OHIO
Archaeological and Historical
PUBLICATIONS.
HISTORY
OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
ORAGNIZATION IN THE
NORTHWEST.
1824-1840.
BY
HOMER J. WEBSTER, PH. D.,
Department of History,
University of Pittsburgh.
NOTE.
In the preparation of this work the
writer has received very
helpful suggestions from Professor
Frederic L. Paxson of the
University of Wisconsin; while in every
part of the work he
has received invaluable assistance from
his wife-Edith Fran-
cisco Webster. To both of these he
desires to express here his
hearty appreciation and gratitude.
PITTSBURG, PA., January, 1915.
(1)
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
The material for this work has been
gathered almost entirely
from the files of contemporary
newspapers where alone it was to
be found. These have been used in the
following libraries:
Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison.
Ohio State Library, Columbus.
Young Men's Mercantile Library,
Cincinnati.
Cincinnati Public Library.
Indiana State Library, Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Public Library.
Illinois Historical Society,
Springfield.
Chicago Historical Society.
Detroit Public Library.
The C. M. Burton Historical Collection,
Detroit.
The best national paper on this subject
was the United States
Telegraph until the defection of the editor, Duff Green, in favor
of Calhoun about the middle of 1831.
Then the Globe was es-
tablished and continued as the orthodox
Administration paper.
In Ohio, the best papers were the National
Republican and Cin-
cinnati Gazette at Cincinnati, the St. Clairsville Gazette in
the east-
ern part of the state, and later the Western
Hemisphere, which
continued as the Ohio Statesman, at
Columbus. These papers,
too, represented three important centres
of Democratic activity.
In Indiana the situation in this respect
was very similar to that
in Ohio. There were first two active
Democratic centres on op-
posite sides of the state, each of which
had a good local paper,
the Indiana Palladium at
Lawrenceburgh and the Western Sun
at Vincennes. Then later, August, 1830,
came the establishment
at Indianapolis of the Indiana
Democrat, one of the leading Dem-
ocratic papers in the Northwest. In
Illinois, the best sources
of information were found in the Illinois
State Register published
at Vandalia, and later at Springfield,
the Sangamo Journal at
Springfield, and the Chicago
Democrat, established in 1833. The
best Michigan papers were the Detroit
Daily Free Press, the
(3)
4 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
Niles Gazette and Advertiser, and the Niles Intelligencer. Sev-
eral of the editors of these Michigan
papers had previously
edited papers in New York state, the
training school for Demo-
cratic organization.
Although most of the material has come
from Democratic
papers, the Whig papers have often been
found a valuable check
upon these sources. Much of the material
used, however, has
been of such a character as not to
encourage flagrant misrepresen-
tation and much of it could be found
only in papers of the Demo-
cratic party.
The following list contains the papers
and miscellaneous
works used. Democratic papers are
indicated by a star.
NEWSPAPERS.
NATIONAL.
*Globe. Washington, Daily, 1831-33, 1836-37.
National Intelligencer. Washington, passim.
Niles' Register, Baltimore, 1828-40.
*United States Telegraph. Washington, triweekly, 1827-30, 1832; daily,
1827, 1829-32.
OHIO.
Cincinnati Daily Gazette. Cincinnati, 1827-28.
Cincinnati Emporium. Cincinnati, 1824-25.
*Columbus Sentinel. Columbus, 1831-34.
*Hamilton Advertiser. Hamilton, 1827.
*National Republican and Ohio
Political Register. Cincinnati,
1823-33.
*Ohio Monitor and Patron of Industry.
Columbus, 1823-24, 1827-33.
*Ohio State Bulletin. Columbus, 1829-31.
Ohio State Gazette. Delaware, 1830.
Ohio State Journal. Columbus, passim.
*Ohio Statesman (continuing Western Hemisphere). Columbus,
1837-40.
*St. Clairsville Gazette. St. Clairsville, 1826-29.
Western Aegis. Georgetown, 1827.
*Western Hemisphere. Columbus, 1834-37.
*Western Star and Lebanon Gazette. Lebanon, 1828.
Western Times. Portsmouth, 1827-30.
