great skill by the Democrats. Mir. Polk succeeding in being a high tariff man in Pennsylvania and low tariff
 man in South Carolina. The telegraph
 was invented. and the first news it ever
 carried was that of the nomination
 of Polk But 1t extended only between
 Washington and Baltimore. Since 1t
 has spread all over the country 1t is
 no longer possible for a candidate thus ito be all things to all men.e Clay had been nominated by accla-
 matipn by . convention which denoune-
 ed Texans as rnurderers and adven- turers who were unworthy to be con- sidered as future Americans. But the Southern Whigs had their own ideas
 about Texas, and they began to bring pressure to bear upon MT Clay. On July he wrote from Ashland to ste- phen F. Miller of Tuscaloosa, Alaba-
 ma, letter discussing the Texas
 question in which he said: Personal ly I could have no objection to the annexation of Texas" For which
 statement he paid the price of thoue-
 ands of abolition votes and lost the presidency
 Two years before Clay had made a
 triumphai tour of the West, being
 met everywhere by great outpour-
 ing of the people who were absolutely certain that he would be chosen presi- dent to succeed the impossible Tyler
 It was at Richmond, Ind, that a Quaker named Mendenhall came for
 ward and presented MT. Clay with a
 petition, bearing many signatures, ask ing the great Whig leader to emanci- pate his slaves. He replied in a speech
 which was a marvel of evasion and sophistry. But 1t seemed. at the time, to- have the effect of once more post. poning the day when candidates for
 president must recognize the slavery issue
 It did have the efrect of strength
 ening the hearts and hands of the
 Birney abolition party. That organi-
 zation did not get many votes in the
 aggregate, but 1t polled enough in
 Western New York to turn the Elm pire State from Clay to Polk and
 thereby decide the election. Horace
 Greeley as sincere an anti slavery man as there was In the whole North, could not find words bitter enough to
 denounce Birney and the fanatic abol- itionists" who followed him. There
 were no doubt but that abolition votes had elected Polk. and thereby assured the admission of Texas, another slave State. which was to have the right to divide itself into four other new slave State. Greeley was furious,