The Washington herald., 1920-06-06

when it assembled in 1880. But on the fourth
ballot the woodchopper from the West was
proclaimed the winner. Hayes was dark
horse" in 1876 in the Blaine Morton Conk-
ling fight and came through on the seventh
ballot. Harrison was pretty much OF q
dark horse" in 1888. When John Sher-
man, Of Ohio; Russell Alger, of Michigan,
and Walter Q. Gresham, of Indiana, locked
horns at Chicago, Mr.. Harrison, of Indiana.
who had started with eighty votes on the
first ballot, slowly advanced until he had
corralled 544 and the nomination on the
eighth ballot.
TRIVIAL incidents and accidents have had
L lot to do with the making or breaking
of Presidents. Who does not remember the
Rum, Romanism and Rebellion that was
used against Blaine? Horace Greeley and
his newspaper were held to have had a lot
to do with toppling over Seward in 1880.
Just when public sentiment was swinging
a bit toward General Mcclellan in 1854,
along came the heartening news of the cap
ture of Atlanta that put Lincoln back in
the saddle again.
Log cabins and hard cider, coupled with
the cry ''Tippecanoe and Tyler, too" helped
the Indian fighter Harrison. The admission
of a single new state turned the scs,es
against Tilden in 1875. Tyler could not
get a second term because of his stand on
the national bank issue.
A letter dropped on the floor put General
Winfield Scott out of the running in the
fight Of 1S40. Scott had written a letter to
Francis Granger, of New York, in which he
evidently sought to conciliate the anti
slavery sentiment of that state. Granger
gave it to Thaddeus Stevens and the latter
caused the letter to be accidentally
dropped in the headquarters of the Virginia
delegation. The Virginians soon afterward
switched from Scott to Harrison. Blaine
might have been nominated on his first try
except for the fact that on the Sunday pre-
ceding the Republican convention in 1876
he fell at the church door in a fit of illness.
and the resultant reports of his physical
condition could not be downed. Later on
bialne's fatalistic remark: II am the Clay
OF the Republican party. for l cannot be
elected" reacted against him.
johnson got in bad when he tried to
get rid of Grant by sending him to Mexico.
The. political career of Silas Wright was
ruined by the telegraph. When Polk was
nominated as dark horse" in 1874 wrish.
was nominated as Vice President. Enrssed
because of the selection of Polk in preference
to Van Buren, Wright utilized. the new
Morse code to cable his hot headed decIins.
uon' had the telegraph not been in use
wright would have had to depend on the
slow going post and probably would not have
thus committed political suicide.
On the other hand, it was the lack n, ,,.
telegraph that made Jackson famous. Had
there been wireless or just a plain tele
sraph IN those days Jackson never would
pave licked the British at New Orleans. The
war was over when ''Old Hickory told
'nem 10 shoot when you see the whites of
thelr eyes, and the post announcing the
armlstice had not yet arrived in Louisisns
Cleveland lost in 1888 because of a sin,l.
message to Congress on the tariff issue e.
which message he was in turn betrav.d =,
Tammany.
out OF all the odd circumstances thst co,,-
oined to prevent a man from high nos;t;o,
the case of Senator Benjamin F. Wade -
ohlo, Is peculiar. He was nres;d.,t
tenn, OF the Senate when johnson was tri.d
1t was expected that johnson would be -"
peached and that Wade would finish o,,. a.
eight months unexpired term. Wade w.s -
De Vice President on the new t;cLa. -
1900. But when johnson failed of imneaco-
ment by single vote Wade lost his cbsno.
10 oe president and in the convention th..
followed was nosed out by SCHUYLER CoIt.,
on the ticket headed by Grant.
TWO presidential candidates und.r.,.,-
run their own campaigns, and both los,
They were Blaine and Tilden.
which party will be triumphant in 1aoo,
Inc federahsts had twelve years of novvor
with washington and Adams in Office No..
came the old-fashioned Republicans a. ,ha.
were known, or Democrats, with JeHor...
MADISON, Monroe and J. O. Adams for -,
OF twenty eight years. The Democrsts ID.
jackson and Van Buren. swung in Iina o..
twelve years, followed by the Whig presidsnt
Harrison. He served only one month 80
was succeeded by the Democrat TYLER for -.
unexpired term and Democrat Polk o..
four years. Then came the Whiss. Tarle.
and Fillmore, for four years, followed bv 81.
Democrats Pierce and Buchanan for e;vnt
years.
Lincoln started the new Republican p.rtv
with line of Presidents extending g..
twenty -four years until the advent of Grove,
cleveland in 1885. Cleveland dropped ont
after four years for Republican Harrison.
term OF four years and then the Democr.t
came back for another four years. Mckinley
started another line of Republicans that
lasted for sixteen years until Woodrow vii.
son broke into the lineup as a Democratic
standard bearer eight years ago.
What win happen in 1902 Knee .deeu
in June" we shall know who's who'' amons
the candidates that now swarm the track