Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-07

The presidential election Of 1896 was the
last in which any party attempted to WIN
the presidency without the aid OF ma
tional nominating convention The demo
Gratis held convention, not so much to
nominate Van Buren, for President, FOR
that was a foregone conclusion. but to
settle the dispute of the rival aspirants
for the vice presidency, then still regard
ed as the stepping stone to the White
House, The national convention, as an
institution, as yet had not particular
hold on the Imagination or the loyalty OF
the people.
The opposition to Jackson was divided
into so many mutually hostile factions
that it was esteemed dangerous to bring
them into one assembly. The national
republican party, so called, never had
been able to form any particularly enec-
tive organization. So the anti-Jackson
leaders, chief among them Clay, webster
and Calhoun (whose feud with jackson
had become mortal in Intensity. waged
guerrilla warfare on Van Buren,, whom
Jackson had selected his successor.
They decided to run William Henry Har-
rison in the west and middle states. and
he was nominated by state convention
held at Harrisburg, Pa. Later, he was
Endorsed by the democratic anti-Masonic
convention A WING convention, in Mary
land. also nominated Harrison. Webster
was put out in Massachusetts as being
the most certain of capturing the electoral
votes CT that state. In South Carolina
the electors still were chosen by the leg
islature. and Calhoun controlled that
+
The anti-Jackson revolt had risen high
Nd
the Ten
Anti Jackson Revolt lessee
Rose High in Own State. ture. as
we'll as that Of Alabama nominated Hugh
Lawson White, a Tennessee senator VINO
had become the implacable enemy OF the
President. 1t is interesting to note that
just before the Tennessee legislature mace
this nomination copies of Washington
newspaper containing violent attack on
Senator White. in packages bearing the
Presidents frank and addressed in the
Presidents own handwriting. were laid
on the desk of each member of the leg
islature.
1t was the intention of the anti-Jackson
leaders. if they could elect majority OF
the electors for their various candidates,
have all the electors cast their votes Ior
Clay or some other leader. 1t was the
first and only and an entirely unsuccess,
full attempt to have PRESIDENT eiecteo
by the electors, as was contemplated py
the Constitution. What chance the schehe
would have had was DESTROYED by the
fact that in the election Van Buren mad
clear majority over the -FOUR Whigs-Har-
rison. White. Webster and Mangum.
The democratic national convention was
held in Baltimore as early as May a.
1885, a year and a half before the cleo
tons This was done, 1t was clear, SO
that there might be enough of Jackson
term of office remaining to make his
control of patronage still effective. The
convention was formally known as "a
convention of delegates appointed by the
neutrality-suspicious. in the several
states of the Union By this time the
party had become known almost univer-
sally as democratic.
The convention met n the Fourth Pres
byterfan Church, and Andrew stevenson
n Virginia. Speaker of the House of Rep
resentatives. as temporary chairman, de-
Iiyered the first keynote" speech. The
usual three committees on credentials,
organization and resolutions were ap-
pointed, although not by those names. All
Of the states were represented except
South Carolina and Tennessee. The re-
volt in Jackson's own state had made
such headway that while the convention
Of 1882 had been practically dominated by
Tennesseans. that of 1855 had not even
one Tennessee delegate. South Carolina,
lon account of the notification proclama-
ton. would not send a delegate. How