Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-10-05
PRESIDENTIAL
CAMPAIGNS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN
vi. THE POLK-CLAY
RACE OF 1914.

"T ASHlNGION' u. u, sept. 70.
M In the live stock markets of
w the year 1914 there was a
great premium placed upon
mules OF certain particularly ugly
hue. Blooded horses did not com
mand so much ready money in the
every loyal. Wing in the country
wanted to ride in the Clay process
sion at the big Wing barbecue and
he wanted to ride on a "claybank"
| hule, the while he sang:
Get out o. the way. you're all I'M
lucky;
Clear the track for old Kentucky"
True it is that certain very
nanughty small boys of Democratic
| parentage did secrete themselves
| along the roadside and lie in wait
| with the felonious purpose Of STAIN
ing the ,wethers of those beautifully
ugly clay bank" mules with a pig
ment made by expressing the royal
purple juice Of the poke-berry. For
was not Polk the Democratic candi-
! date? And had not Andrew Jackson
the the be beloyed old Hickory" given the
Hickory Of Tennessee"" And did not
the Democratics. defying Mexico and
England alike, prove themselves true
patriots in rallying to Folks cry for
1.-The reoccupation of Oregon and the
remuneration of Texas" and did not
every Democratic heart beat faster
when he heard the alliterative slo-
gan: "Fifty-four Forty or Fight?"
And when it was all over and the
the minds of the people that the
great Clay. the gallant Harry of
the West" had been defeated by a
nonentity, mere nobody. like Polk,
did not strong men give way to
tears? And even. the Democrats
! famous Kentuckian whose life am
bition was once more denied.
The election Of James Knox Polk,
the first dark horse" candidate for
Clay, then at the apex Of his per
sonal popularity. ended a political
| campaign which had a more profound
! effect upon future history than any
the annexation of Texas. the ac-
QUESTION Of California, and made the
| Civil war inevitable.
| Clay Sure Of victory
The Wings had sung and shouted
| their gallant Harrison to such a no
BILE victory that they were certain
| that Clay could not be defeated. Har-
| rison had died after only month
in the White House. and had been
succeeded by John Tyler. The Wings
of the Clay wing believed in a Bank
Of the United States. They passed
| two bills to charter such an institu-
ton, but both were vetoed by Tyler.
| The result was complete break in
| the Wing ranks, and the reorganiZa-
cratic lines Then Tyler began to
give heed to the appeals for annex
alton from the new republic, of Tex
| as. The south wanted Texas to come
in, as it would be slave territory.
For the same reason the north want
| ed Texas kept out
Both Wings and Democrats were
still afraid to take hold of the slav-
cry question. The leaders feared
| that the introduction of the Texas
| question would break up both par
ties and endanger the union. Mexico
had announced that the annexation
of Texas would be regarded by that
nation as a declaration of war, al
though it had already acknowledged
the independence of Texas. England
and France, jealous of the growth
of the United States, were exerting
every possible diplomatic influence
to prevent annexation.
the Wing candidate, Martin Van
Buren, was equally certain that he
would be the Democratic standard
bearer. Although bitter political
enemies, Clay. and Van Buren, We're
good personal n2 a friends, friends. Mr.. Van
Clay at Ashland. There they had
conference, each recognizing the
other as the presidential candidate of
the Texas question was loaded" Sc
they agreed to keep it out of the cam
paign.
Dodged tissues Then ~ Now
The Wing convention was to be
held in Baltimore on May I, 1874
and the Democratic convention was
to meet in the same city on May ~
The official organ of the Wing party
was the National Intelligencer. while
the Washington Globe represented
the ruling. Democratic powers. On
April 81 there appeared in the Ma
from Mr.. Clay saying he was op-
posed to the annexation of Texas
without the consent of Mexico, as it
would mean war. In the Globe OF
the same day there vas was published an
saying that he was opposed to an
nexation of Texas without the con-
sent of Mexico, as it would mean war
This remarkable coincidence Of the
simultaneous publication of the iden-
tical views of the two leading candi-
dates for president caused a ire
mendouS sensation.
Andrew Jackson. old but wise, saw
it meant the defeat Of Van Buren,
and he Immediately groomed his
dark horse for the race. Delegates
to the, Democratic convention an
structions for Van Buren,. Others re-
signed rather than vote for him
Mass meetings were called at various
places in the south to, rescind Van
vention met Van Buren, had ma.
jority Of the delegates on the first
ballot, but the twe-thirds rule. the
product of his own scheming, was
in effect. On the ninth ballot James
X. Polk, Of Tennessee, was named, as
Jackson had planned two weeks be.
fore, and the convention declared Tor
the remuneration of Texas and the
reoccupation of Oregon" Texas had
been claimed under the Louisiana
far north as "fifty-four forty, was
claimed by right of discovery. Texas
was wanted to add to Nthe influence
of the slave states. Oregon was
claimed to give hostage to NORTH
conducted with great skill by the
Democrats. Mr.. Polk succeeding in
being a high tariff man in Pennsyi-
vania and low tariff man in South
Carolina. The telegraph was invent
ed, and the first news it ever carried
| was that of the nomination Of Polk.
But it extended only between Wash
ington and Baltimore. Since 1t has
| spread all over the country 1t Is no
| longer possible for a candidate thus
"to be all things to all men,"
Texas TOO Big to straddle
Clay had been nominated by accla-
nation bya convention which de-
| nounced Texans as murderers and
| adventures who were unworthy to
be considered as future Americans.
| But the southern Wings had their
own ideas about Texas, and they be-
gan to bring pressure to bear upon
Mr.. Clay. On July he wrote from
Ashland to Stephen F. Miller, of Tus-
| caloosa, Ala, letter discussing the
Texas question in which he said:
ton to the annexat ton of Texas"
For which statement he paid the
| nrica of thousands of abolition vnt &c