Show fT e fir sf Presidential t I IIII I 1 o y II iba i 7 r 1 T q 7 sJ s J 1 rL tl F III 4 By ELMO SCOTT WATSON JALK LK about the 1932 Presidential campaign Is alrea already y In the tho air and andA A II It t wont won't be long now until the two r ii major parties will wll be deciding ng where they will hold their conventions to select the b standard bearers In next nest years year's race So It Is appropriate at this time to recall that the first h 1 Presidential convention was held Just years ago ngo and the story of that hat historic gathering Is one of the Interesting incidents In our national national na history which Is but little known to most Americans Most ost Americans no doubt bellee believe believe be be- lieve lle that we have ha had Presidential nominating conventions con ever since American political parties parties par ties came into existence an and that such a method method method meth meth- od of or selecting candidates was v orI originated b bjone bj by byone one of ot the two major parties which have always al nl always ways dominated governmental affairs But the fact Is that neither belief Is correct The republIc republic republic re re- re- re public h had d been In existence nce more than four Cour decades decades decades de de- de- de cades an and had already chosen six Presidents when this procedure which was re regarded as n a startling Innovation at the time came Into ex es' More than that It was not the In en lion of one of ot the then leading 1 part parts parties s but II It was brought Into bein being by an obscure tIon which played a minor role In one Presidential campaign and then quickly passed out of ot existence Not even en the fact act that the two leadIn leading par parties parties parties ties of that period Immediately adopted the nn na no national notional Honal convention Idea as have hate all aU later parties partIes parties par par- ties until now It Is an essential part of or the American political scheme has been en sufficient to keep alive alIe the memory of ot the Masonic Anti party a religious-political religious phenomenon which In September 1831 held in Baltimore Md Id the first authentic national Presidential nominating ing lag convention contentIon And to round out the paradox of ot this historic incident which Is filled with paradoxes It should be recorded that the nominee nominee nomi nomi- nee of ot the Masonic Anti-Masonic party was himself a n aMason aMason Mason I It Is probable that a national nominating convention would have come about eventually In the process of American political evolution e even en If It there had never been an Masonic Anti-Masonic party Ent It so happened that this organization came on the sc scene ne at a time when the grow growth tu of the Democratic spirit In the American people was rising to a hIgh tide and the dissatisfaction tion with the previous method of ot choosing PresIdential Presidential Presidential candidates had reached Its peak So whether by design or by chance this party responded responded re re- re- re to a popular demand with a new and acceptable method and thus gets the credit for tor Inaugurating a custom which Is a milestone In American political history During the first two decades of ot our history as a nation It became the practice for each party to hold a congressional caucus and nominate nominate nomi nomi- nate candidates for Cor President and nd vice president dent But gradually the caucus grew Into disfavor The dictum of ot the party members of congress was not always alwa's accepted by everybody c In 1808 two powerful competitors for the succession succession sion to Jefferson appeared MadIson appeared Madison and Monroe Mon Mon- roe roe and and both were put forward by state legislative legislative legis legis- lathe caucuses In Virginia The congressional caucus decided In favor of ot Madison Several members members members' of ot congress who did not favor Madison Madi Madl Madison son appealed to the country not only against the regularity of ot the procedure e but against the caucus system Itself But the caucus won out in that Instance and Madison was elected Prest dent Though the con congressional caucus continued to make presidential nominations until 1824 King Caucus as It was now called continued to be regarded with more and more disfavor In 1824 William H. H Crawford of ot Georgia was the caucus nominee of the Republican party but the rank and file of the the party refused to accept accept ac ac- ac him and he came out third In the list of candidates In th the election So King Caucus was dethroned and Democratic America was ready to for a new ne and more representative method meth meth- od of choosing Its candidates for President This was furnished by lIy the Masonic Anti party which was brought Into being by the following events In 1824 a certain William Morgan settled In BatavIa N N. Y He had been a Mason but becoming becoming