STEVENSON, ANDREW, of Virginia, President Second Democratic National Convention.... Ditto, President National Democratic Convention, 1848...... STRANGE, ROBERT, of North Carolina, beaten for Vice-President in Democratic Convention, 1852.... SUMNER, CHARLES, of Massachusetts, de- Opinions of John Taylor of Caroline, Va., John WHITE, HUGH L., of Tennessee, unsuccessful candidate for President 12 12 12 16 WILMOT, DAVID, of Pennsylvania, defeated 26 20 WILSON, Gen. HENRY, of Massachusetts, President of Free Democratic National Convention, 1852 21 22 174 175 176 177 TAYLOR RATIFICATION MEETING at Philadelphia, 1848, and Resolves 15 WIRT, WILLIAM, of Maryland, Anti-Masonic candidate for President, 1882 WILKINS, WILLIAM, of Pennsylvania, supported by Pennsylvania for Vice-President, 1882.. WISCONSIN declares for Free Territory, through Legislative Resolves..... WOODBURY, LEVI, of New-Hampshire, beaten for President in Democratic Convention, 1848 WRIGHT, SILAS, of New-York, nominated for Vice-President by Democratic National Convention of 1844, but declined.. YANCEY, WILLIAM L., of Alabama, offers non-interference" resolve in Democratic Convention, 1848.. ...... ....... 10 11 201 16 18 17 He advocates Revolution in the South..... YOUNG, Col. SAMUEL, of New-York, Presi 178 Elected President in 1848. 16 dent of the Barnburners' Convention at Utica in 1848... 17 A POLITICAL TEXT-BOOK FOR 1860. NATIONAL CAUCUSES, CONVENTIONS, AND PLATFORMS. a potent influence over such questions, being, on this occasion, unable to agree as to which of her favored sons should have the preference. Ninety-four of the 136 Republican members of Congress attended this caucus, and declared their preference of Mr. Madison, who received 83 votes, the remaining 11 being divided between Mr. Monroe and George Clinton. The Opposition supported Mr. Pinckney; but Mr. Madison was elected by a large majority. NATIONAL Conventions for the nomination of candidates are of comparatively recent origin. in the earlier political history of the United States, under the Federal Constitution, candidates for President and Vice-President were nominated by congressional and legislative caucuses. Washington was elected as first President under the Constitution, and reëlected for a second term by a unanimous, or nearly unanimous, concurrence of the American people; but an opposition party gradually grew up in Toward the close of Mr. Madison's earlier Congress, which became formidable during his term, he was nominated for reëlection by a second term, and which ultimately crystalized Congressional Caucus held at Washington, in into what was then called the Republican May, 1812. In September of the same year, a party. John Adams, of Massachusetts, was convention of the Opposition, representing prominent among the leading Federalists, while eleven States, was held in the city of NewThomas Jefferson, of Virginia, was preëmi-York, which nominated De Witt Clinton, of nently the author and oracle of the Republican party, and, by common consent, they were the opposing candidates for the Presidency, on Washington's retirement in 1796-7. Mr. Adams was then chosen President, while Mr. Jefferson, having the largest electoral vote next to Mr. A., became Vice-President. The first Congressional Caucus to nominate candidates for President and Vice-President, is said to have been held in Philadelphia in the year 1800, and to have nominated Mr. Jefferson for the first office, and Aaron Burr for the second. These candidates were elected after a desperate struggle, beating John Adams and Charles C. Pinckney, of South Carolina. In 1804, Mr. Jefferson was reelected President, with George Clinton, of New-York, for Vice, encountering but slight opposition: Messrs. Charles C. Pinckney and Rufus King, the opposing candidates, receiving only 14 out of 176 Electoral Votes. We have been unable to find any record as to the manner of their nomination. In January, 1808, when Mr. Jefferson's second term was about to close, a Republican Congressional Caucus was held at Washington, to decide as to the relative claims of Madison and Monroe for the succession, the Legislature of Virginia, which had been said to exert New-York, for President. He was also put in nomination by the Republican Legislature of New-York. The ensuing canvass resulted in the reëlection of Mr. Madison, who received 128 electoral votes to 89 for De Witt Clinton. In 1816, the Republican Congressional Caucus nominated James Monroe, who received, in the caucus, 65 votes to 54 for Wm. H. Crawford, of Georgia. The Opposition, or Federalists, named Rufus King, of New-York, who received only 34 electoral votes out of 217. There was no opposition to the reëlection of Mr. Monroe in 1820, a single (Republican) vote being cast against him, and for John Quincy Adams. In 1824, the Republican party could not be induced to abide by the decision of a Congressional Caucus. A large majority of the Republican members formally refused to participate in such a gathering, or be governed by its deci sion; still, a Caucus was called and attended by the friends of Mr. Crawford alone. Of the 261 members of Congress at this time, 216 were Democrats or Republicans, yet only 66 res ponded to their names at roll-call, 64 of whom voted for Mr. Crawford as the Republican nominee for President. This nomination was very extensively repudiated throughout the country, and three competing Republican candidates POLITICAL TEXT-BOOK FOR 1860: COMPRISING A BRIEF VIEW OF PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS: INCLUDING ALL THE NATIONAL PLATFORMS EVER YET ADOPTED: ALSO, A HISTORY OF THE STRUGGLE RESPECTING SLAVERY IN THE TERRITORIES, AND OF THE ACTION OF CONGRESS AS TO THE FREEDOM OF THE PUBLIC LANDS, WITH THE MOST NOTABLE SPEECHES AND LETTERS OF MESSRS. LINCOLN, DOUGLAS, BELL, CASS, SEWARD, EVERETT, BRECKINRIDGE, H. V. JOHNSON, ETC., ETC., TOUCHING THE QUESTIONS OF THE DAY; AND RETURNS OF ALL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS SINCE 1836. COMPILED BY HORACE GREELEY AND JOHN F. CLEVELAND. NEW-YORK: PUBLISHED BY THE TRIBUNE ASSOCIATION. 154 NASSAU-STREET. |