Evening star., 1932-07-10
Capital Sidelights
nv WILL p. KENNEDY.

of5cer in the Senate, or that he vii
ADVANCE directly from Speaker to Vice
PRESIDENT But that is not so-thert
mos Of least one other similar case
three score and three years ago.
SCHUYLER Colfax, a native OF New
YORK who migrated to Indiana. wor
fame as a legislative correspondent
nuhiisher of the Whig organ OF North
ern Indiana, member OF the state con-
stitutional convention, Repuolcan
member of the House from 1883 to 1869
He served as Speaker in the 38th, 39th
and 4Oth Congresses, was electeo Nice
President of the United states on the
Republican ticket headed by Gen. U
S. Grant in 1853, and 1naugurateo
N1arcb d 1869. He declined the chief
editorship of the New York tribune IN
1870 He was fully exonerated from
charges of corruption orougnt sgaihs'
Members of Congress in 1873 in con-
nention with the Credit Mobilier OF
America During his later years he was
nationally known as lecturer.
So the only achievement to be cred
tied IN Speaker Garner beyond that
which history has already written
against the name of Schuyler Colfax is
that Garner may be said TO be running
for both offices-Speaker and Vice Pres
ident-on the same ticket, since the
time has expired in which he might
U-ithdraw from the race for reelection
To the House. and if he is reelected but
fails TO make the grade for Vice Presi-
dent his colleagues intend to continue
him in the speakership-prov1ding, OF
course that the Democrats retain their
control in the House.
Not only did our good friend from
Virginia Joe" Sinnott, chief door
keeper at the Democratic National Con-
vention, have a dangerously hard time
keeping out of the stadium thousands
who stormed the doors presenting
bogus" or forged" CARDS bearing the
name of Mayor Cermack, but some oil
his longtime friends caused more con-
fusion by presenting tickets issued lor
Of long years ago.
Tarnes ID Preston. who recently re-
tired from the superintendency of the
senate press gallery after nearly 35
Years of service there to become Libra
rian of the Senate, was a general Mr..
Fix-it or all-round utility and contact
man at the conventions-giving orders
to Edward N. Hurley,
Mavor Cermak, the National Commit
tees. the "Kinghsh," presiding officers
the sergeants at arms, Everett Sanders
and Col. Edwin A. Halsey, and any one
else. including bandmasters and the
official organist and the horde OF pho
tographers. At
served Of all observers" at the conven-
tions. and despite the fact that num-
her of Senate and House employees were
on some of the doors, Jim Preston
caused a commotion when he presented
on the opening day a ticket OF admls-
sion for the convention OF 1884, In
which year both the Republican and
the Democratic National Conventions
were also held in Chicago, the sixth
and seventh times in which that city
was host to the delegates representing
the sovereign voters. This ticket had
been issued to Mr.. Preston's father,
Herbert j. Preston, who was corre-
spondent for the New York Herald;
Riding out to the Stadium in a taxi
cab with some of the delegates one day,
Preston was handed convention ticket
dated 1888 by Charles Bechenstern, for
mer national committeeman from lih-
nois and a delegate to the convention.
Preston told Bechenstern that he could
Bechenstern pulled out a ticket dated
1876-56 years ago-Preston quit cold.
Jim" himself. has been attending the
national conventions since 1896, so this
was his thirteenth national convention
He agrees with Senator Ashurst OF
Arizona that the next President Will
have a double o. in his name. One
Of Preston's minor tasks was to flash
signals to the stadium band and organ
ist He was much impressed with the
quality of music, especially by the Won
derful pipe organ, the pipes for which
were over the center Of the stadium
hidden by bunting. He believes that
the excellence of the music so far sur
passed that of other conventions that
for the first time in history the dele
gates and their guests really enjoyed the
music as q pleasant interlude from the
platform oratory.
For more than 80 years candidates
for the presidency were nominated by a
caucus composed of United States Sen
ators and members of the National
House Of Representatives, which con-
5inued until 1924. when the memorable
caucus insisted upon by Martin Van
Buren and other friends of William H.
Crawford of Georgia, defeated the letter
as a candidate and effectually killed
the caucus system, which had become
almost tyrannical in its rule.
This famous caucus was attended by
most of the Senators, but by only eight
members of the House of Representa-
tives out of 20 Of the then "a States of
the Union. That election was thrown
Into the House, where the friends OF
Clay voted for Adams to defeat Jackson,
which killed the Republican party of
that day as well as the rule Of the
caucus.
The first convention for the nomi-
nation of a President and Vice Presi-
dent, which came about as a result Of
The death of the caucus system, was
the anti-MaSonic convention held in
Baltimore in September, 1881, and
which was followed in December of the
same year by the first National Repub-
ican Convention of the old party of
that name, which nominated Henry
Clay for President and John Sergeant
Tor Vice President.
party in Chicago met on
May 16, 1860, and nominated Abraham
lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin. That
vas the second convention of the Re-
publican party of today Four years
ater the Democrats held a national
in Chicago and nominated
Sen. George B. Mcclellan and George
4. Pendleton. Both Of these conven-
ions were held at critical periods in
he Nations history, even as those
which have just closed at Chicago.
X X
Have you ever heard of Zolicoffer?
There is man who deserves to have
lis name written large in school-room
as his figure is carved on
Stone Mountain, Atlanta, Ga.
Come, listen, my children, and We
hall hear"-of the exploits for peace
and in war of Felix Kirk Zollicoffer.
He attended the "old field" schools Of
tennessee. He became a printer and
newspaper man, and was elected State
printer in 1885. He was a lieutenant
n the war against the Seminoles in
Florida: He edited and published sew
eral Whig and agricultural papers, was
controller of the State treasury. served
n the State Senate and was a. delegate
n the WhiU National i,,