Evening star., 1940-10-20
By JESSIE FAINT EVANS.

Here in Washington, all is rela-
lively quiet on the banks of the
Potomac in connection with the
coming election. in sharp contrast
to the acrimonious dispute which
rocked the National Capital in 1924.
Imagine the three ranking cabi-
net officers. the Speaker of the
House and the most aggressive Sem
ator of the outgoing administration
as rivals for the highest elective Of
flee IN the land, and you have the
political picture of that time.
Over century ago the procedure
for selecting presidential candidates
was different from the present prac-
tice. They were selected by party
caucuses in Congress and the in
dorsement of State Legislatures.
Not until about 1880 were national
party machines" organized, with
national conventions meeting sew
eral months before each preSiden-
tial election to nominate the candi-
dates.
At the end of President Monroe's
term his three cabinet officers, John
Quincy Adams, John c. Calhoun
and William H. Crawford, and the
Speaker of the House, Henry Clay,
and Andrew Jackson. hero of the
battle of New Orleans and Senator
from Tennessee. each wished to
succeed him as President of the
United States. Each, too. by virtue
of his high Office as a pivotal mem
ber of the closing administration,
was a temporary resident of Wash
ington. with tremendous following
of friends and partisans in every
walk of social and political life.
Calhoun Withdrew.
John C. Calhoun, brilliant Secre-
tary of War under President Mon
roe. made his home at famous Dunn
barton Oaks in Georgetown. now
the famous Robert Woods Bliss es-
tate. His overwhelming popularity
and practical absence of enemies
among the clashing factions lost
him the presidency. Because he
was the unanimous choice of his
opponents for the vice presidency
on each of their tickets he with
drew from the presidential race. His
infant son who died here in WASH
ington Just before the election is
buried in Congressional Cemetery.
Because of the failure of the re-
manning candidates to receive a ma
iority electoral vote, the election was
thrown into Congress. The cleo
toral vote for President stood. 80
for Jackson. 84 for Adams. Al for
Crawford and 81 for Clay. Under
the Constitution. the House of Rep
resentatlves was required to choose
between the three highest. This
left out Clay. Speaker Of the House.
No more violent three-coronered
fight has even been fought in the
history of the Nation. It was waged
on the street corners of the Nation s
Capital. in its saloons of the day. in
the columns of the press, the cloak
and committee rooms of the Capitol
and last, but by no means least, IN
the drawings rooms OF social and
political Washington.
Diatribes. scurrilous cartoons ana
personal attacks in handbills became
the order OF the day.
Each Has Press Organ.
Each candidate. with the exception
of Jackson, aspired to control the
policies of Washington news sheet.
He at first seems to have given the
matter of his own political organ
little attention. Subsequently, his
supporters financed one that out
distanced all other in its attacks
upon his foes.
The National Republican was
originally published in the interests
of Calhoun. Later, with its name
changed to the National Journal
under the leadership of Peter Force
who became Mayor of Washington,
it supported Adams,
A prosperous setup under the
name of the American Mercury was
intended to champion the cause OF
Henry Clay, but did not receive
enough support to warrant its con-
tinuance.
Proponent of Secretary Crawford
was the Weekly Gazette. After the