The Washington herald., 1920-06-06

become "a part Of our republican system
Of government, and that any departure from
this time honored custom would be unwise.
unpatriotic and fraught with peril to our
free institutions" But that did not de-
ter Grant from making a fourth try, In
1880, in the memorable Grant Blaine fight
that wound up in the selection Of Garfield as
compromise candidate. Roosevelt, serving
an incompleted term and a full term Of his
own, was twice a candidate for another term.
Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe.
Jackson, Lincoln, Grant, Cleveland, McKin-
ley and Wilson were twice elected President.
jefferson, Jackson and Cleveland were three
times candidates, but each was defeated
once. Jefferson and Jackson were defeated
In their first tries and then elected twice in
succession. Cleveland was elected in 1884,
defeated In 1888 and re elected in 1892.
Washington and Monroe, the latter in his
second term, were the only Presidents elected
without any opposition. Every President
was a candidate to succeed himself except
Buchanan, who early made it known he
would not consent to run again. John
Adams was defeated for re election by JEFF
ferson, John Quincy Adams by Jackson, Van
Buren by William Henry Harrison and Ben
jamin Harrison by Cleveland. Three Presi-
dents, Hayes, Polk and Pierce, were candi-
dates for election, but were turned down
BY their party.
Has the Vice President any chance Of
being elected President? Some Vice Presi-
dents have become President. In the early
days John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were
Vice President before President. and Aaron
Burr tried hard until the shot that struck
down Alexander Hamilton doomed him.
John Z. Calhoun would have liked to have
graduated from the vice regency to the high
est post OF honor, as would John C.. Breck-
enridge later on. Martin Van Buren turned
the trick. Five Vice Presidents got in BY
reason OF the death Of the President They
were Iyler, who succeeded the elder Har-
rison Fillmore, who followed General Tay-
lor johnson, Arthur and Roosevelt, who ac-
ceued 10 the presidency following the assas-
slnation OF Lincoln, Garfield and Mckinley.
i!ier ana johnson sought the Democratic
nomination and failed. Fillmore was denied
ne wing nomination and Arthur fell before
nidine. Only Roosevelt of the five Vice
fresidents was strong enough to command
'he once of President for himself.
CoULD the President deferred from max
ing any third term attempt. dictate"
the nomination or election of a succcssor9
IN tne early days of the republic it sometimes
happened that way. John Adams was the
cnolce OF George Washington. as was
Madison the favorite of Jefferson. UiII;sm
n crawford, secretary of the treasury. was
Unroe choice, but lost out to John Quincy
Aadms' jackson virtually dictated the choice
f4.
ana PRESIDENT in 1896, against the astute
leadership of Calhoun. Van Buren helped
whip Cass and elect Taylor in 1s4s. When
grant could not get a third term he turned
IN 1or fairfield and helped defeat Blaine in
'ne hepuolican convention and General Han
COCK IN the general election. Roosevelt,
iallhg OF denomination in 1912 and 1915,
spllt his party and helped elect Woodrow
Wilson.
Fossloly some cabinet member will be
'ne democratic candidate in 1920. or some
1-hepublican cabinet official History of
american politics shows quite list of Presi-
dents and presidential candidates who were
members of the cabinet at one time or an
otner. Of the leading candidates to date
attorney General Palmer and former Sec
retary of the Treasury McAdoo come under
this heading.
how about a third party movement?
ihlrd party movements have been with US
IN influential style for nearly a hundred
years. The anti -Masons in 1880, and there
after, hampered the presidential chances of
Henry Clay, as did the Abolitionists in the
campaign of 1874, when Polk was swept into
ONCE in the Birney Clay fight. The Free
Soilers put the boot to Cass and paved the
way for Taylor in 1S4s and eight years
later the Americans, or Know Nothings,"
kept Fremont from finishing ahead of Bu-
chanan. The redoubtable Douglas fell by
the wayside in 1860, when independents
supported Breckenridge OF more recent
memory are Horace Greeley and the green
back campaigns of 1880 and 1884, to say
nothing of the Progressive uprising in the
twentieth century.
A dark horse" may win. Any number
have come over the finishing line first in
American politics. Polk was the first dark
horse elected. In 1874 he had not been
discussed as a candidate. At the Baltimore
convention that year Cass and Van Buren
ran neck and neck for seven ballots. On
the eighth Polk got forty four votes and on
the next ballot was swept into the nomina-
ton almost unanimously. Pierce was the
next OZARK horse" In the Democratic con-
vention of 1852 Buchanan and Cass were the
leading competitors. Finally on the thirty
fifth ballot the Virginia delegation started
stampede by swinging to an unknown
Pierce, of New Hampshire-and on the
forty ninth ballot the unknown" came
home winner.
There is no better example in history OF
the so called ozark horse" than ABE" Lin
coin. William H. Seward was the Repubh-
can leader of his time and he had two thirds