Show u d o 0 Tales m d r V Traditions from American Political History I IT FRANK E. E HAGEN AND AN ANDELMO ELMO SCOTT WATSON THAT TWO THIRDS RULE RULEN IN FN N 1832 a Democratic President decided to have his party's convention convention convention con con- the first it had ever held him and along with that decision he directed that the nomination of his running mate should be made by vote of tw two two- r thirds of the con convention delegates One hundred and four years later later later lat lat- lat lat- er a Democratic President decided ed to have his party's convention him and along with that action he brought about the abolition of the old century-old two thirds rule The man who originated that dis distinctively distinctively distinctively Democratic institution was Andrew Jackson The man who ended its existence was Franklin Frank Frank- lin D. D Roosevelt Jackson had selected his secretary secretary secretary secre secre- tary of state Martin Van Buren for foJ the position of vice The senate had only recently rejected rejected rejected re re- re- re Van Burens Buren's appointment as minister to Great Britain and Old Hickory thought it would square accounts with that body to have the Red Fox preside over it Also vice-presidents vice in those days usually succeeded to the Presidency through regular election election elec elec- tion and Jackson wanted Van Buren I to be his successor So when his party prepared to toI hold its first convention in Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Balti Balti- I more in 1832 Jackson wrote out this resolution which he gave to toof toone toone one of his lieutenants to present to the delegates Resolved That each State shall shall- be entitled in the nomination of a candidate lor for the Vice Presidency v I to a number of votes equal to the number to which they will be entitled entitled entitled en en- titled in the Electoral College under under tinder un- un der the new apportionment in voting voting voting vot vot- ing for President and Vice dent and that two-thirds two of the whole number of the votes in the convention shall be necessary to constitute a choice The Baltimore convention was wasas wasas I as completely dominated by Jackson Jackson Jackson Jack Jack- son as the recent Philadelphia meeting was controlled by Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt so the delegates obediently adopted the resolution During Jacksons Jackson's lifetime several efforts were made to abolish the rule but all of them failed After his death it became all but sacred acred and for forthe forthe forthe the next hundred years ears the shadow of Andrew J Jackson ackson in the form of this rule hung over every Democratic Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic convention GASTRONOMICAL NE of the best hest ways to win a o ONE Presidential campaign is to get a good slogan and ami din it in the voters' voters ears A good slogan appeals ap ap- ap- ap peals s to the instincts or to the emotions emotions emo emo- emotions rather than to the intellect Combine that fact with the old saying saying saying say say- ing about the best way to a mans man's heart hoart is through his stomach and it its it's s easy to understand certain inI incidents incidents in in- I in political history Back in 1840 when the Whigs were trying to elect Gen William Henry Henry Henry Hen Hen- ry Harrison over Martin 1 Van Buren the Democratic candidate they raised the cry of Vans Policy I I Fifty Cents a Day and French Soup Our Our Pol Policy cy T Two v. v Dollars lla a Day and Roast Koast j seer Would a hungry voter hesitate long between the two Of course not But there was another gastronomical gastronomical gastro- gastro angle to this campaign The singing Whigs set to the tune of Auld Lang Syne Sync such words as these Should good old cider chier be despiser despise And neer ne'er regarded more Should plain log cabins be despised Our fathers Cathers built of yore For the true old style my boy boyat si For the true ole old style tyle Lets Let's take a 1 mug of cider now For the true old style So the thirsty voters who wanted good old cider joined with the hungry voters who wanted roast beef and together they elected Harrison Although the Whigs' Whigs slogan in 1840 was the ancestor of the Full Dinner Pail of a later era that expression didn't actually come in into into into in- in to use until 1896 In that year the opponents were Democratic Bryan and Republican McKinley The tariff tariff tariff tar tar- iff was the principal issue and the Republicans had various prosperity slogans But wise old Mark Hanna boiled them all down into the vote- vote getting slogan of the Full Dinner Pail and the American laborer who wanted one voted for McKinley McKinley McKinley McKin McKin- ley and elected him two Thirty-two years later the Republicans Republicans Republicans Re Re- publicans used a variation on the prosperity theme and their promise promise promise prom prom- ise to the voters of A CIA car car- carin in every garage and a chicken in every pot helped Herbert Hoover defeat Al Smith in the election of 1928 0 Western Newspaper Union |