becoming be be- coming dissatisfied with the fraternity he pub pub- published published a book which purported to reveal the secrets secrets secrets se se- se- se crets of the order In 1820 Morgan disappeared and the rumor was started that he had been abducted and murdered b by the Masons Then Ther was no proof that they had an anything to do wIth wit his disappearance but the Incident was capitalIzed capital capitalIzed upon by enemies of the order and through New York New England a and aad d Pennsylvania spread the UlC suspicion that the order whose whoso mem mern was mainly from tho the wealthier claB classes es was a secret political society as fiS well as ns a fro fra fraternal order whose Influence swayed Juries an anti legislatures So America had a first class men flee aoe to get excited over and the politicians were wert t ts s t i ny lu ck to seize upon It to promote their own ambitious The result was the formation of the MasonIc party part at a national convention con held eld In Philadelphia In September 1830 attended attended at at- tended ended by bi 00 DO dele delegates ates from Crom 10 states There It was as decI decided ed to hold a national nominating convention con con- the next year Of Ot this party part Prof Proto William 0 O. O Lynch in his book ook Fifty Years of Party Warfare 1780 1837 published recently by hy the Bobbs Bobbs' Merrill company com corn pony any writes The Antl- Antl Masonic Anti strength was greatest In the East Kast The movement made e lit Ill tie the le headway In the West save Ohio and was weak in the South In the New England stoics states New ew York and anti Pennsylvania Pennsyl th the number of Anti Anti sons was great The strongest leaders appeared in these commonwealths Among the political leaders who had some prominence In Inthe inthe the lie Masonic Anti party were William Illiam II II Seward Sew Sew- ard rd Thurlow Weed Millard Fillmore Albert H H. Tracy Francis Gran Granger er John Crary and Frederick Fredrick Fred Fred- rick erick Whittlesey of New York Thaddeus Steens Stevens Stev Stev- ens ns and Richard Rush flush of Pe Pennsylvania E Edt Edward ard Everett and John Quincy Adams of etts Other leaders who looked with favor on the he party were William WIrt John Marshall hall John C C. Calhoun John McLean McLeah and Daniel Webster Andrew Jackson who was was was' then then Pre President was a Mason and seemed certain cutaIn of ot re election re-election unless some strong stron c combination could be formed n against him So an effort wa was deyto to I Induce e Henry lenry Cla Clay to lead the new ne party or at nt least to o unite the Antl- Antl Masons Anti with the wing tving of the National Republican party pirt of which he hd was ivas the he leader under his banner The only trouble trimble trou trim ble le with this effort was that Clay himself erns a Mason and although he was I not t an si antic member of ot the order the tho efforts efforts- to get him to TI renounce It failed In September 1031 Clay wrote a letter Inre ply to a u committee of Masons Anti Ant AntI Masons Anti I sORS In is Indiana who had asked him for his sentiments on Masonry Mason Mason- ry which may possibly have ha vitally affected his ils political fortunes and kept him from Teal real zing izing his fondest ambition of ot going t to the the White House In this letter Clay said said that sho should ld he give Ive his views on Masonry It would Imply that individual sentiments on on the subject form formed ell a proper consideration In regard to voting for tor persons to o fill federal offices He lie declared d that that Americans AmerIca s should vote for President without regard reg-ard to religious social benevolent nt or literary literary liter liter- ary associations Further than u that he made a statement which was a criticism of or An Mason Anti I ry when he lie said If indeed y you u gentlemen will point to a provision In the Federal Constitution Const Const- which can legitimately be made to operate op Opt operate erate upon the subject In question I would not hesitate to comply with your our request This was a definite turn down for th the AntI Antl Masons and years later Thurlow Weed d declared that If Ir Clay had not written this letter the Masons Anti would have joined the National Republicans and would have defeated Such a combination he lie declared would have given I Clay New York Pennsylvania Pennsyl Vermont Yermont Georgia North NorU Carolina and Louisiana In addition addition ad ad- to the states that he did carr carry enough to have ha Insured him a n safe majority In the electoral votes totes Turning to their next 1 best bet the Anti Antl Masons picked upon William Wirt of or Maryland as ls their choice WIrt had been one of ot the attorneys attorneys at nt who had prosecuted Aaron Burr for tor treason had hud served as general attorney In the cabinets of ot both Madison and Monroe and was widely regarded as