INDIANA.
*Indiana Democrat. Indianapolis, 1830-37.
*Indiana Palladium. Lawrenceburgh, 1827-36.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 5
Indianapolis Gazette. Indianapolis, 1827-29.
*Madison Courier. Madison, 1839-40.
St. Joseph's Beacon and Indiana and
Michigan Intelligencer. South Bend,
1832-33.
*Western Sun and General Advertiser. Vincennes, 1826-32, 1834-40.
ILLINOIS.
Alton Telegraph. Alton, 1838.
*Chicago Democrat. Chicago, 1833-40.
*Illinois Advocate. Edwardsville, 1831-32-continued as
Illinois Advocate. Vandalia, Jan.-Apr., 1833.
Illinois Advocate and State Register.
Vandalia, 1833-35.
Illinois Advocate. Vandalia, 1835-Mar., 1836.
Illinois State Register and Illinois
Advocate. Vandalia, Mar.-June,
1836.
Illinois State Register and Peoples
Advocate. Vandalia, June, 1836-
Aug., 1839.
Illinois State Register. Springfield, Aug., 1839-40.
Peoria Register and Northwestern
Gazetteer. Peoria, 1837-38.
Sangamo Journal. Springfield, 1831-36.
MICHIGAN.
Detroit Daily Advertiser. Detroit, 1836, 1840.
*Detroit Daily Free Press. Detroit, 1835-40.
*Niles Gazette and Advertiser. Niles, 1835-36.
*Niles Intelligencer. Niles, 1838-40.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Whig Almanac. New York, 1838, 1843.
American Annual Register. Vol. III. New York, 1835.
Selections from the papers of Gov. Allen
Trimble, Old Northwest Genea-
logical Quarterly. Vol. XI. Columbus, 1908.
Ford, Thomas, History of Illinois. Chicago,
1854.
Reynolds, John, History of Illinois. Chicago,
1879.
Sheahan, James W., The Life of
Stephen A. Douglas. New York, 1860.
Johnson, Allen, Stephen A.
Douglas: A Study in American
Politics.
New York, 1908.
Laws of Illinois.
Journals of the House of Representatives
and of the Senate of Illinois.
Peck, Hon. Edward W., Disputed Questions
in the Early History of
Michigan. Michigan Pioneer and
Historical Collections. Vol. XI.
Lansing, 1908.
Cooley, T. M., Michigan (American
Commonwealths). Boston, 1886.
Farmer, Silas. History of
Detroit and Michigan. Detroit, 1889.
CHAPTER I.
BEGINNINGS OF PARTY ORGANIZATION (OHIO AND
INDIANA).
The year 1824 was a turning point in the
history of Amer-
ican political parties. The all
absorbing party, if all the people
may be said to constitute a party, which
had unanimously sup-
ported Monroe in 1820, was then dividing into several groups,
each of which supported its favorite
candidate for the presidency
on purely personal grounds. The
congressional caucus also made
its last appearance that year in
nominating William H. Crawford
for president. The next few years formed
a transitional period
from the felicitous days of the single,
great, harmonious party
of 1820 to the struggle between two rival
descendants of that
party. This division was based on
personal grounds in 1824
and also in 1828. But as party lines
became more clearly drawn,
as in 1832 and 1836, and as the members
of the two parties were
called upon to give reasons for the
faith or lack of faith that
was in them, the divisions came to be
based, or at least were sup-
posed to be based, upon political
principles. In order that these
personal preferences and political
principles might be effective it
was necessary that the party which held
them should be in power.
This meant that it should win the
elections and this in turn that it
must be organized. In the old Northwest,
Ohio, Indiana, Illi-
nois, and Michigan, the Democratic or
Jacksonian party led the
way in this party organization by
introducing the delegate and
convention system. In 1824 the
supporters of Jackson began to
organize and by 1840 they became a well
organized and unified
party. It was largely by means of their
organization that they
gained control in 1828 and retained it
until 1840. It is the pur-
pose of this work to trace the early
stages and the development
of this Democratic party organization in
the Northwest during
this period, from its very beginning to
the completely developed
convention system, with its network of
township, county, district,
(6)
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 7
and state meetings, and its various
committees of vigilance and
correspondence.
