Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-12-25
Fourth Presidential
Election Brought
Change in System
First Christmas After
Washington Became
Capitol Was Stormy
- the Associated Press.

- the Associated Press.
The third-term guessing contest
Is compared to the dispute that
split the little swampy village the
first Christmas after Washington be-
came the Nations Capital.
The fourth presidential election
had Just been held and the re-
turns were trickling in. During
the days before Christmas a po-
ltical crisis was forming.
Every one had known for weeks
that John Adams had been de-
feated. As far back as November
10 Abigail Adams had written her
son that South Carolina has be-
haved as your father always said
she would; the consequence to us
personally is that we shall retire
from public life"
What had not been known was
that the machinery for electing the
President faced its most severe test.
Hoped to Elect Burr.
Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr,
whom the Republicans had sup
ported with the idea that he should
become Vice President, were tied
for the presidency. The Federalists,
following Alexander Hamilton and
absorbing some of his bitterness
for Jefferson, had begun to shape
their plans for a coup by which
they hoped to make Burr Presi-
dent instead Of Jefferson.
Under the Constitution there was
then no separation Of presidential
and vice presidential candidates.
Each State picked a first and sec
ond choice for President. The man
who got the most electoral votes
became President. The next high
est man was Vice President. In
case Of tie the House Of Repre-
sentatives was to decide.
Here was a tie and the House
was closely divided There were Is
States. 1t took a majority-or g.
State delegations to win. The best
the Jeffersonians could count at
the outset was States.
This was the situation which be-
came clear to residents of the chilly
little capital during that Christmas
week.
Dismal Prospect.
1t was dismal prospect that lay
before the capital city. divided into
factions, filled with discomfort at
best, its very existence threatened.
Maryland, for instance, was fearful
that the capital would be moved
again and Albert Gallatin wrote
that 1.-The Federal City 80 is hated
by every memebr of Congress with
out exception of persons or parties"
The Capitol stood on its lonely
hill. lowering nearby were clus-
ter of boarding houses, tailor,
shoemaker, a printer, wash wo-
man, pamphlet and stationery
shop, small dry goods store and an
oyster house. Three-quarters of a
mile away on Eastern Branch were
eight dwelling houses and an empty
warehouse.
Half mile farther along, where
the branch Joined the Potomac, 20
unfinished houses marked a lot
terry building project. Diagonally
across the swamp which separated
these from the Capitol was the
Presidents House. Pennsylvania
avenue, dreary path of mud with
out a single house, stretched from
the Capitol to the Presidents
House A lone church, which had
until recently been a tobacco house
and still smelled Of leaf, stood at the
foot OF Capitol Hill
Six Comfortable Rooms.
Inside the Presidents House John
and Abigail Adams had only six
rooms that were comfortable.
Twelve fires had to be kept going
to keep the barn-like structure liv-
able.
At Conrad's boarding house, near
the Capitol, Vice President Jeffer-
son ate his meals with a corps of
other members of Congress. At the
long, common table-at the cold
end farthest from the fire.
1t took SO ballots in February,
when the issue finally got to the
House floor, to decide that Jefferson,
and not his vice presidential run
ming mate, should move into the
White House.
A constitutional amendment soon
followed to provide that the ticket
specify who should have each job
and prevent such thing ever hap
pening again.