Evening star., 1940-10-20
Presidential Race in 1924
Makes This Years Seem Tame
Hord-Fought Bottle Of Political Giants
Ended With House EIecting Adams

campaign was over IL was DOuRnJ
by the Jackson adherents. who
changed its name 10 the United
States Telegraph. It's activities
thereafter as an anti-administration
sheet caused Adams, the winning
candidate, to refer to it as "a scur-
rilous and abusive print"
Nor was partisan activity confined
to the men and the press by any
manner of means. We talk of the
activity of women in politics today.
The ladies of Washington. before
Congress made its own choice in
the electoral college of 1924, had
their favorites and played them, by
every means within their power.
Crawford Was Handsome.
Secretary Crawford, efficient head
of the Treasury, was not only one
of the prime social favorites of
Washington. but one of its hand
soonest political lions. Had not the
contest become a veritable free for
all, he would undoubtedly have been
| the victor, for the congressional cau-
Gus had nominated him. But Adams
regarded himself as the heir ap-
parent as Secretary of State, and
the frontier forces brought their
fists down hard on the political
table in asserting the rights of Clay
and Jackson.
Despite this, with the edge of the
congressional caucus, it might have
been that he would have been the
successful candidate, had not a seri-
Gus illness neceSsitated his active
withdrawal from public affairs,
about the time it was evident no
candidate had a majority vote and
that the House of Representatives
would elect the President. He was
the victim. too, of rumors, that such
was the state of his health, he could
not possibly survive
Another candidate who quickened
the hearts of the ladies was Henry
Clay. who took up his residence at
Decatur House after its former ILL
fated owner met his death in a
duel. Nor was this Virginia born.
adopted son of Kentucky averse to
the worship of the drawing rooms
and the f1attery of the fair ones,
who were alternately shocked or
complimented by the presence of
one concerning whom there were
exciting rumors of late hours at
cock fights and gaming tables. He,
too. was destined later to fight a
duel with Randolph Just across
| Chain Bridge because of the latter's
fiery denunciation of him for throw
ing his support to Adams.
Wives Were Active.
The wives of the candidates, with
the exception of Mrs. Jackson,
abetted their husbands chances
with theater parties which became
political barometers as we'll as the
social rage. The plan was to in
duce key men in Congress to go
on to the theater after guilefully
planned dinner parties with the
thought that their advocacy of Mrs.
So and Sos night at Washington
theatrical productions would indi-
cate their espousal of the respec-
tive candidacy.
From the accounts of the time
it would appear that Mrs. Craw-
ford's theater party, put on after
certain of her husbands rivals had
held the limelight, must have been
one of the most brilliant of the
series. Guests in her stage box
were Senators Van Buren, of New
York, Howell Cobb of Georgia and
Lowrie of Pennsylvania. with a
phalanx of other congressional
Crawfordites bringing up the rear. >
Mrs. Jackson's famous letter to
her friend Mrs. Kingsley of Nash
vile, Tenn, gives her reaction to
these feminine efforts at vote get
ting. The play actors sent me a