Show I CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS CAMPAIGNS' VI THE THE REVOLT OF THE pEOPLE By Frederic J. J Haskin tIE congressional election In the off year ear of 1826 resulted for the first THE T time In the history of tho the country in returning to congress a majority definitely and violently opposed to the president and his federal administration tion This campaign alsO was remarkable In that ii H represented the first popular political protest of the plain people against what was known as th the gov go gov governing class 1 Its direct result was to overthrow the political polly poll poll- y heal aristocracy which was modeled 0 k on the lines of English English Eng Eng- lish practice and andt t which h had ruled the tile the country from beginning Its indirect indi ret r result was to to establish the tIe American Amer Amor- Iran ican system m of political poll poll- ic-at ic party arty organization 7 vc which In tho the course of years ears has developed a political cal oligarchy of greater and lesser bosses whom Insurgency Insurgency insurgency gency now threatens destruction The movement which resulted in the triumph of the Jacksonian Democracy in 1826 1526 had its definite beginning three years pars earlier In 1820 Monroe had been elected president by unanimous vote The congress congress congress con con- gress elected in 1822 had forty Democrats In the senate against eight n members and in the house there were Democrats as against 72 72 opposition members The majority of these non- non Democrats were known as Federalists al althou although at- at thou though h many of them called themselves Monroe anti-Monroe Democrats As a matter of fact they were not organized and there thc rc was practically but one party In exist exIst- ence Until that time nominations for president president president dent and vice president had been made by partisan caucuses of the members rs of congress As long as there were two parties of approximately equal strength this system was satisfactory because It was calculated to secure harmonious party support for the tho chosen standard bearer But as the Federalist party became be be- came more came more and more effective the conflicting conflicting conflicting con con- ambitions of Democratic leaders brou brought ht the caucus into disrepute No ambitious leader was willing to to- leave heave the choice to a caucus susceptible to the Influence in influence In- In fluence of wire pulling when there was abundant opportunity to carry the matter matter mat mat- ter to the states for final decision There had been no effort to establish a uniform method of choosing presidential electors in the several states and the whole system was chaotic The electors were chosen by general state ticket ac according according according ac- ac cording to the now established uniform practice in some of the states in others the they were elected b by districts and andin andin in Iii others they were chosen choen by the legisla legisla- ture In each state one of these three methods would be selected for each presidential presidential election according to the tho judgment judgment judgment judg judg- ment of the leaders of the tho majority Inthe in inthe inthe the state legislature ure a judgment always based upon considerations of party wel wel- fare As a result the tile people as a whole took tool little interest in the tile presidential elections and were concerned with state stat politics almost almo t to the utter exclusion of national affairs It was generally accepted accepted accepted ac ac- ac- ac that the leaders at Washington would choose the president and that the people had no business to interfere with their choice Although the adoption of the c cOnstitution constitution tion lion had set up a government differing radically in form from that of England It was impossible for English colonists Instantly to shake off the Influence of British Institutions There were two parties in ill England hut both of them were rf represented presented in all phases of political cal activity b by gentlemen who llo were acknowledged acknowledged acknowledged ac ac- ac- ac to occupy a position socially superior to the common people These gentlemen and their class regardless of their partisan were were then and tIlI are ale known as the governing o class lass This practice was followed in the American Ameri Amen can ean republic Tho The Federalists Adams Jay and Marshall as well as the Democrats Democrats Democrats Demo Demo- Jeff Madison and Monroe were all ocIal aristocrats However radical may have been Mr 1 Jeffersons Jefferson's Democratic political theories and however however however how how- ever far he may have han gone one in decrying the superiority of the aristocrats he was wasby wasby b by birth and education a representative of the ruling classes Tn the generation of political leaders which on the stage in the uprisIng uprisIng uprising ing of 1810 men like Clay and Calhoun also were of this same class Violent as they sometimes were wore In their political disputes until the they were all agreed and their thir position that only men trained especially in the profession of statecraft should bo be with public office was not questioned in any quarter With the exception of the four years of the Adams administration the president president dent always had been a Virginian and a member of a certain aristocratic clan It had become the accepted rule that either the vice Ice president or some same member of the cabinet should succeed to the chief mal mag Washington was succeeded b by Vice President Adams Adams was succeeded succeeded suc sue by Vi Vice co President Jefferson Jef Jo- ferson was succeeded b by Secretary