Milford chronicle., 1928-07-27
LITTLE BAND WAGON
JOURNEYS IT,. MERRILL 81

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-- 90 1928. Western Newspaper Union.l
5.-Death of "King Caucus"
In THE election of 1924 the peO-
L pie for the first time had fairly
direct influence in making Presi-
Dental nominations.
"King Caucus" was dying. Keen
dissatisfaction with the selection Of
nominees by little groups of con-
gressmen had crystallized. Gen.
Andrew Jackson, whose Tennessee
friends had prevailed upon him to
enter the Presidential race, soon
succeeded in making the anticau-
Gus issue the paramount one of the
campaign. Other aspirants, with a
single notable exception, were con-
strained to frOwn upon the system
and eschew its benefits.
With the caucus discredited, the
contest for the Presidential success
sion, which began only a few
months after President Monroe en-
tered upon his second term, soon
developed into a wide-Open fight
among Jackson, Henry Clay of Ken
lucky, John G. Calhoun Of South
Carolina, John Quincy Adams Of
Massachusetts, and William 81.
Crawford Of Georgia.
Various state legislatures, local
mass meetings, and one state con-
vention, held at Harrisburg, Pa,
had put the names of the first four
Of these leaders in nomination.
The Georgian was the last nomi-
nee Of a congressional caucus.
And while the caucus system was
expiring, its last great manipulation
suddenly was stricken and lay at
the point of death, too. Overcome
by paralysis, shut in a dark room,
threatened by blindness and loss of
speech, bled by doctors % times in
three weeks, as was the Old-fash-
toned surgical method of treating
nearly all forms Of illness, Craw-
ford was unable to conduct his Of
fetal duties as President MOnrOe's
secretary of the treasury or to wage
his political battles. His prospects
as a Presidential candidate indeed
looked dark, but his friends in con-
gress rallied strongly to the sup
port of the broken leader.
The canvass was waged on all
fronts with vigOr. A new can1aign
device lent novelty to the contest.
Instead of wearing campaign but
tons bearing hkenesses of their fa-
vorites, as is done to- Y. adherents
Of the various nOn aes dOnned
SNOWY waistcOats upon which pOr-
traits Of the men they favored had
been stamped. Jackson waistc0ats
bearing the likeness of "Old HEX
DRY" became especially the symbol
of membership in Hickory clubs
formed by his supporters.
Finally the electoral vote was
known and it was found Jackson
had 80, Adams "a. Crawford Al, and
clay 81, late returns from LOuisi-
ana, about which there was much
suspense, having showed Crawford
into third position ahead of Clay.
None having a majority, the re-
suit meant that under the COnstitu-
tiOnal provision for such a cOntin-
gency the lower house Of congress
must decide the election from
among the three men standing high
est in the poll.
This definitely put Clay out Of
the running. But although he could
not be President himself, he was
left with the power practically of
deciding who the President should
bel This because of the tremen-
dOus influence he welded as speaker
and as probably the most popular
member of the house of representa-
tives.
Friends of Jackson, Crawford and,
Adams at once Unanswered to win
Clay's favor. JacksOn's friends
were particularly anxious, because
of an old feud that existed between
the general and the speaker. They
succeeded in patching it up. Soon
it appeared, however, that Jack
sons and Crawford's friends were
fishing in vain. Clay was going to
throw his influence to Adams.
Crestfallen, the Jackson man.
ayers began to abuse the Ken
tuckian. They made dire prOphe-
cies that there would be rioting
and bloodshed if the 'cld hero" of
New Orleans failed of election in
the house. Then they put a Penn
sylvania member of congress up to
the business of getting an anony-
nous letter printed in a Pennsyl-
vania newspaper charging that Clay
had bartered his support to Adams
in return for the promise of selec-e
ton as Adams secretary Of state In
case the latter should be elected.
Came the election in the house.
There Adams, though he had run
second in the electoral college poll,
secured the congressional vote Of
10 of the "a states in the Union.
Jackson got the congressional vote
of only seven states and Crawford
4.
Jackson's friends were angry and
bitter. For the next four years
they kept saying Adams had won
the Presidency as result of "cor-'
rupt bargain" with Clay. Although
no evidence of such an intrigue ever
came to light, the fact that Clay
was made Adams secretary Of state
a good talking point for
those who continued to make the
charges.
But the principal consequence Of
the election of 1924 was to deal a
death blow to caucus nominations.
The first state nominating eonven-
ton had made it's appearance. It
was inevitable that the convention
idea should be broadened from a
state to a national basis, though
this did not come till the next dec
ade. Then an inconsequential third
party was to have the distinction Of
holding the first national nominat-
Ln, convention in Amarica