The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-03

early James River Nirginian settlers Of
 that illustrious name. He was born on
 the James river plantations but was an
 early avowed advocate of the emaneipa-
 ton of slaves. This fact of opinion so
 worked on the northern delegates that with himt they defeated Clay, d slave master, for the nomination. The cam paign was of the most stirring character everywhere The Jackson Van Buren financial acts had bankrupted the eoun- try Prosperity halted and there was gen heral distress. In the south, planters and
 their families who had gone to church
 in their coaches. now walked: horses that
 once sold for s200, brought s75; negroes
 offered at auction hardly found bidder.
 Harrison was elected by 145,9l4 popular
 majority and by 234 electoral votes to SO
 for the President.
 The whig Congress that now came in
 upset the Clay compromise of 1893 and re- stored the high protective tariff The democrats claimed this was bad faith. POLK AND DAII4AS-1Sii ] In fourth succession the national dem l ocratic party convention met al Balti- l more.
 ] The machinery was now established
 and the politicians resumed control, the
 same as in the earlier days or congress ] sional caucus Calhoun and Van Buren
 
 ticipated to come before the convention.
 In the wintr of 1s43-4i all sorts of public
 meetings discussed the claims of these
 two. The rivalry of the two stirred the
 embers of the Jaeksonian era as none
 others could.
 | The public questions were the repeal | of the whg protective tariff of 1S42 and ! the annexation of Texas The candidates were at unity among themselves on the | riff o1pGtion. Calhoun favored thp a
 nexaton of Texas, Van Buren opposing | Here entered the wedge that rived the ] party and finally resolved itself into Ap- pomattox. Mir Calhoun was a member
 of the cabinet of MT. Monroe and heartily approved the treaty with Spain, by which ! the whole of Texas was dsmembered 1 from the Louisiana Purchase, where it | belonged, and surrendered 10 Spain in ex- change. with other treaty considerations. l for Florida The surrender wSs made to | secure the consent of the north. in the Senate, to that increase of the territory l of the south, which the acquisition Of Florida and the gulf coast adjacent would
 bring. Mexico thus got Texas. Mexico won independence from Spain Later | Texas. given to Mexico, won independ- | ence and applied for annexation to the United States. If the United States. hay l ing gained Florida by traffic, as here stated, should now annex Texas. keeping the two In possession, then the south would in roundabout way have the very advantage oyer the north which she had bargained away
 Before the convention of 1S44 met Mir.
 Calhoun, then Secretary of State for the
 Tyler administration. refused to allow his name to go before 1t. on the ground of intrigue and Responsibility, attach | ing to the makeup of the membership. l His written argument is to be found among his Works and is worthy of | study. MT Van Buren lost his claims
 on the south by open rejection of the Texas annexation proposition. With | both candidates gone the convention was
 at sea. News came that General Jack son favored James K. Polk, sometime chairman of the committee on ways and 1 means and once speaker
 | Polk got the nomination, while the
 whigs nominated MT. Clay. The whig
 slogan was. "Who fig James K. Pok?" | Polk carried Maine, New Hampshire 1 and al lthe western states. except Ohio.
 His popular majority was only 3s1Sl. but he received ITO electoral votes to 1o5 for | Clay
 | Texas was annexed under the Polk ad- | Yninistration and the Walker revenue
 tariff was enacted both measures great
 ly 10 the welfare of the south The an- | nexation Of Texas. however, had this manifest supporting argument. fbnSldHu and France had made an alliance be- tween themselves to seize and occupy l that country as A base of operations | gainst slavery in the south. The Mon roe doctrine was an accepted American policy The European alliance could not | be defeated in any .ther way. certainly | in no way so promising of success than
 bv the act of annexation.
 l THE DEMOCRATS DEFEATED-1S4s. The whole country was agitated to the depths on the question of exclusion of slavery from the immense territory cap tured by the war with Mexico and the
 manufacturers were bitter in their denun- citation of the Walker tariff.
 The fifth national democratic conven- tion met at Baltimore and party procla-
 nation on those eubiects became impera- | tive William l.. Yancey of Alabama ap- | peared in the convention as the leader
 of the affirmative. Martin Van Burer was the democrat who lead the opposi- | tion. Yancey. young man of the first
 quality of intellect. was one of the great orators of the ages. These laid the foun. dation for the division of the people 1 There two men opened the way to the great revolution.
 ! Cass on non-committal platform. bu | the candidate was an avowed advocate o i the southern repudiated doctrine oi ''squatter sovereignty" yancey refused | to support the nominee Mir. Van Burer not only bolted the action of the party he ran for President independently on hi'