| Show I 1 to 0 f tales and V traditions from rom american political Poli atory 57 FRANK t F HAWN HAGEN AM scon WATSON THE ORIGIN OF AMONG the political factions of IA a century ago it frequently was the practice to pack or ruck erize arize a convention with delegates favorable to their candidates of course it done today what with committees on credentials and all but lets have a peek peck at the democratic convention of 1835 and see how the expression to rucke originated doughty old andrew jackson was determined despite spreading opposition in his own party to pass on the presidential mantle to martin van buren of new york he first sought to calm the democratic opponents of van buren and allay their fears of the jackson autocracy to cracy next he issued a call for a party convention to be held in baltimore in may 1835 eighteen months before the election it was the first of the so called snap conventions and its advantages are obvious more than of the delegates who attended history records were from four states over which jackson exercised absolute control no one was permitted to make a speech and there was no platform adopted speeches it was explained by the chairman who presided might brov provoke oke angry discussion and prevent the harmony bar it sought with none but the jackson lieutenants permitted to talk the nomination domination of van buren became a simple matter in fact he was named on a single ballot the embarrassing part to jackson before the vote was cast was that no delegates were in attendance from alabama illinois south carolina or tennessee the kattef latter as everyone knows being his home state so when tennessee was found to be absent because of the split in the party inimical to van buren jacksons lieutenants went into the streets of baltimore and looked around they seized the first they encountered brought him into the convention convention and had him cast 15 votes in behalf of tennessee this mans name happens to have been edward rucker and for or years afterward to rucke meant properly enough the packing of a convention |
