The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-09-28

ocratic powers. On April :, ~.
appeared In the National I,s.,~
gencer an open letter frco IS
Clay saying he was opposed "a ~
OF Texas vithrrf ~
consent Of Mexico, a. n 49,
mean war. In the Glohe = =.
Same day there Was publishe1 !.
open letter from Mr.. Van R.,.
ssying that he was opposed a ~
Of Texas without ~
consent Of Mexico, a. n ves,s
mean war. This remarkahle -
ctdence Of the simultaneous ~
lication Of the identical view =
the two leading candidates q.
president caused q tremesios.
sensation.
Andrew Jackson. old but vi,.N
saw that It meant the defeae =
Van Buren,. and he immediatsl,
groomed his dark horse Tor ~
race. Delegates to the DemoeraHe
convention announced that 49,
would break instructions for va
Buren,. Others resigned rather thas
vote for him. Mass meetinRs ~
called at various places n a.
south to rescind Van Bursa i.
strucuons. When the conyentlsa
met Van Buren, had q majority a
the delegates on the first ballut
but the two-thirds rule. the prod.
uct OF his own scheming, was In
effect. On the ninth ballot Jann
X. Polk Of Tennessee was nsma
as Jackson had planned two veeks
before. and the convention declar.
ed for the remuneration Of Tenn
and the re0ccupatiOn Of OREGON
Texas had been claimed under the
Louisiana purchase. and the Ore
gon country as far north as "fifty.
four forty" was claimed by risit
of discovery. Texas was wanted 70
add to the influence Of the slave
states. Oregon was claimed 10
give q hostage to northern Demo
Gratis. The campaign was conduct
ed with great skill BY the Demo
Gratis, Mr.. Polk succeeding in being
q high tariff man in Pennsylvania
and q low tariff man in South Car
DINA. The telegraph was invented,
and the first news it ever carried
was that Of the nomination Of Polk.
But 1t extended only between Wash
ington and Baltimore. Since 1t has
spread all over the country it ID no
longer possible for q candidate
thus ito be all things to all men"
\ Texas Too Big to StraddlA =
Clay had been nominated by &C.
clamation by q convention which
denounced Texans as murderers
and adventures who were unwor-
thy to be considered as future
Americans. But the southern
Wings had their own ideas about
Texas. and they began to bring
pressure to bear upon Mr.. Clay.
On July / he wrote from Ashland
to Stephen F. Miller OF Tpeca-
loosa, Ala, . letter discussing the
Texas question in which he said:
Personally. l could have no OBJ
lection to the annexation Of Tex
as" For which statement he paid
the price of thousands OF abolition
votes and lost the presidency.
Two years before. Clay had made
a triumphant tour Of the west. be-
ing met everywhere by great out
pouring Of the people who were
absolutely certain that he would
be chosen president to succeed thu
impossible Tyler. 1t was at Rich
mond, Ind, that a Quaker namss
Mendenhall came forward and pre-
scented Mr.. Clay with a petition
bearing many signatures, asktnl
the great Wing leater to enanci
pate his slaves. He replied in
speech which was marvel 0
evasion and sophistry. But i
! seemed, at the time. to have tn
effect OF once more postponing th
day when candidates for presiden
must recognize the slavery issue.
1t did have the effect Of strength
ening the hearts and hands OF tn
Birney Abolition party. That OF
ganization did not get many vote
in the aggregate, but 1t pole
enough in western New York t
turn the Empire state from Ga
to Polk and thereby decide II
election. Horace Greeley. as sln
cere an anti-slavery man As ther
was in the whole north, could nc
find words bitter enough to de
nounce Birney and the "fanau
aholioonis:s" who followed MN
There was no doubt but that aoo
lition votes had elected Polk. an
thereby assured the admission Q
Texas, another slave state. whic
was to have the right to divio
itself into four other and new slsS
states. Greeley was furious.
Mr.. Clay retired to his home :
Ashland with a broken heart ~
there is not the slightest indieatio
that Clay realized the fact INA
compromise, by which he saved =
many other great men, had cause
| his own defeat and downfall.