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


 ment administered it's affairs, grew old and passed away in its service before a party convention, like ours, was known, oi party machinery like ours had brought forward a nominee for the presidency. 'The Star Spangled Banner" and Hail | Columbia" were written, great battles | had been fought and won on seas and I land, Congress had debated and enacted a protective tariff and national bank, the high court had heard argument and pronounced decree affirming the consti- tutional right of slavery, state nuliliica- tion and state secession-''amicably if they ean,. violently if they must''4was the slogan of mighty men, north and south alike. And yet national party or esnziation by committee, by convention, platform or campaign fund slept. .un- | syllabled and unsung." Verify the scheme of government must have been unsus- | picious of the dormant tricks of free suf- | frage. that opened the favors of the voters to John Adams for first place and | Thomas Jefferson for second on the same presidential ticket.
 | Now the sons of the fathers come to their heritage. The campaign of 1924 opened and the approaches to the pres idency were found contested with mad denng zeal by five of the most eminent men of their time, potential in native powers, with the vantage of high place. | The candidates of 1924 were John c. Calhoun of South Carolina, Secretary of War, nominated by public meeting in Pennsylvania; John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts. Secretary of State, nom mated by irresponsible local influence in New England; William H. Crawford of 1 Georgia, Secretary of the Treasury, nom- mated by the generally tabooed con- gressional caucus, Henry Clay, speaker nomina ted by local movement. The most linvererate office holder of the five was Gen. Andrew Jackson, with local nom ination. Jackson had been chief justice | of Tennessee. governor of the territory of Florida. representative and also sen. l ator in Congress. He had been major general of Tennessee and major general in the regular army of the United States, commanding the. Division fthe south ' As the campaign now opened he had just | taken his seat anew in the federal Sem ate. Out from the personal ambitions ! of these great men party machinery in Ithe United States as we have it now was evolved. Mir Jefferson declared political | parties in this country form naturally. Merchants and carriers of trade, specu-
 ators in stocks, office holders and office l quid fibers have more analogy with a 1 passive than active state of things" form 1 themselves into one party. The five can 1 didates were all men of strong nerves. that Is, they were all democrats in "the era of good feeling" Jackson and Cal- | hourn were undoubtedly paired by public ! opinion for public favors. They were na- tiyes of the same state, in the "up coun- | try part. One was as brave as the | other. both were possessed of intellects | differentiated in scope more by the in- | fluence of education. possessed by one to i the American limit but denied to the | other.
 At public meeting in the interior of Pennsvlvania MT. Dallas stood up and formally withdrew Calhoun from the campaign. This was upon the predicate that Jackson would be elected and Cal houn must be taken care of
 Calhoun now came forth the only candi- date for vice president.
 Jackson received the highest vote. both electoral and popular but Adams got the office.
 JACKSON AND CALHOUN-1S2S i Political managers controlled the situa- ton. No sooner had the result of the bitter conflict of ambitions In 1924 been announced than the campaign for 1928 opened with Jackson and Calhoun as the peoples ticket. The improvised ticket v Jackson received IFS electoral votes to & for President Adams.
 The great electoral majority, however, did not give conclusive utterance 10 cor respondingIy superior hold of Jackson | over Adams on the ballot box. While i Jackson received more than double the | electoral votes of Adams. his majority at the polls was only 1892 222 in total of 1 1.155.350. The sectional distribution of strength in the candidates one southern, the other northern. indicated. is import ant Jackson received the solid electora vote of Pennsylvania and IS of the 3e electoral votes of New York. The south ern and western electoral vote was solid for him. and one from Maine. New Eng land, Delaware and Maryland cast their electoral votes for Adams
 President Jackson and Vice President Calhoun. the two most potential charac- ters in the politics of the country. one the manifestly accredited successor of the other in the first place, entered their re- | speetive offices with demonstrations of the personal friendship that had long been maintained between them. The President l exhibited to the vice president memo i randa of his prescribed course of admin | istration and received the cordial ap- proval of his friend. The President sent for the vice president rom time to time. explained the deliberations of the cabinet
 
 | Anxious politicians looked on and wait ed The President made tour In the west. accompanied by politicians. On a Mississippi river steamer some oue sug- gested that William II. Crawford could unfold a tale that would burst asunder the bonds of friendship between the two great men. so securely riding upon the popular favor
 At convenient time the Secretary of State, MT Martin Van Buren of New | York. took the long and tedious and not | quite safe journey to the interior Of Georgia and returned with disturbing news that when General Jackson. in the early months of ISIS. pursued the Semi holes in Florida. passed on into Spanish territory. hung Ambrister and Arbuthno' and captured Pensacola. an excited cab met meeting considered his conduct. MT Ora wford, Secretary of the Treasury. now bitter foe of the then Secretary of War was Mir Van Buren's authority Genera Jackson, these dozen or more eyentfu years had Iabored under the impression derived from Mir. Calhoun himself. that
 the Secretary of War had supported his conduct in Florida. Crawford recited de
 tails It had been he, the Secretary oi the Treasury. that had been Jackson' I apologists and friend on the occasion ir the cabinet while Calhoun Secretary o
 War, had demanded the punishment oi the offending military commanderA
 Al this point we come to great feature in American history "a quarrel betweer 1.-two men shall quote a confidentia letter from MT Calhoun that have reat in his own hand. now 10 be found in tho Alabama Department of Archives ant | u-ac a1 ff