an able and outstanding man So when the firs' firs national nominating convention ever eer held heM In the United States assembled assembled as ns In the old oil Athenaeum In Baltimore re In September 1831 It selected WIrt as Its choice for candidate for tor President and named Amo Amor Ellmaker er of ot Pennsylvania as ns his hs running mate for vice president And this d despite the Ue fact fac that WIrt was a u Mason of or many years standing and ind had never renounced his allegiance to that I order 1 I His Ills letter of acceptance has often been cited 1 as a practical renunciation of Masonry but butt I It t was far from that In It he said In substance substance sub sub- stance that bot both in In conversation lon and in letters a to friends he had spoken of the contentions i I j over Masonry as a subject more fit for farce than tragedy and anel had been grieved c at at seeing SO sonic some of m my friends Involved ol In what appeared to me such a wild 1 and unjust persecution a against so harmless an nn Institution as Free Free- masonry The candidate of ot the Masons Anti then admitted ad his ideas upon the subject had undergone undergone undergone under under- gone some modification however and that he did lId find some cause for alarm In the actions of f overzealous o members of or the order Concerning Concerning Con Con- the new party he was asked to lead lend WIrt wrote after fitter describing his own affiliation with Ith Masonry e. e extending tending over o a period of ot 30 years ears I had supposed that the very erY principles of or your union was a war of t Indiscriminate proscription pro pro- against n all persons throughout the United States who had borne the ever er name namo i I of Mason rason that you ou would put In nomination no I persons who had ever been a n Mason Iason and and who I would not moreover pled pledge e himself to become a party to such a war of Indiscriminate e. e extermination exterminate te tion n and wield the appointing power of the he office omco under your our dictation who would not In short become the president of ot your our part party Instead of or beIng being be lie ing the President ent of the United States I am happy to find that this Is an error This attitude of ot their cnn candidate was far from satisfactory to the more earnest of ot the Anti Anti- Masons ns an and they became even e more dissatisfied wh q the campaign campal n got under wn way For WIrt made maUe no attempt to carry carryon on on active cam cam- How lIow plainly he felt that an unpleasant nt j jolt Job h had been heen wished off ofT on him and that there thero was no no hope of ot his being elected Is shown by bya a letter which he lie wrote to Judge Carr an Intimate intimate Inti inti- mate friend In It he said I I had th thought u ht I had no rl right ht to object to tho Masons Anti proposing me to the consideration of or the people for the office of ot President Every other chance of uniting tho the opposition to Jackson had vanished This alone remained and i d faint as It was I considered It my to permit the offer to be made It has been lIeen made the National Republicans have ha declared against the union which alone I had In view I Ican Ican can perceive neither dignity nor decency In continuing continuing con con- the nomination I It Is true that when I accepted the nomination nomination nomination nomina nomina- tion I knew that this state of things ml might ht arise But nut It Is not true that I knew If It It should arise the Masons anti would still persist in the nom I nation It never ne entered Into my Imagination that they could wish to do po so o vain and foolish n H thing What end can It answer to themselves It will only expose their weakness They cannot carry a single state except perhaps Vermont In such circumstances what a figure will they and their can candidate make In a Presidential contest It will annihilate them and me mc too by bythe bythe bythe the mere force of rl ridicule He was a true prophet Not only did Clay tall fail to beat Jackson as WIrt had hall hoped hope but as ns ashe ashe h he had also predicted Vermont with Its seven seveD electoral votes was the only tato carried by hy the anti Even en John Floyd of or Georgia who ran as an un In independent did better than that Ho got 11 electoral votes voles After the election electron of 1832 this p ty cd ed from the national I scene Most of ot Its members were absorbed by Ithe I Ithe I the Whigs although h In Pennsylvania It continued con con- con 1 I Its identity for several years and amI elected elected a io governor In 1835 But even e It played such a small part on the American political I stage the Masonic anti party and Its standard standard- standard 1 I i bearer hearer William WIrt are deserving of remembrance 1 I J brance as us the party part which gave ga to the country i he be national convention system jQ j i jQ I Q by br Western Newspaper Union |