The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-09-29

Once more the Wings put their faith
in a war hero, and for the second
and last time they we're victorious
Zachary Taylor was nominated be-
cause he was the popular hero Of
| the war with Mexico. It mattered
not that be had never cast . vote in
his life and had never taken any in
terest in politics. It mattered not
that the WAT in which he won glory
and renown was condemned by the
Wings Is q crime against civiliza-
ton. II mattered not that he was
a southern STAKEHOLDER when north
ern Wings were beginning to battle
every day against the extension OF
slavery. 1t mattered not that Henry
Clay, the leader of the wings, again
WANTED the nomination from his
party. Nothing mattered except
that the Wings wanted to win, tina,
they had won in 1870 with q wal
hero and an alliterafive slogan, and
that they could do it again. Thus
to General Harrison and "Tippi.
canoe and Tyler, too" was added
General Taylor and "Old Rough and
Ready" These were the only mer
the Wing party ever put in tbs
White house, and it is remarkable
that they are the only two presi
dents who have died in Office of nat
ural causes.
But even the hearty attractivenes.
OF General Taylor, the freshness o.
his war-won laurels, the magic o.
the memory Of Buena Vista, none o.
these things, would have awaited Il
defeat the Democrats had it no
been for the factional party fight il
New York state, which ultimatel,
resulted in the formation of tn,
Free Soil Democratic party and thu
candidacy of Martin Van Buren, fol
president Van Buren, did not carr,
a single state, but he got a sufii
Gent number Of votes to take more
than one state away from the Demo
cratic candidate and give its cleo
toral vote to General Taylor.
The Democratic national conven
ton met that year in Baltimore OF
May %. The nomination for presi
dent was race between Lewis Cas-
OF Michigan and James Buchanan
OF Pennsylvania. Cass was nom
mated on the fourth ballot withou
difficulty. But the great fight il
the convention was not over tn,
nominations; it was upon tn
status of the two contesting delega
tions from New York.
The Barn.Burners.
There they were, Samuel ]. Til
den, later the leader of the nationa
Democracy, as spokesman and adyo
cate for the Barn-burners, and Dan
| iel f. Sickles, the orator for tn
Hunkers. Then only 90 years old
Sickles was already a member o
the legislature and a leader in tn
Hunker, or conservative wing of tn
Democratic party in New York.
| The Barn-burners were liberia
Democrats, whose name was givel
to them because of the similarit,
of their doctrines in politics to tn
economy of the Dutch farmer VIII,
burned his barn to get rid of tn
rats. Some authorities, not friendly
assert that the name was derive
from the depredations of certai
persons in western New York, no
unlike the Kentucky night-riders O
more recent fame. The Hunker
were the conservatives, who be
lieved in standing by the part,
whatever betide. bunker" is Ne,
York Dutch-English for banker
which. is akin to hunger" and tn
name was, applied to those of til
Democrats whose desire for the pos
session of Office was more remark
able than their hunger and thirs
after righteousness
A Bitter Convention.
Rarn-burners and Hunkers cam
down to Baltimore, each swearin
, death against the other. Behind th
Barn-burners was the awful shado'
OF Martin Van Buren,, who had bee
the head OF the greatest Democrat
political machine the party had pos
! sessed. The party had defeated hil
for renomi9ation four years pre-,
iously by the imposition of the two
thirds rule, and by permitting dele
gates to disregard instructions. H
/, friend, Silas Wright, had decline
the vice-presidential nomination i
, 1874, but had saved the day by rur
!. mig for governor OF New York an
lining up the Van Buren, slrengt
for the Polk ticket Two years late
!; in 1916, Wright had been defeate
for reelection as governor, and til
!, blame was LAID on the Hunker