El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-10-26
BARN BURNERS
AHDHUHKER5
IN FIGHT
Martin VanBUren's Cam
paign with New PartyLike
That Of Roosevelt.
BOLTS CONVENTION
WHEN DEFEATED
= FrederIc D. HaskInl

Washington. D. c., Oct 26.-In many
ways the campaign Of 164S, which re-
suited in the election OF zachary ray
Tor, resembled the one now drawing
to q close. Then an eX-president was
leading a new party just as an eN-
president is now leading new party
Then the new party was launcned Dy
a bolt from a regular convention, Just
as a new party was formed by a bolt
from the Chicago Republican conVen-
ton last summer. Whether the sim
ilarity stops there, only the future can
tell. VIII the ex-prestdent today meet
the same fate that the eX-president OF
1S4S met? VIII the new party Of to-
day fare as the new party Of 1913
fared2
There was a difference in the sit
uation then as compared with now,
just as there We're points of similarity.
The ex-president who then was
candidate had been out Of office two
terms instead OF one, and had held 1t
been defeated for reelection when he
was the nominee Of his party to sue
coed himself, and in the succeeding ma
ticnal convention Of his party had
been defeated by dark horse in his
candidacy for third nomination
The political pot began to boil early
In preparation for the campaign OF
1873 The first convention OF the cam
paign was that Of the Native Ameri-
cans, held in the middle period Of 1S4I.
It nominated Henry A. S. Dearborn
for vicepresident, and recommended
Gen Zachary Taylor for the presl-
dency. Later in the same year the
AbOlitiOnists met and nominated John
p Hale. OF New Hampshire and Lei
cester King, of Ohio. But when the
Free Sellers nominated Martin Van
Buren,, as We shall presently see, the
AbOlftiOnists regarded him as good
enough abolitionist' for them and
Hale and King withdrew in his favor.
The Hunkers and Barn Burners
eThe Democrats Aeld their national
convention the last Of May, 1S4S.
There had been for two years in New
York a hitter feud between two fac
lions in the Democratic party. One
was called the Hunkers- They were
the national administration element
in the state, and they got their name
from their supposed 'hankering' for
office it being said OF them that they
hungered and thirsted more after Of
flee than after righteousness The
other faction was called the Barn
Burners, because, 1t was said, they
were like the Dutch farmer who
burned down his barn in order to rid
it OF rats Some OF their enemies
claimed that they came by the title
because they actuSly acted as more
modern Might Riders" have acted in
our recent history.
Behind Van Buren,, who had been
defeated four years before for a third
nomination by the two thirds rule
stood the Barn Burners Silas Wright,
chief lieutenant Of Van Buren,, had
run for governor Of New York in 1874
to save the state for Polk, and had
won. Polk promptly recognized the
Hunkers in administration matters
and in 1916 Wright was defeated for
reelection, a defeat which the Barn
Burners charged in its entirety to the
TIIden and SickIes Leaders.
When the national convention came
off both factions sent contesEng dele
cations. The Barn Burners were
headed by Samuel J. Tilden, and the
Hunkers by Daniel Z. Sickles the
aged veteran who sLiu lives, and who.
after 81 years, is now in the political
arena as Bull MOOser. The conven-
ton tried to patch up. the New York
situation by compromise. It decided
TO seat both delegations, with half a
vote each. But the Barn Burners
wanted no compromises; they wanted
blood or nothing The other side felt
the same way about it. so both fac
lions refused to vote.
The convention nominated Lewis
Cass Of Michigan for president and
William O. Butler of Kentucky, for
vice president After this Young
Sickles made an impassiOned speech
to the convention, promising the vote
Of the state Of New York 20 the can
didates, but it was a promise he could
not fulfill.
The Wings met in PHILADELPHIA eaRlv
In June. Gen Taylor had been {
somewhat uncertain quantity for ! a
long time. He had, after his maine
had been put forward by Louisiana,
written a letter in which he said he
would not refuse a Wing nomination
were IT rendered him, IprOvided ihe
was left free of all pledges and p err
mitted to maintain his independe hce
Of all parties. He added that Che
would not withdraw his name from
before the people, however. even If the
Wings should nominate Clay or sdme
other man over him. A second letter
he wrote stated that he was "a Whig
but not an ultra-W hig." Taylor had
never cast a vote in his life, and had
hitherto taken precious little interest
in politics.
He evidently had thought BETTER of
his determination to run, Whig ndni-
nation or no Wing nomination. before
the convention met, for before 1.-THE
voting began a letter from him WAS
read in which he stated that This
CONTINUED on Next Page)