Milford chronicle., 1928-09-07
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LITTLE BAND-WAG0N'
JOURNEYS ..r. mRnn,.D By

JOUnNEIO MERRILL
Nenetsz1oxSsa SftsI 80
(@O. 1928. Western Newspaper Union.)
II.-The First Dark Horse
HE first dark horse candidate
L in American politics ran un-
der the wire a winner in the Demo-
cratic national convention of 1914.
Former President Martin Van
Buren, of New York and Gen. Lewis
CasS of Michigan were the lead
ing Democratic cOntenderS for the
nomination.
Van Buren was the conceded fa-
vorite. Then the question of the
annexation of Texas suddenly in
terpOsed itself shortly before the
convention assembled at Baltimore.
Van Buren expressed himself
against annexation. That made him
steadily lose ground, especially in
the South.
His friends, sure of a majority,
tried to secure his nomination by
having the convention waive the
twO-thirdS rule. This rule had been
first invoked in Van Buren's be-
half. By historic irony, the rule
that his old patron, Andrew Jack
son, had reared for him as a step
ping stone now was to prove a
fatal obstacle to New YOrk's "Lit-
tie Magician" Some of the same
Democrats who had urged original
adoption of the twO-thirds rule to
help Van Buren now argued for its
retention to defeat him, in the de-
bate on the question that occupied
a major share of the conventions
attention for a day and a half.
Finally the rule was retained by
majority vote of go the division
being sharply along sectional lines,
with sOutherners for and northern
ers against it.
On the first ballot for Presiden-
tial nominees, Van Buren com
manded 146 of the 266 vOtes-Or
80 short of the two-thiFds neces-
sary to nOminate-Cass had S3 On
successive ballots the Little Ma
gician's" fortunes steadily declined
while those of his opponent stead
lily rose. till oh the seventh and
last taken for the day, Cass was
"a ahead of Van Ruren.
During the night a great deal of
maneuvering was done by the vari-.
Gus managers. Next day on the
eighth ballot, James Knox Polk If
Tennessee, who had not figured at
all in the pre-.ious voting, jumped
into prominence with A votes.
AS the run toward Polk set in.
the discounted delegation from
New York let loose on the cOnven-
tiOn a flow of lurid OratOry. A
New York spokesman had his met
aDhOrs rudely warned nv the
warmth of his passion when ne
declared that a firebrand had teen
thrown into the convention by the
mOngrel administration at Wash
ingtOn; but that firebrand (the
Texas Cuestion) like a fever would
wear itself out or kill the patient.
AS Nero fiddled while Rome
burned, so a Democratic fiddling
Nero had thrown this tirebrand to
advance his own aspiring ambi-
tion, tie orator declaimed.
The convention hall resOunded
with Kisses, grOans and demands
for revelation of the fiddling Nero.
1t was toe late to save Van Bu-
rem.
As the ninth ballot was begun,
state after state threw its solid
vote I. Polk Virginia yielded
with a bleeding heart" but with
her chief purpose to "defeat that
apostate, Henry Clay" (whO al
ready had been nominated by the
Whigs) she laid cher heart upon
the altar of her country and her
principles"
The New York delegation, which
had retire TO. consultation, re-
turned just in time to hear the
Virginia speaker. They realized
the game was up for them. Ben
iamin f. Butler, later Civil war
general as heac of the New York
contingent declared his delegation
responded with Ill its heart" to
the noble words of the orator from
Virginia. New York threw in the
Van Bureh sponge. A letter from
General Jackson pleading for har
mnny. completed the work. PDlk's
candidacy went over in tumultu
Gus stampede to his standard.
The man thus elevated almost
ny chance to the leadership of his
party and, as it proved, to the
Presidency had little national rep
utation. though he had served
briefly as speaker of the house of
representatives It was his color
loss p0littal character that ex-
cited no factional antagonisms and
made hii vailable as the instru
ment of restored party harmony.
ReSidni nominating the first dark
horse this democratic convention
mad another distinction in bein the
first one whose proceedings were
reported by a newfangled instru
ment. the telegraph Over the first
lin. of telegraph wire in America,
hat lately had been installed be-
ween Baltimore and Washington.
mnZPd folk in the capital heard of
tie dark horse nomination and
some exclaimed in surprise. "WhO
is POlk?'
Back over the wire from Wash
ington went peremptOry refusal
from Senator Sias Wright to ac-
rppt the vice presidential Omina-
tion that the convention rendered
him. Stung by the rejection of
Van Buren, he declined to accept
lhe second place on the ticket as
the running-mate of Polk.
T..Sna.&rr