Show Election in the House By Frederic J. J Haskin Owing to the possibility of or the tho I election being thrown into the house of representatives this year ear it will willbe willbe be interesting to review the history of or the tenth election held in 1824 1324 the second contest to be decided in congress since the foundation of the i government i When the tho citizens of Blount county county coun coun- I 1 ty Tennessee held a mass meeting at Maryville early in iii the year ear 1823 they little HUle thought that their action was to revolutionize the methods or oL choosing a president of oC the United States States' that they were to be responsible responsible responsible sible for the beginning of ot political party organizations In this country or that they were to take tale the first step to prove that a man has a right to aspire to the office of president whet whether ler trained or untrained in statecraft These vitally important things which directly resulted from the i Blount county ma mass s meeting became issues in in ill the campaign of 1824 and caused that contest to be the firstIn first firstin I in which the American nation select selected select select-I ed a president according to the general I geh-I gen gell- eral methods s still sUll obtaining Tl This This' S' S Blount county meeting mass-meeting I started all the trouble It refused to 10 be hound bound b by the then recognized rules that a president must be se- se le cedi rom among those schooled in statecraft and experienced in ad ad- ministration Every president l up P to that time Iliad had been heen a man directly connected ted with the separation nom England and sand the formation on of the republic under the constitution Each president had been either vice vice- president or ur a cabinet officer in inthe inthe the administration preceding his se se- se lection The people had practically nothing to say in the matter of or choosing el electors and popular Interest interest interest inter Inter- est in a presidential campaign was wasH H slight f Furthermore with the tile exception of or four fOUl years of John Adams' Adams administration administration administration admin admin- the head of of of the government govern govern- ment mout had been a Virginian and a representative of or an exclusive clique which set much store by culture and knowledge however democratic they may Inay have baye been In their theories of UI government The idea of the S succession to o the presidency was fi firmly rm 1 fixed In the minds of the politicians It happened happened happened hap hap- that there were four tour candid candid- dates in the race s They were John Quincy Adams o of Massachusetts secretary of or state William H. H Crawford d of or G Georgia org t. t secretary of the treasury John C C. C Calhoun un of or South Carolina secretary tary of or war and Henry Clay of or Kentucky Ken Kei- tucky speaker of the house of or rep rep- So it appeared that the country i was safe whatever the outcome for tOl every cry one of or the aspirants was as a trained statesman o of prominence in inthe thu the administration I Then this Blount J county mass mass- as meeting occurred It 1 wowed pow d awhile and then adopted a 1 r solution tion formally Jorman nominating for president president president dent of or the United States Andrew Andre Jackson of Tennessee The Tennessee Idea 1 Thus Titus originated what would be known n in political terms nowadays as the Tennessee idea Andrew Jackson had been a great soldier Everybody recognized that fact and lev everybody praised him for for forthe the strategy of Horseshoe Bend and his military genius in III the battle or New Mew Orleans But h he lie had little or no ito experience in statecraft notwithstanding a short service in both houses of congress The rIle conservatives all over the country country coun coun- try held up their hands in hi hol holy horror and cried out This man Is not fit to be president He is un un- dignified He cant can't speak He the doesn't know know the classics lie Ho wouldn't know how to act at a dinner dinner dinner din din- ner party He is unspeakable For a time the Ule three members ers of Monroes Monroe's cabinet and the speaker of or orthe the house who were running for lor president declined to pay much at attention attention attention at- at to in Jackson Jackson in fact he was vas regarded as a joke At this time Ume it must be remembered there was only one part party The old Federal party part organization had disappeared an and l Monroe had re received re- re ever every vote but one in the electoral college of 1820 The Demo Demo- cratic party part had everything its own wa way I The Tennessee idea was crystallized crystal crystal- li ed in a set of or resolutions passed by the state legislature and und sent sept to I the legislatures of or other states for tor approval denouncing King Ca Caucus Presidential nominations had been dictated by hy the tho congressional caucus caucus caucus cau cau- cus but the method was already becoming unpopular The Tennessee Tennes Tennes- see idea spread and with its