Ohio and Indiana first developed
political party organiza-
tion in the Northwest. Ohio, the older
and more populous state,
showed more political organization in
local centres and preceded
Indiana in this activity by a few
months, yet by 1836 Indiana
had developed a distinctly better
centralized system. Illinois
adopted less readily the delegate and
convention system and was
later in the development of its party
organization, but from 1835
to 1840, it made rapid advancement along
these lines, and by the
latter date compared favorably with the
older states. Michigan,
although not admitted to statehood until
shortly after the election
of 1836, participated in that campaign
just as the other states,
and had developed a good party
organization at that time.
Early Steps Toward Organization,
1824.
In Ohio, in the winter of 1823-24, there
was much uncer-
tainty and confusion concerning the
choice of a presidential can-
didate. As a result of this, Jackson's
name was presented in
different connections as a candidate for
vice-president as well as
for president. Thus at a meeting of the
citizens of Jefferson
County, December 2, 1823,
resolutions were adopted favoring
De Witt Clinton for president and Andrew
Jackson for vice-
president.1 Two weeks later a
meeting of the citizens of Ham-
ilton County adopted these same
resolutions.2 This meeting
was
divided in opinion, however, as to
whether Jackson should not
be its candidate for president instead
of Clinton, but upon put-
ting it to a vote, Clinton was supported
by 450 to 330. These
same nominations were made by the
citizens of Geauga County in
January, 1824.3 By April, news
was received which was consid-
ered unfavorable to the candidacy of
Clinton and in conse-
quence of this, the movement to promote
his election was aban-
doned.4 Another combination
called the "People's Ticket," pub-
1National Republican and Ohio
Political Register (Cincinnati), Dec.
16, 1823; Ohio Monitor and Patron of
Industry (Columbus), Jan. 3, 1824.
2National Republican, Dec. 19, 1823.
3Ibid, Feb. 13, 1824.
4Ibid, Apr. 1, 1824.
8 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
lished in a Cincinnati paper, proposed
Adams for president and
Jackson for vice-president.5 This
ticket was supported as late
as June by a meeting in Washington
County.6
The first meetings in Ohio which
nominated Jackson for
president appear to have been those held
in Wayne and Adams
Counties in March, 1824.7
That the followers of Adams and
Jackson were at that time just finding
themselves is evident from
the proceedings of the Adams County
meeting.8 Jackson and
Adams were both considered for president
but the majority fa-
vored Jackson and he was recommended;
also an elector for him
for that congressional district. County
meetings were recom-
mended throughout the state to take
similar action. There was
some discussion on the resolution to
have the proceedings pub-
lished as the voice of the county, but
the majority favored it and
prevailed, although the chairman and
secretary were in the mi-
nority. The editor of the local paper, a
Jackson man, suggested
that the friends of Adams had the
liberty to call counter meet-
ings, and that he would cheerfully
publish their proceedings.
This plan whereby a county meeting
nominated the presi-
dential elector for the congressional
district was followed in a
number of instances at this time.
Meetings were held in Ham-
ilton County in April9 and in
Washington County in May,l0 both
of which pursued this method; both
appointed committees of
correspondence for their respective
counties; and both recom-
mended similar meetings throughout the
state to nominate elec-
tors for Jackson. The Hamilton and Adams
County meetings
adopted in substance the preamble of a
recent Philadelphia meet-
ing which showed that they were somewhat
in touch with polit-
ical activities east of the Alleghanies.
A decided step toward united action was
taken when a meet-
ing of the Jackson committee of
correspondence for Hamilton
5 Cincinnati Emporium, Apr. 1,
1824.
6Ibid, July 1, 1824.
7National Republican, Apr. 6, 1824.
8Ibid, Apr. 6, 1824.
9Ibid, Apr. 20,
1824; Cincinnati Emporium, Apr. 22, 1824.
10National Republican, May 28, 1824.
Democratic Party Organization in the Northwest.
