The Detroit times., 1910-11-03

support van buren, <#&aK S,R/lII4'y
was based not up A !. WE3h
on his sympathy u-1------zAalAAs
with Clay and other Wing leaders,
but upon the fact that Van Buren, was
too much OF loose constructionist.
The Whig majority passed a Oih
chartering national bank. Tyler
vetoed H. Another bill was drawn TO
meet the objections of the president,
but he vetoed that also. The Wings
denounced him. and In the on year
election OF 1912. the Democrats won
sweeping victory and gained con-
troll OF the lower house OF congress
by majority OF two TO one.
The slavery question was becoming
more and more acute. sectional strife
was becoming more and more bitter.
But neither party was willing To cake
stand on this all-important question
The abolitionist party made its ap
pearance In 1910. but its candidates
received only few more than 700
votes. President Tyler favored the
annexation OF Texas, which would add
to the slave territory. The Texas
question became the principal issue.
As the campaign OF 1874 approached II
would be the leaders OF the two par
ties. They met at Lexington and
agreed TO keep the Texas question out
OF the presidential campaign. That
action cost Van Buren, the Democratic
nomination, for while he had major
fly OF the delegates he could not get
the necessary two-thirds. and by grace
OF Andrew Jackson, then virtually on
his death-bed. James X. Polk was
nominated by the Democrats at Balti-
more.
Clay received the whig nomination.
He weakened himself materially by
writing TO an Alabama Wing that he
had no personal objection TO the an
nexation OF Texas. Polk materially
strengthened himself by demanding
the complete occupation OF Oregon TO
! the northernmost boundary, and his
slogan OF "Fifty.four forty or fight
was as compelling In its alllterative
! lure as was the "Tinpeeanoe and Ty-
| Ter, too OF four years before. The
! Liberty Abolitionist party polled more
| than $4,000 votes. OF which $4,000 were
| cast In New York. Had these votes
gone TO Clay he would have been
elected. But even yet the sectional
Issue was not clearly drawn. Polk
! and Clay were both southerners and
! Shareholders. Polk failed TO carry his
own state Of Tennessee, the only time
I successful presidential candidate
ever failed 10 get the electoral votes
! of his own state. He did carry many
northern states, however-Illinois, In
diana. Maine. Michigan, New Hamp-
u pannGVINQnlQ
/ CLAY carried five slave states-ken-
I lucky, Tennessee, Delaware. Mary
| land and North Carolina.
/ Yet in the congressional elections
OF 1916, the people refused TO be in
: luenced by the war with Mexico and
casting all party and personal loyalty
/ aside, they elected a new congress. Of
! the 228 members chosen that year
fewer than a hundred had served In
the previous congress. The proper
/ ton of new members was greater than
at any time, not excepting even young
Republican congress elected in 1910.
! Among the new men elected in that
wear by the revolt OF the Conscience
! Wings" of Illinois, was Abraham Lin
coin. On the same day he took his
seat in the house. Jefferson Davis was
! sworn in as q senator from Mlssls-
sippi. Born In the same twelvemonth
! and within a few miles OF each other
In Kentucky, one had gone to Illinois
| In poverty and Indebtedness TO be-
come In time the great leader OF the
union cause, the preserver or the
union and the chief apostle OF Amerl-
/ can democracy. The other had qHit
the army after a brilliant career and
was now Mississippi patrician,
destined TO become the chief cham
MON OF Calhouns doctrine OF states
rights and fated TO captain the lost
cause of the south. In this congress
there was a nominal Wing majority
/ hut I'm fact. the south was In control
and marty lines did not measure Sec
tional differences. The party organ
! izations were based upon the preJu-
dices engendered In past political
ouarrels, and depended for their sue
cess upon the personality OF their can
/ didates. Neither party was brave
enough TO adopt platform or prin-
ciples dealing with the main question
actually at issue.
Congressional elections. however,
| began to take on more and more the
colorIng OF sectionalism. Even as
early as 1914 several prominent New
York Democrats, who had supported
Van Buren, for the nomination, ad-
vised the people 20 vote for Polk. but
al the same time TO elect members
OF congress opposed to annexation.
Chief among these "insurgent" Demo
Gratis was William Cullen Bryant, edi-
tor OF the New York Evening Post.
This was the first gun fired In the
battle between insurgent and regular
Democrats which was TO give the OPP
portunlty for founding the new Re
publican party.
The ON" year OF 1876 was a revo-
lutionary one In politics I'm all parts
OF the union. but in New York espe-
cially the partisan and factional war
fare was bitter. Many old members
of congress retired. others were de-
feated for nominations. others were
beaten at the polls. often by an indie
pendent candidate bearing the same
party label.
Early I'm Folks administration the
Democratic split became sufficiently
wide to make factional names neces-
sary. Those who supported the adj
ministration. who favored the annex
alton OF Texas. who heartily supported
the Mexican war measures and who
were. I'm short. northern men with
southern principles" were known as
~