of State Madison 1 Madison was sUC succeeded by Secretary of State Monroe and Monroe's Monroes Mon 1 roes roe's second term was about to expire and as there was but one party part the Question ques Ques- tion of succession was much was much mooted John Quincy Adams secretary of state stale thought that he was wa in line of succession sion to the practice of years William H IT Crawford secretary 0 of the treasury John- John C. C Calhoun secretary e of war and Henry Cla Clay speaker of tho the house of representatives es also aspired to succeed Monroe in the white house Thes three cabinet members and the speaker of the house all were together in Washington Wash rash ington and they had no thought ht but that they would be he permitted to fight the matter out among themselves anti ana the others of their caste of professional poli poll But nut they were destined to be pointed A now new generation of people had sprung up who were not hound bound in any fashion hv v the memories of British cus cus- toms tonis The They were beginning to dema demand demanda a more direct opportunity to participate in the affairs of government In state after state the legislature in response to demand had been forced to to extend the suffrage by removing or re redu reducing re- re du ing property qualifications In the spring of 1823 the tho citizens of Blout county Tennessee held a mass meeting at their county seat of Mary Mary- vine ville and adopted resolutions which embodied embodied embodied em em- bodied for the first time Limo a statement of the new Idea In politics which was that I any man mail has a rl right ht to aspire to un any I office from president down wm trained or untrained in statecraft without without with with- I out regard to his having tilled filled or not filled public office In the past The rile mass meeting praised d Andrew Jackson son The Tennessee legislature forms formally Ily nominated Andrew Jack Jackson on for president of the United States at the tile same sarno time calling upon the th people of tho the other states to overthrow the political oligarchy at WashingtOn n to dethrone King ICing Caucus and to Insist upon the popular election of presidential electors I Calhoun ln withdrew from the tile presidential I ratA rae and became a candidate for vice i president An attempt was made to convene convene con con- I vene ene a Democratic nominating caucus but only onlo sixty-six sixty of the members rH of congress attended the meeting which solemnly declared William H. H Crawford of Georgia to b be the regular Democratic Democratic- tlc tlc- I Republican nominee for president of the tho United d States The older g generation o of Democrats Including Jefferson the founder founder foun foun- der of the party and Madison and Monroe Mon lon ro roe were regular and supported Craw Craw- ford In eighteen states the tile elector were chosen by the people and In iii six b by the legislatures Jackson received a large huge plurality of the popular vote ote and also a plurality but not a majority of the electoral electoral elec dee toral vote The rhe election for PI went into tile the house of representatives Henry Clay was speaker of tho the house but as ho was the fourth candidate Inthe Inthe in inthe the el electoral colleges his name under the constitution could not be he considered d. d The Tue vote was ViLS cast by states the Clay men voting for Adams and Adams was elected receiving the theote vote ote of thirteen states against seven for Jackson anc and four for Crawford Calhoun was elected vice president Clay was at once appointed secretary of or state In the new cabinet and the Jacl jackson jack jack- son SOIl men charged that Clay had given his strength to Adams in consideration o oa of ofa ofa a promise to be appointed to the premier premier- ship This was denounced denounce as a corrupt harg bargain ln and justly or unjustly was made a major political Issue The majority majority ma ma- of the members of the house elected elect elect- ed etl in 1824 1821 were inclined to support the administration as Adams had declined to use the Ute appointing power and had continued con con- con j the officers of the Monroe administration administration adminis adminis- In Ill power But the people were not content They rhey felt that the aristocrats at ut Washington had conspired to defeat forthe for forthe forthe the presidency the man who was wac evidently evi evl- dently the choice of a great plurality o of the people The congressional campaign of 18 1526 6 was wasa a veritable revolution i ne lie old style statesmen were retired and representatives tives of the plain people were selected to succeed them When the elections were over it was found that the house was composed of anti-Adams anti men mento mento mento to five eighty-five Adams men Practically all 1111 of them claimed to be Democrats bu but this revolution re was to divide that party and to usher In the new Whig party But the political effect of the revolution w was s tremendous Every legislature III m th union but one w was s forced to provide for forthe forthe forthe the popular election of presidential electors elec elec- tors and from that day until this tills political political cal nominations In theory at least have had their source in the people That the tile same revolution established the tho modern spoils system and made possible the modem modern modern mod mod- em ern political boss does not detract from its glory in view of the fact that its engineers were plotting to destroy a t present present present pres pres- ent evil not Ilot knowing what the future might bring forth Tomorrow Tomorrow Congressional Congressional Campaigns VII A VII A New Alignment of Parties |