9
County on May 29, adopted the following
preamble and resolu-
tions :11
"Whereas, It has been suggested and recommended by sev-
eral of the Jackson committees of
correspondence in this state
* * * therefore,
"Resolved, That the friends and supporters of General Jack-
son in the several counties in the state
of Ohio be requested to
send delegates to a convention to be
held at the town of Colum-
bus, July 14 next, for the purpose of
agreeing on two candidates
at large for electors of president and
vice-president; to fill all
vacancies which may then exist in the
general ticket for the state;
and to adopt such other measures as may
be necessary and proper
to promote the election of the Jackson
electoral ticket of Ohio.
"Resolved, That the editors and printers of Ohio be requested
to publish the above for the information
of the people."
In pursuance of this call, in the next
six weeks there was a
series of county meetings which
appointed committees of cor-
respondence, recommended electors for
their respective congres-
sional districts, and appointed
delegates to the state convention.12
This convention met July 14 and agreed
upon the sixteen
electors for Jackson.13 The delegates had been instructed in
most cases whom to name for their
respective congressional dis-
tricts, so that the work of the
convention was merely to confirm
the nominations, supply any vacancy, and
nominate the two sena-
torial electors. A committee of
correspondence of three was ap-
pointed with power to fill any vacancies
which might occur in the
electoral ticket. This committee was requested to prepare and
publish an address to the people of Ohio
on the approaching
election. There is evidence that this committee solicited and
opened correspondence with similar
committees in other states.l4
During the summer and fall of 1824, the
Jackson committee
of correspondence of Hamilton County was
very active. At a
meeting on July 24, it was resolved that
their stated meetings
should be held at 3 P. M. on the first
and third Saturdays of each
11 National Republican, June 1, 1824.
12Ibid, June, July, 1824; Ohio Monitor, July, 1824.
13National Republican, July 27, 1824; Ohio Monitor, July 31, 1824.
14National Republican, Oct. 1, 1824.
10 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
month until after the election.15 This
committee was repeatedly
increased in number during that time.
Beginning with fifteen mem-
bers, it was gradually increased to one
hundred and ninety-eight
by the twenty-fourth of September, of
which one hundred and
twenty-one were from Cincinnati.16 That
the interests of the
committee were not confined to Hamilton
County is evidenced
by their resolution passed on August 21,
which read: "that it is
the opinion of this committee that the
persons appointed to pub-
lish the address of the convention at
Columbus should imme-
diately proceed to the publication
thereof."17 The secretary of
the Hamilton County committee was Elijah
Hayward, editor of
the National Republican in
Cincinnati, who was also chairman of
the state committee of correspondence
appointed at the state
convention. This secured a close
connection between the organi-
zations of Cincinnati, Hamilton County,
and the state. For a few
weeks preceding the fall election the
Jackson committees for each
of the four wards of Cincinnati met
"every Thursday evening at
early candle-light,"18 and
several of the townships of the county
were active in their support of Jackson,
each having its com-
mittee of correspondence.19
The friends of Jackson in Franklin
County were also taking
steps to promote his election and had
appointed a committee of
forty-six for that purpose. The chairman
called a meeting of
this committee on October 25, just
preceding the election, and
recommended the township committees of
the county each to ap-
point a delegate to represent them in
this meeting and thus co-
operate with the general committee of
the county.20 Electoral
tickets favorable to Jackson were
provided by the committee.
Viewing the situation generally at this
time, while there was
much activity in some local centres, it
did not extend widely over
the state. There were county meetings to
elect delegates to the
state convention and these also often
nominated electors; but ex-
15National Republican, Aug. 6, 1824.
16Ibid, Sept. 24, 1824.
17 Ibid, Aug. 27, 1824.
18 Ibid, Oct. 12, 1824.
19Ibid, June 11, 1824.
20 Ohio Monitor, Oct. 9, 1824.
Democratic Party Organization in the Northwest. 11
cept in preparation for the state
convention, the delegate and
nominating convention system had not yet
appeared and there
was little development in party
organization. The committees of
correspondence and the state convention
for forming the elec-
toral ticket were the chief
contributions to party organization
for the year 1824 in Ohio.
