Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-07-08
HOUSE CALLED UPON
To NAME PRESIDENT
HUNDRED YEARS AGO
RY MILTON MACKAYE

w WASHINGTON, July o'IA"S'iS
100 years ago, the election of an
American president was thrown IN
to the house of representatives. A
| three -cornered fight during the pres
ent campaign might have the same
result.
In 1924 an independent candidacy
may nullify the election. In 1924, a
fierce no-ouarter fight between four
candidates brought about that very
emergency.
The story Of that famous century
| old political deadlock is told In De
bates of Congress" and other news
papers and magazines of the same
period.
The four candidates in the field
were John Quincy Adams, Massa'
! chusetts, secretary Of state; henry
Clay, kentucky, speaker OF the
house of representatives; William
H. Crawford, Georgia, secretary OF
the treasury, and General Andrew
Jackson, Tennessee, hero or the
War of 1872.
In the bitter campaign that fol
lowed the country was split In sec
tons, and, as a result, none OF the
pOAA ~
of the electoral votes.
The house in such an emergency
must pick a president from the three
persons receiving the most votes.
Clay thus was eliminated.
When Jackson arrived in Wash
| ington from his Tennessee home, he
found that Crawford and Adams
had a start in the postelection cam
paigning. President Monroe had
| thrown his support to Crawford and
was comforting daily with congress-
men. Adams was entertaining po'
| litical leaders lavishly.
Fight in the Open
But cold Hickory refused to fol
| low the same methods. Always an
apostle of direct action, he instruct
ed his supporters in congress to
| bring the fight into the open. They
at once inaugurated fiery cam
paign on the floor of the house, de-
handing Jackson's election.
Jackson, they said, had received
| the most votes-congress were
in duty bound TO respect the wishes
Of the country and to obey the bal
lots of their constituents.
Next, they attacked Speaker Clay.
The direct charge was made that
Clay, whose constituents were urg-
ing that he throw his support to
Jackson, was selling his votes to
Adams with the post Of secretary
of state as his promised payment.
The accusation was first embod-
! led in an open letter to the Phila-
delphia Columbian Observer. The
writer's name was withheld, but the
editor declared the writer to be a
member of congress from Pennsyl-
Vania.
Clay retaliated. In letter to the
Washington National Intelligencer.
he challenged the unknown writer
to a duel He said that if the letter
''be genuine, / pronounce the mem
Der of congress a base and infamous
calumniator, a bastard and liar;
and if. he dares unveil himself, and
avow his name, will hold myself
responsible, as here admit myself
to be, to all the laws which govern
and regulate the conduct of men or
honor"
Blood and steel were to play a
part in the election! A year of harsh
words and brave deeds was 1924.
But did the duel occur? 1t did not.
Representative Kremer, of Penn
sylvania, admitted authorship of the
letter-and kremer was regarded as
the best pistol shot in congress. Clay
forgot his words and instead of
weapons, demanded a congressional
investigation of the whole affair.
Clay Is Ridiculed
Ridicule descended upon Clay.
Newspapers laughed at him, his
name was bandided in the Washing
ton bars, satirical verse appeared in
the humorous columns.
The house debated for two days
on Clay's resolution and then de-
cided to investigate. Representative
Barbour, Virginia, was appointed
chairman of the investigating COM
mittee. Daniel Webster also served.
But congressional investigations,
even in those days, had to sail a
rough and rocky course. The wit
nesses wouldn't testify. Kremer de-
clined to appear, and the committee
reported back that it could take
no further steps, nor does it deem
further investigation necessary.
Hundreds of people had gathered
in Washington from far and near
when the day of election in the
house dawned. 1t was February g.,
1925
Around the capitol hitching posts
the fast press horses were tied, sad
died and ready to carry the biggest
news story of the year to papers in
the east and north and south There
were no telegraphs, but one writer,
a representative of the New York
Evening Post, was considered to be
the shrewdest man among the cor.
respondents. He carried to the cap
itol a carrier pigeon, hoping the bird
could beat tie press horses to New
York by two days-and score the
biggest beat of the century"
The doors were opened at IL
o'clock, and in five minutes every
gallery was crowded. Only one rep
resentative was missing-Robert S.
Garnett, of Virginia, an invalid
Diplomatic corps members sat along
the chamber wall. Three visiting
members of the British parliament
were present.
Clay Got His Job
After the routine business had
been concluded message was sent to
the senate that the house was ready
to receive them. Precisely at noon
the forty-eight senators filed in,
were seated in the chamber and
President Pro TEN. Gaillard, of
South Carolina, took his place on the
platform by Speaker Clay.
The count of electoral votes was
then made. The result was: Jack
son 90. Adams Al, Crawford Al and
Clay 81. 10 n Calhoun, with 1872
votes, was pronounced duly elected
vice president. 1t was o'clock
when the presidential ballot boxes
were brought in.
Clay instructed the representa-
tives that each state was to have
one vote, and that the state dele
gates were to ballot among them
selves to determine who their choice
would be.
The "a delegates from New York
were the cvnOSlIre of all ewes Adams