The Detroit times., 1910-11-02
CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS
VIII-GRoWTH OF SECTIONAL DIVISION
By FREDERIC ! HASKIM

al union must and shall be preserved"
Again Clay came to his aid, and by
dint or exercise OF his most per-
suasive faculties he framed another
compromise tariff bill which enabled
Jackson TO maintain his bold front
against the nullifers and at the same
time To back down from extreme pro-
tectionism and therefore In measure
TO placate southern sentiment When
Jackson was about TO retire and had
cast his mantle upon the shoulders OF
Van Buren,, the opposition could not
agree upon a candidate They held
no national convention Van Buren,
received 10 electoral votes against
73 for William Henry Harrison, who
received the greater part OF the Wing
support, 26 for Hugh Lawson White.
an inSurgent Democratic senator from
Tennessee, and IL for Willie p. Mag
mum. being the vote of the South Car
olina legislature. All this time the
opposition To Jackson held 10 the Of
fetal name OF National Republican"
while the Jackson men called them
selves Democratic Republicans"
Four years later, in 1S40 the Demo-
Gratis generally adopted the popular
name which they still bear, and the
National Republicans made Wing
their official as we'll as their popular
title.
All OF this time the leaders OF both
parties were careful not to say any
thing whatever about the real prob
lem which was pressing for solution
slavery. II was not a federal Ques-
ton. Neither party would take q
stand upon IL. Calhoun and his South
Carolinians were always fighting the
tariff, but the Wings could depend up
on them to oppose Jackson. Jackson
and Clay, the chief leaders OF each
party, were Shareholders from the
south. The only hope OF overthrow
ing Jackson lay in combination OF
New England, South Carolina, and
the southern Wing states. for New
York, Pennsylvania and the West
were for Jackson. There was no pos
sible way to bring up the slavery
question without destroying both POI
litical parties. and thus for forty
years all politicians OF whatever par
~ were willing to fight together to
keep slavery out OF politics.
II was kept out OF national cam
paigns, but II was kept always before
! congress by John Quincy Adams in
the house, and 1t was always before
the people in local elections. Mem
bers OF congress were chosen first be-
cause OF their stand on the issue OF
slavery, secondly because they were
/ Wings or Democrats. When they ar
rived at Washington they divided
without regard 10 party appellation In
support or opposition OF John Quincy
Adams perpetual efforts TO submit
anti-slavery petitions But for the
general public, and in all admittedly
political questions they were yet
| Democrats and Wings.
The long series OF Democratic
| triumphs was about to be broken. The
panic OF 1887 did the work, and in
! 1888 the Wings made great gains, and
when the house met TO organize there
were l19 Democrats and 1IS Wings,
exclusive OF the five members from
New Jersey, whose seats we're con-
tested. The governor had issued GER
tifciates to the Wings. The clerk OF
the house was a Democrat. He refus-
ed to call the names OF the New Jer-
sey members. For four DAYS the
house was in turmoil. until finally the
> venerable ex-presldent Adams assum-
ed the chair amid general acclaim and
the house decided to elect a speaker
before deciding the New Jersey con.
test. This gave the Democrats a ma.
jority OF one, but some Calhoun sup.
porters became insurgents and united
with the Wings to elect r. NJ. T.
Hunter, OF Virginia. He is distinguish.
ed In history as being the only speak.
er OF the house OF representatives
who declined to take any part in par
tisan warfare.
( Two years later Van Buren, was
again the Democratic nominee, while
the Wings set aside their idol Clay
because he was a Mason and they
wished TO pander to the anti Masonic
sentiment. They nominated Harrison
because he was a war hero. Then
/ they selected John Tyler for vice
president as he was southern states
rights man OF Calhoun type. The
Wings that time threw away their
one great chance by trucking TO ex-
pediency. The campaign was one Of
the most exciting the country ever
saw, and It proved TO be a Wing land.
slide. "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too"
carried Maine with Governor Kent in
September, and received 234 electoral
votes to go for Van Buren,. South
Carolina returned to Democratic al.
legiance--the slavery question was
/ beginning to press hard-and Van
Buren, carried only six other states
Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois. Missouri.
New Hampshire. and Virginia. South.
North, East and West had been car
ried into the Whig camp.
Tomorrow-6reaklna Up the Parties.