The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-09-27

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS
V.-Ths Harri5oa.van Buren, Race Of 1870

camseh with his own AasA -
few Of the younger Democfsts -
to retaliate with johnson n : ~
But 1t didn't 80. Johnson -. ~. ~
popular 70 begin witA. ~ 80 !
%. distinctly mot : psnssssts
Hard HE. H.l,,l
The panic Of 1887, breHrh, -,
oyef-epeculation and too mn
edaace IN the great goverS..s...
pfpspeeity - . prop Tor indlvsSsss
prosperity, had reduced The rsss..
to poverty. Men were out On ~
hank deposits had been lost in ~
wrecks, and the couatry vas !. :
terrible condition. Whether risss,s
o. wrongly. the party in pov1 =.
held TO b respopsible and TIA ~
landslide was insvitabls.
When the wings met At Ha,,S
burg there were three caadjdaiSs.
HeaTy Clay. the real soul q n.
party, William Henry Has,,sss
and Wtl6eld Scott. Thaddeus ~
eas made his first entry ilte ~
realm 81 pfacti0l-and dirty-.c6.
tics n this conveltioa. "a vnrSs
anttrMaa0n and 10 soon epavSo~
the convention that It would X r..
possible to get the anti Mason ~
tor Clay. Who was , Ronl ~
Masen. With Clay eliminated ~
race vas between Scott and HairL
son, both heroes OF the war Of I'M
Both we're born in virginia, = -
Clay. and curiously enough. n n.
CURED the vote Of tho Virginia al.
cation to settle the issue. rhsd1.s
Stevens was for Harrison bscause
he had = letter from Hsrrism
! promising him . cahiaet pogition II
Harrison was nominated and elect.
ed.
Stevens also had Z letter fpem
General Scott written to Ftsneis
Granger in which Scott was flirting
with the abolitionist sentiment Il
New York with q view to getting
votes in the convention. Stsysas,
with careful cafelessness. let thie
letter drop ON the floor Of the Viz
ginia headquarters room. 1t was
found and read, Instantly the Viz
ginia delegation solidiied In SUD-
port of Harrison and he won tho
nomination. It was the first real
fight for Z nomination BY . ma
tioaal convention.
The First AhQlitiaaist Ticket
Another remarkable feature Of
the campaign of 1910 was the a.
tablishment of the Abolition party.
Its candidate for president, tamss
G. Birney. received 1858 votes.
mostly in New York and Massa.
chusetts, but it was the beginning
of = movement which brought about
the political conditions which ~.
suited in the Civil war, the aboli-
ton Of slavery and the reunion Of
! the states upon basis Of acMowl-
edged inseparablc permanepcy.
Another innovation 0f the cam
paign of 1910 was that William
Henry Harrison took the stump. 1t
was contrary to all precedent and
the Democrats affected to be shock
ed beyond words by the indecent
spectacle Of q candidate for presi-
dent actually pleading for votes on
the hustings. But the tour Of Ohio
std Indiana enabled Harrison TO
Offset the charge that he was a
mere pQppet in the hands OF pcliti-
cal schemers, and 1t turned the tids
in his favor.
7. One Of the greatest political gath
J erings this country has ever seen
was the Wing gathering at tas
battle-ground OF Tippecsnoe, neal
Lafayette, Ind, on May 20. 1S40. 4
log cabin had been built on the fielc
and in it General Harrison received
the veterans who had fought there
|! under him against Tecumseh. \
Twas . great day and Harrison made
a great speech. He then began hi!
famous hand shaking tournament
which, according to the popular BE-
| lief Ut that time. caused his deatf
one month after he was inaugural
ed president. People came II
wagons for more than 800 miles L
| the Tippecanoe meeting and ther'
| we're $4,000 people theirs. -,
The campaign lie" reached III
! height In this contest. Thuriov
Weed, editor Of the Albany Jour
nal. was accused by the Alban!
Argus Of having shaved the wills
kers off a corpse to make It pas
| for the body Of William MoF!sn
said to have been slain by the ~
| sons! General Harrison was &C
cused Of covardice in battle ene
| Democrats refused to believe wv
he vas even present at the bsttls
Of Tippecanoe. Horace Greece.
Numbered denunciations OF G'
Democrats, who were assiduousl!
spysading the lie that General MAJ
rlson had voted to sell white @e'
| isto slavery fer debt.
/, Yhe great popular interest any
sxcitsment brought out the creates
vote ever east up to that time. tn'
total being nearly two and a M
millions. Harrison's majority OF TN
nonular vote was something les
thah 10000. but he carried y Q
the Is states and receives ~
electoral votes to 90 for Van BureI
The result OF the election brose Y
10y to the hearts OF the Whigs, ~
It was doomed to be short-hvse