The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-03
BALTIMORE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONVENTIONS
 DEMOCRACY AND MEASURES
n, JOHN wrrHEnspoeN. puBosE,

an acting Secretary of War. George Graham, of certain acts of interference with the Generals authority by the de- partment Calhoun about that time.
 came to the war portfolio and among other evidences of his vigor of adminis-
 tration he promptly took the side of the offended commander, issuing orders cor recting the abuse complained of. This in
 cident was the fouhdatfon of the his torics personal friendship and political al ilance between Andrew Jackson and John c. Calhoun.
 While Secretary Van Buren digested
 the Crawford side of the Monroe cabinet incident. another disturbing factor entered the brewing trouble between the Presi- dent and the vice president. That was
 the familiar story involving Peggy ONeil," now wife of Secretary of War Eaton. not necessary here to relate.
 Early in March, 1881, Mir. Calhoun pub Iished in pamphlet form the unfriendly correspondence between the President and himself, ostensbly founded on the Monroe cabinet incident He resigned, Senator Hayne resigned. Calhoun took his seat and at once began relentless war on
 Jackson from that point of vantage. Sec
 retary of State Van Buren resigned be-
 cause all men believed he had gone to
 Georgia to- foment the rupture and so
 fea ther his own nest. Secretary of War Eaton resigned and subsequently, became
 the implicable foe of General Jackson.
 Tnghan. from Pennsylvania, Secretary of the Treasury:, Branch, from North Car olina Secretary of the Navy. and Der. rien from Georgia. attorney general. all friends of the vice president, resigned. Nothing of the government was left but the head.
 JACKSON AND VAN BUREN-1ss2
 The time had come to bring the pebl- to, h.a ha laa d. CTS had broken out against each other. So the first in order of national demo- cratic conventions. was called hV unor- ganized authority. to meet at Baltimore. 1882 The quarrel was ."e exciting cause. No convention was necessary to put Jack son forward, for d first term with Cal houn as vice president. Because of the quarrel it became convenient to make formal choice of another man in Cal nouns place. Jackson had picked the substitute already. It was eXpedient, however to obtain not only a psuedo en- dorsement of Van Buren, bH an implied renouncement of Calhoun. The conven- ton method met both conditions
 So distinguished a publicist as Nr. Will liam Jennings Bryan, writing essay on democratic party history CThe Ameri- cara) makes this allegaton
 His (Jackson's course toward the null liication of South Carolina) action in this natter. resulted in the alienation of John C. Calhoun, who up to that fsicl time had been stauneh political friend
 The error is palpable and displaces grave and pivotal facts The alienation as just explained. preceded the nulllhca- tion of South Carolina by nearly two years Ins that lies the instructive incl dents of JacSson's war on South Caro- lima. Continued friendly relations be tween Jackson and Calhoun must have ! .t,a .4f Ia. sons administration AS it started. Jack son was disciple of Jefferson. The bond of political sympathy between the Pres ident and Vice President brought them into office together by the election of 1928 They were political allies, on prin- ciple and the principle held in common by them was the Jeffersonian doctrine. II Is no stretch of imagination to pre- sume that the Baltimore national demo- cratic convention of 1892 would not have assembled: that Calhoun. instead of Van
 Buren, would have succeeded Jackson that South Carolina nullihcation would | have been unheard of. that organization
 of the democratic party would have been | indefinitely deferred, had Mir. Van Buren
 not gone to Georgia and had Mrs Eaton | not contemporaneously called on Mrs. 1 Calhoun-in a word had the great quar- | rel not have occurred.
 All the states except Missouri were
 represented after a fashion in the first national democratic convention. Some
 delegates were appointed bv perfunctory authority. others appointed themselves. l The nomination of Jackson and Jackson's
 nominee, Van Buren, followed IS by law
 of gravity. The whigs nominated Henry Clay.
 The total vote cast at the polls was | 1,217151 Jackson defeated Clay only 157 31S or by a majority in round numbers | s.-t,, ,f rI,r1n a~nt nnct
 Nevertheless in the electoral colleges he received more than four to one-2l9 to 49. The second administration of General | Jackson was distinguished by the most
 violent political disturbance. storm and tempest was Jackson's birth right. A
 posthumous child his mothers accouch- ment took place in her flight. not from | her home. for she was homeless, but in search of shelter and bread. The child, at the age of 13. was found a captive rebel soldier in jail. There he re ceived sword cut on the head from a
 British officer. the scar from which he bore all his life. Seeking a fight in every crowd he entered the crowd at the cock main, at the race course. at the court house. he fought his way onward and upward He gained the chief seat on tho highest places and won the greatest bat ties.
 Clay,t Calhoun and Webster united and dropped their differences to beat the Pres ident The Senate passed a resolution Of condemnation of him. He replied by pro- test On motion of MT. PoindeXfer Of Mississippi the protest was denied rec ogntion by the Senat<. A second time | the cabinet was broken.
 | VAN BUREN AND JOHNSON-1S36. I The second national democratic conven- | tion met at Baltimore in 1886. Van Buren | Instead of Calhoun having become Gem
 eral Jackson's choice. upon him fell the | nomination as matter of course. Here
 the "two-thrds rule" was invented. The
 convention had not the nerve 10 risk a
 selection for Vice President under ex-
 isting conditions. None was named by 1t | for second place The whigs nominated | Gen. William Henry Harrison.
 The people at the polls gave Van Buren
 only the meagre ma aority of 37.027 but | tho system, operating through the incon-
 gruous electoral colleges, gave him TO | electoral votes to 73 for Harrison, thus | deceiving the world.
 l THE DEMOCRATS DEFEATED-1s40
 For the third consecutive uuadrennial l campaign the democraticf national con- vention, assembled at Baltimore. Here
 the first ''platfornI was set forth. The
 rights of the states. tariff for revenue l only. and uon Interference with slavery
 were the main features Van Bnren- was renomi1ated This event. too, reflected l the survivlng influence from the Her l mitage The whigs. animated by the fine | race General Harrison had made in the | previous election. re-nominated him, in angry competition with Mir. Clay for the honor Harrison was a descendant of the | --------- ------------------ -------------------------