In Indiana there was also an organized
effort to secure the
election of Jackson in 1824. A meeting
in Switzerland County
in January, adopted the resolutions
supporting Clinton and Jack-
son, passed by the citizens of Jefferson
County, Ohio, already
mentioned, and appointed a committee of
nine to promote their
election.21 But in Indiana, as in Ohio,
Clinton's name for the
presidency was soon superseded by that
of Jackson. During the
first half of the year several county
meetings were held to pro-
mote the candidacy of the latter, but
each followed its own course
and there was no concerted or general
movement. A meeting in
Clark County in May nominated a Jackson
elector for the second
judicial circuit and requested the
friends of Jackson in the other
four circuits of the state to do the
same.22 The citizens of
Orange County held a meeting in July and
nominated five Jack-
son electors for the state.23
By the last of July, however, advanced
ground was taken by
the editor of the Vincennes paper and by
the Democrats of
Franklin County. The editorial advocated
a state convention
for the choice of presidential electors.24
"In Wayne, Dearborn,
and Ripley Counties," wrote the
editor, "candidates are continu-
ally coming forward. * *
* A general convention, county
committees of correspondence, and
township committees of vigi-
lance will secure to us such a ticket as
will produce unanimity
* * * and render success certain.
I therefore seriously call
on the friends of Andrew Jackson
throughout the state to exert
themselves in their respective counties
to procure county meet-
ings sometime in the month of August,
and at such meetings to
appoint delegates in proportion to their
county representation in
21 National
Republican, March 1-2, 1824.
22 Ibid, June 11, 1824. quoting Indiana Farmer.
23National Republican, Aug. 10, 1824.
24 Western Sun (Vincennes, Indiana), July 31, 1824.
12 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
the legislature, who shall meet in
general convention at Salem
* * * in September, to nominate an
electoral ticket in favor
of Andrew Jackson and to make such other
arrangements as the
good of the cause may require." He
also urged that the county
meetings appoint county committees of
correspondence of five,
and township committees of vigilance of
three members each.
The previous day a meeting in Franklin
County on the opposite
side of the state, had resolved
"that for the purpose of fixing upon
a regular electoral ticket, the friends
of General Jackson through-
out the state are requested to call
meetings, appoint committees
or correspondence, and also delegates in
the different counties to
meet in convention at Salem, September
16, for the purpose of
agreeing upon an electoral ticket."25
This meeting appointed a
committee of correspondence of three for
the county and a dele-
gate to this state convention, and
nominated a state electoral
ticket which it recommended for
adoption. Similar meetings fol-
owed in other counties26, and
on September 16, delegates from
fourteen of them met in convention at
Salem.27 An electoral
ticket was adopted and a state
corresponding committee of three
members appointed with power to fill
vacancies in the ticket.
This procedure was similar to that in
the Ohio convention two
months before. In both cases the
electoral ticket was chosen
chiefly from nominations previously made
by county meetings
and the state committees were alike in
number and duties. The
Indiana convention further requested the
friends of Jackson to
hold meetings and appoint committees of
correspondence in those
counties where this had not been done,
and it resolved "that five
hundred copies of the address to the
people of Indiana, adopted
by this convention, and three thousand
of the electoral tickets
be printed for immediate
distribution."
The counties represented were well
distributed over the
southern, the settled portion of the
state. Franklin and Dear-
born Counties, which had both been very
active in advocating the
25National Republican, Aug. 24, 1824, quoting Brookville (Indiana)
Enquirer.
26 Western Sun, Aug. 21, 28,
Sept. 4, nad 11, 1824; National Republi-
can, Aug. 27, 1824.
27 Western Sun, Sept. 25, 1824; National Republican, Oct. 5,
1824.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 13
state convention and had appointed
delegates to it, were not repre-
sented. This might easily have been due
to the difficulty of travel
before the days of railroads. The same
reason might explain the
fact that the state convention was held
at Salem in south central
Indiana, instead of at the state
capital, Indianapolis, which was
then on the northern frontier of the
settled portion of the state.
