Evening star., 1936-07-22
EARLY POLITICAL
CAMPAIGN HEATED
Adams Emerged Victor in
Electoral College by
Three Votes.
Py the Associated Press.

&y tIC <aSSoS1otSo ASoo'
The news of the election Of George
Washington to be the first President
Of the United States was printed on
page three Of the newspapers.
Close beside 1t was the word of the
arrival Of the sloop Julia from foreign
ports with an enumeration of her cargo
and the further word from Connecti-
cut tradesman that his black boy, an
swering to the name Of John, had de-
parted for parts unknown, wearing
denim breeches.
Washington had been elected April
7, 1889. The Connecticut Courant and
Weekly Intelligencer at Hartford got
around to printing it April IS.
Even then, the correspondent of the
Courant had buried the news of the
election down in the third paragraph
of his account. He figured that the
choice of the various officers of the
Electoral College was more important
than the mere election of the first
President Of the United States, Most
other papers took the event in the
same casual sort of way.
Key to Campaign Given.
But, despite the differences in the
treatment of news then and now. the
matter OF fact manner in which the
election of Washington was an
nounced furnishes q key to the tenor
of the first political campaign.
The States had been torn by the
fight over adoption of the Federal Con-
stitution. The cry of States rights
had been shouted from Salem to Sa-
vannah. 1t had drawn from Patrick
Henry, the Virginian of quick phrase
and caustic word, the query, directed
at the Constitutional Convention:
MY political curiosity, exclusive Of
my anxious solicitude for the public
welfare, leads me to ask who author
lied them to speak in the language Of
we, the people, instead Of we, the
States"
But even as his voice echoed through
the Virginia night, the ratification Of
the Constitution was completed by the
necessary nine States. New Hamp-
shire was the ninth on June 81, 1888.
Virginia followed five days later. New
York yielded a month afterward.
Now 1t was the duty of the Mori-
bund Congress of the Confederation
of States to fix the time for the new
! Government to take over. But, fol-
lowing a congressional prerogative,
it took up something else and waded
through a long debate over where
/ tho of Sho,,ld he 1o-
Gated.
In the middle of September it
passed q resolution setting the first
Wednesdays Of January, February and
March as the days for presidential
electors to be chosen, for them to
meet and for the next Congress to
meet.
Election Notice Too Short.
No preparations had been made in
| any Of the States for an election. The
time was too short in most cases for
the word Of Congress action to reach
the States and the necessary elec-
tion steps to be taken.
There was no campaign machinery,
no avowed candidates. and so the elec-
tors came together for their Febru-
ary meeting unhampered by instruc-
tions or pledges. In Connecticut, New
Jersey, Delaware, South Carolina and
Georgia they were appointed by the
Legislature. In New Hampshire they
were nominated by the people, but
appointed by the Legislature. MaSsa-
chusetts voters chose a double set Of
electors and the Legislature picked
its list from among them. The As
sembly and Senate In New York set
the pattern for some OF their future
rows by diSputing so vigorously that
the State lost its electoral vote-not
complying in time. Pennsylvania,
Maryland and Virginia held popular
elections, but the voting was light.
Rhode Island and North Carolina had
not ratified the Constitution and
could not vote.
Generally speaking, Federalists
voted. nt-Federalists scornfully re-
fused to have aught to do with the
new governmental contrivance.
While there was no formal nomina-
tion or campaign, the eyes of the elec-
tors turned to Washington. The Fed
eralists wanted him as an advocate of
the Constitution; the anti-Federalists
because they had confidence in him
despite his advocacy of the new-fan-
gled instrument.
More argument arose over the vice
presidency, but the same sectional
Difference that rises frequently in mod
ern politics bowed toward John Adams.
II the South was to furnish the Presi-