spread the Tennessee candidate bec became mo stronger The hero of QC New Orleans appealed to the popular mind even if it he ho was unpopular with the states states- men men On Last Page ELEt ELECTION ION I IN IS TUB THE HOUSE ROUSE From From Page Page One Oue Early In In 1824 1224 King King- Caucus made his last stand only 63 of or the mem members of congress attending the meeting which solemnly William H. H Crawford secretary of ot the treasury to be the regular Demo I Republican erotic nominee lor for president Republican Democratic-Republican was was' the official name of at the party although either name was used popularly The old conservative orga organization made a firm stand for Crawford He had the support of Thomas Jefferson Jefferson Jeffer Jeffer- Jefferson son the founder of the party of President Monroe and of all aU the ul- ul forces But Jacksons Jackson's Jacksons Jackson's Jackson's Jacksons Jack Jack- sons son's strength began to be apparent apparent and amid some of the practical po politicians of or the east where not slow t to recognize recognize recognize nize the fact A Jackson convention was held at Harrisburg Pa which h adopted a resolution denouncing the the scheme oi or I succession to the presidency by a cabinet officer George II Dallas Dalias was then thell boss in ill Pennsylvania and he handed the state over to Jackson Jack Jack- son Whereupon Calhoun w l ose e main strength had been In Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Pennsyl Pennsyl- Pennsylvania vania withdrew from droin the race and was accepted by everybody as th the tae candidate for vice president I How Electors Were Chosen Jackson was hailed as the Peoples Peoples Peo I ples pIes candidate on the one side and denounced an audacious and presuming pre- pre I suming sinning ignoramus on Oil the other m I There I were then twenty-four twenty states in the Union In ten of these pres I electors were chosen by pop pop- ular molar vote for a a general ticket in the fashion now universally prevailing In III seven the electors were voted on by districts A And d in lu tJ the e other seven the electors i lh r. r were chosen by the leg- leg U Uj j ul sue LUU 4 people nail had no vote for president at all The states where the people had no choice were New York Delaware Georgia Louisiana South Carolina Vermont t and Inch Indi a ana na The Jackson people began a great hue huo and cry against the appointment appoint appoint- ment meat of oC electors by legislatures and duel demanded that the people have voice in presidential elections As a matter of fact up to that time the people had never shown vital any interest in the presidential elec- elec Even iu in the J e tors states where electors electors elec- elec were chosen frage by votes the suf suf- was so limited ted by other qualification property and as to make the result an anything thing but popular The Te lItres conservatives controlled the legisla- legisla however and only state to yield Indiana was the outcry to the p popular pular and change from rom legislature to POl ular selection ing that or of electors during during dur- dur Campaign f r In the New York legislature Crawford rea a rd combination d and the bill bilI was popular providing for f or election of fea teel 17 to electors was defeated defea de- de 14 In the When the senate New York r legislature came to n choose electors tuie there was another great fight At the outset the Crawford bad hael people a lead bl but t not a a long fight majority ann andl ensued Adams and Then the Clay Supporters formed a and Ch chose SG electors woo g- g gave their votes 26 for for Crawford 4 for i Adams 1 5 f J Jackson n Three of or the electors w wh who were chosen as as' Clay men their votes among Cla Clay Crawford Crawfo and Jackson If H these three eli elect elec elec- t tors had stood by their agreement to la vote for fol Clay John Quincy Adai Adans would never have ave been president When the election was over 1 was found that Jackson was far to In Inthe the lead in the popular vote but but U n everybody had known for months monti the house of representatives im tau most choose the president In the ee- ee tier tier- toral college Jackson had recel 99 95 votes Adams 84 Crawford 11 1 4 and Clay 37 I As the house of chooses choose'S fro from l the three can candidates candidates candi- candi dates Clay was dropped from ithe i fur furi the consideration If the tm tire time New York electors had obeyed thi their instructions Clay would have be bees bee third in the race and Crawford Crawfo would have been dropped Clay was sp speaker aker of the house of 01 representatives and he conduct the election There was a comb thou lion of ot Clay and Adams fort form force which gave the votes of States to Adams seven to Jacks JackSin and four to Crawford thereby eft eat ing lug Adams president Yet this campaign brought H into prominence the first popular cand cam date for president and he received a plurality of both popular and e ear ear- eJ tion The people of Blount coun count were forced to wait waft another foat years to see their idea triumph |