While there was less political
organizing activity in Indiana
than in Ohio in 1824, this was chiefly
because of its smaller pop-
ulation. The main difference in
procedure in the beginning seems
to have been that in Indiana the county
meetings in some cases
recommended a complete ticket of
electors for the state, while
in Ohio these meetings confined their
recommendations to the
electors for their own congressional
districts. By the end of
the campaign the two states arrived at
practically the same po-
sition as to their Democratic party
organization and both were
in the initial stages. As to the results
of the campaign of 1824,
Ohio gave Jackson eighteen thousand
votes,28 Adams twelve thou-
sand, and Clay nineteen thousand, so
that its sixteen electoral
votes were given for Clay; Indiana gave
Jackson seven thousand,
Adams three thousand, and Clay five
thousand, thus giving its
five electoral votes for Jackson. In the
house of representatives
the vote of Indiana was still cast for
Jackson, but that of Ohio
was turned to Adams.
Development from 1825 to
1828.
In the summer and fall of 1825 there
were township and
ward meetings in Hamilton County, Ohio,
preparatory to a county
convention to nominate a ticket for the
fall election. A meeting
in Sycamore township in August
recommended that a delegation
of three from each township of the
county and each ward of
Cincinnati meet in convention on
September 1O. 29 In pursuance
of this recommendation delegates from
five townships and one
ward assembled and formed a county
ticket. 30 They
expressed
approval of the delegate system as the
best method to "prevent
28Returns given in round numbers in this
and succeeding chapters.
29National Republican, Aug. 23, 1825.
30Ibid, Sept.
13, 1825.
14 Ohio Arch. and
Hist. Society Publications.
the few from imposing on the public by
holding secret meetings
to get themselves or friends into
office." This county convention
differed from the county meetings of the
previous year in both
Ohio and Indiana, in that it was
composed of delegates chosen by
township and ward meetings, and also in
that its purpose was to
nominate state and county officers
rather than to prepare for a
presidential election.
Individual nominations continued to appear
in the columns
of the press,31 and a
township meeting in Whitewater township,
September 3, nominated another set of
candidates for state and
county offices. 32
The year 1826 witnessed some further
development in
political party organization in Ohio. As
early as February there
appeared the following editorial on the
"Delegate System" in
the St. Clairsville Gazette, 33 which shows
the situation in Bel-
mont County at that time: "It is
deemed proper to give public
information that a large number of the
citizens of most, if not
all the townships have agreed to adopt
the delegate system in
nominating candidates for important
public places. They have
placed their names to an instrument
which sets forth the advan-
tages of that mode over the one
generally used in this county, of
individuals assuming the authority of
nominating persons under
the influence of private consideration.
* *
It is recom-
mended that the citizens of each
township elect at the approaching
spring elections, two delegates with
instructions to meet in St.
Clairsville on the first Saturday of
September to make nomina-
tions for the ensuing general election,
appoint a committee of
vigilance for the following year,
etc."
In pursuance of this recommendation,
some townships elected
delegates at the spring election, 34 and these met,
upon call, May
22, to
nominate a ticket for the fall election. 35 As only ten dele-
gates attended, representing five
townships, they adjourned and
called a second meeting for June 20, at
which six townships were
31National
Republican, Sept. 20, 1825.
32 Ibid, Sept. 16, 1825.
33St. Clairsville (Ohio), Gazette, Feb. 25, 1826.
34Ibid, May 13, 1826.
35Ibid, June 10,
1826.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 15
represented. 36 The meeting
being duly organized and "giving
all the weight possible to the
instructions of the people by whom
they were elected," selected a
ticket for state and county officers
to be supported at the October election.
Thus far since 1824, there had been no
mention of national
motives in this local political
organization although it had been
developing in almost diametrically
opposite centres in the state
of Ohio. But in a Cincinnati paper of
August 1826, there ap-
peared the following:
"Jackson Notice."37
"Those members of the late Jackson
committee of cor-
respondence for the county of Hamilton
who reside in Cincin-
nati, and those who may be in town from
the country, are re-
quested to meet at Colonel Mac Farland's
Hotel near the Court
House on Thursday evening, the
twenty-fourth, at 7 o'clock, on
business of importance.
