Milford chronicle., 1928-07-06
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C@. 1928. Western Newspaper Union.)
2-Presidenf bv One Vote

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(9 1928. Western Newspaper Union.)
2.-President by One Vote
A LTHOUGH chickering's between
"A Jefferson and Hamilton with
In WaShington's cabinet and barbeC
partisan newspaper attacks made
the "Father of His Country" weary
Of the Presidency before his first
term had expired, he was persuad-
ed to stand for reelection, and
again scored a unanimous vote of
the 132 members of the electoral col
lege, with John Adams reelected
as vice president.
The chickering's increased, the fac
tiOnal warfare became more in
tense as Washington's second ad-
ministration progressed. The Pres
ident was made the victim of viO-
lent diatribes in scurrilOus newspa-
per articles, and pamphlets. "Ty-
rant" ''impOstOr," ''embeZzler,"
crocodile" "hyena" were some of
the. epithets of his traducers.
When in 1896 Washington issued
his famous farewell address, urg-
ing partisans to sink their differ
snces, it famed rather than
Guenched the blaze of acrimony.
Jefferson charged that Washing
ton was unwilling to run again for
fear of being defeated.
For the first time the Presiden-
tial office was a prize open to real
competition. There were no nom
nations by the caucus, convention
or mass meeting. But John Adams
for the Federalists and Thomas JEFF
ferson for the Anti-Federalists soon
emerged head and shoulders above
the others as leading cOntenders.
These two presently became the
targets Of bitter attack and cOun-
ter-attack. Adams was incOnsist-
emily assailed as an aristocrat and
derided for being the son of a
shoemaker. It was recalled to his
discredit that he had acted as legal
counsel for British soldiers in
vOlved in the Boston massacre.
He was roasted for his alleged
mOnarchist sympathies. Liberty,
and no king!" became a
slogan of the JeffersOnian Repub-
licans, paraphrasing it from the
motto Of the French revolution,
with which at the time they were
in sympathy. The tricOlor
cOckade Of France became a cam
Daign badge Of JeffersOn's friends.
Jefferson, on the other hand, did
not escape condemnation. He was
Derated for many things he had not
done. Utterances in his books and
etters were deliberately garbled.
In the first contested Presidential
election the religious issue played
a prominent part Thrusting at
Jeferson's deism, his opponents de-
manded the election Of "Christian
President" He had a reputation
as a philosopher, but to what Ill
use had he not put his philosophy
He had refuted Noses and tried to
lisprove the Bible story Of the deb
lgel If he had tried to estah
ish religious freedom in Virginia
hey said, it was because he desired
lot freedom of worship but free
lOm from worship. He had WastsE
lis time, that should have beSE
lut to better uses, they asserted, a
1ly specializing about why negroes
we're black and white men white
nd in perfecting eccentric invep. L
ions, such as whirligig chairs. L
Besides the newspaper attack
pOstbills and brOadsideSI
Iere got out in great quantities aH
9th sides. Charges Of fraud and
ballot box stufing were banded
bout with spirit.
Then the dust settled, and the
allots cast by the 13S members Of
le electoral college were counted. 7
he Massachusetts man was found
have received II votes and his
irginia opponent 68. Adams total
as only one vote more than the
lmber required to elect him, while
,ffersOn's fell just two short OF
e number that would have made
m President.
The clumsy old provision which
ade the candidate receiving the
xt to the highest number of votes
e vice president saddled Presi-
Mt Adams with a vice president
10 was then his principal pOlitl-
foe-though in times past they
d been collaborators in drawing
the American Declaration of In
pendence.
The counting Of the votes was a
ene of dramatic interest, not only
cause of the clOseness of the CON
It, but because one of the two
ding contenders, by virtue of be-
vice president, presided at the
eting, opened the certificates.
ID them, and finally declared him
elected.
l question had been informally
sed regarding the validity of four
'mOnt electoral votes cast for
ans. Had they been disallowed.
victory would have gone to his
'Onent. No one formally, how
r, objected to the Vermont
es being counted in, though there
ample opportunity for the JEFF
'onian adherents to do so.
he Inauguration took place in
house of representatives. "AU,
ee," President Adams wrote to
wife, shat, taken altogether.
vas the sublimest thing ever ex-