The Irish standard., 1908-05-09

cratic presidents, Jefferson has a dis.
tinctive place in American history. He
stiglnatized the Federalists as mon
archists, and the Federalists called him
q mobocrat, which, as term of re.
proach. was about as bad as anarchist
would be now. This showed that party
extravaganza IN language was as vio-
lent in the early age of the govern
ment as 1t is today. We laugh at some
of the wild charges which were
brought by Federalists against Dem
ocrats and by Democrats against Fed
eralists. Americans half century
hence will laugh at some of the accu-
sations which are flung by Republicans
against Democrats today, and vice
versa. But nobody in Jefferson's time
was in the slightest doubt as to the
name Of the party to which he belong
ed. Nor was there any uncertainty
as to the partisan sect to which Madi.
son or Monroe belonged. They were
pupils of the Jeffersonian school.
There is some difficulty in placing"
the second Adams, Monroe's success
or in the presidency. When he was
elected in 1924 there was, theoretically,
only one party-Jefferson's Republican
or Democratic party-in the country.
All the candidates for the presidency
in 1924 called themselves Republicans.
Adams and Clay, who, with Jackson
and Crawford, received votes in that
quadrangular contest, belonged to the
nationalizing. strong central govern
ment wing of Jeffersons party, as
against the state sovereignty element,
headed by Jackson That was during
the so-called era of good feeling which
covered the eight years of Monroe in
the White House. There was one
acute observer, however, who could
see beyond the party label and could
tell to what schools the various party
leaders belonged. You are told, in
deed" wrote Jefferson to Gallatin,
that there are no longer parties among
us; that they are all now amalgamat-
ed; the lion and the lamb lie down to-
gether in peace. Do not believe q
word Of it. The same parties exist
now as ever did,
And Jefferson was right. Shortly af-
ter the election of the second Adams,
Jeffersons all-embracing Republican
party fell apart into two sections, the
Adams and Clay element taking the
name Of National Republicans and the
other and larger section calling them
selves Democrats. Jackson became
their leader and defeated Adams in
1928. when Adams sought second
term. Then began the new era Of
Democratic supremacy, which contin-
ued without interruption to the end Of
Buchanan's term, in 1861, except that
the Wings carried the country in 1910
and 184S for president, electing Har-
rison in the earlier year and Taylor in
the later one. Harrison's death sent
Vice President Tyler to the White
House, just as the death Of Taylor pro-
NOTED Fillmore. A feud quickly start
ed between Tyler and the Whig Con-
gress, led by Clay, and the Wings
read OUT Tyler from their party.
Tyler had begun public life as a DEM
ocrat, but he was a member Of one Of
the many elements which, repelled by
Jackson, coalesced with the National
Republicans in 1884 and formed the
Whig party. At the time when Zip
pecanoe and Tyler, too," swept the
country in 1910, Tyler was Whig. In
the fight with the Whig Congress,
Tyler gradually swung back toward
his original party, and from that time
onward to his death he was Demo-
crat. Fillmore remained a Wing until
that party was swept away in the
Kansas Nebraska cyclone of 1854, and
then he remained outside for a time,
becoming the candidate for the Amer
lean (Know-Nothing) party for presi-
dent in 1856, and carrying Maryland on
that ticket. Later on he swung from
one Of the great parties to the other
but during most Of the time he was a
Republican.
There were persons in 1866, during
the contest between President john
son and the Republican Congress-, who
called johnson traitor to the Repub-
Iican party. The charge was unde-
served. johnson was given the second
place on the Lincoln ticket in 1854, as
tribute to the Democrats who COM
posed a considerable part of the Uni
on armies, and to the Democrats who
as supporters of the Republican war
policy, strengthened the hands Of the
National Government. All his life
Johnson had been Democrat. AS a