Elijah Hayward,
Cincinnati, August 21, 1826. Late secretary to said committee.
"P. S. The above notice is given at
the request of several
members of said committee."
No record of this meeting appears but
there is an account of
a meeting of this committee, on August
31,38 which called a meet-
ing of those citizens of Hamilton County
friendly to the election
of Andrew Jackson to the next
presidency, for September 12,
for the purpose of adopting such
measures as would promote that
object. A committee of five was
appointed to prepare and report
to that meeting such resolutions as they
might consider proper.
This meeting was held at the appointed
time and the resolu-
tions reported were adopted.39 It
appointed a committee of
twenty members called the "Jackson
Committee of Cincinnati,"
giving them power "to add to their
number, to appoint subcom-
mittees, to correspond with other
Jackson committees throughout
the Union and to do anything fitting to
promote the cause of the
36 St. Clairsville Gazette, July 1, 1826.
37 National Republican, Aug. 22, 1826.
38Ibid, Sept. 5, 1826.
39Ibid, Sept. 15, 1826; Hamilton (Ohio) Advertiser, Sept.
22, 1826
16 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
people in choosing their first executive
officer. "On September
19, this committee was enlarged to the
number of sixty-three,
the members residing in Cincinnati and
in the surrounding
vicinity.40 Five of them resided in the
adjoining county of Cler-
mont. Meetings of this committee were
held every few weeks
at the Marine Coffee House in
Cincinnati. The next one was
called for September 27, and at this
meeting the committee ex-
pressed regret that more than one
Jackson candidate should be
supported for congress in this district
and said that all efforts
to unite the friends of Jackson on this
subject had been unavail-
ing; and believing that a considerable
plurality of votes would
be given to James Findlay for that
office, and having full confi-
dence in his abilities and his firm
friendship for Andrew Jackson,
they resolved to recommend the friends
of Jackson to unite in
support of James Findlay as the Jackson
candidate for congress.41
They also resolved that "to support
any other Jacksonian as a
congressional candidate for this
district is calculated to injure
the Jackson cause." A committee of
five was appointed to pre-
pare and publish an address containing
the principles which in-
duced this committee to support Mr.
Findlay.
Warren County showed some political
activity in support
of Jackson in 1826. At a meeting
of the citizens of Lebanon and
vicinity, favorable to Jackson on
September 16, a "Warren
Jackson Committee" of ten was appointed,
whose duty it was
"to correspond with other
committees or individuals on the sub-
ject of the presidential election, to
draft and cause to be published
an address to the people, and to take
any other proper measures
for the advancement of the Hero." 42
In the spring of 1827 the field of
political activity again
widened in Ohio and there are records of
about ten county meet-
ings, in which steps were taken toward
organizing the Jackson
party by appointing correspondence
committees for the counties
and, in some cases, vigilance committees
for the townships.
These meetings were called together by
notices in the local papers,
often published at the request of some
of the citizens, and some-
40National Republican, Sept. 22, 1826.
41 Ibid, Sept. 29, 1826.
42Ibid, Sept. 29, 1826.
Democratic Party
Organization in the Northwest. 17
times supplemented by
circulars. It is fair to suppose that sev-
eral of this series
of meetings were stimulated by a circular
issued March 29, by a
select committee appointed by the Jackson
committee of
correspondence for Hamilton County.43 This
circular read as
follows :44
"At a meeting of
the Jackson Committee of Correspondence
for the county of
Hamilton on the twenty-first instant, the un-
dersigned were
appointed a select committee to open and con-
tinue a
correspondence with similar committees and with friends
of General Jackson in
this and other states of the Union with
a view to promote the
elevation of that illustrious citizen to the
next presidency. At
the same meeting it was resolved to request
the friends of
General Jackson in the several counties of this
state to hold
meetings in their respective counties and organize
committees of
correspondence to promote the same object.
* * * Nothing now
appears to be wanting to secure to him
the electoral votes
of Ohio but a proper organization of his
friends in the
several counties and *
* *
active exertions.
With this prospect
before us * * * we earnestly request
you to cause a
meeting to be held in your county at an early
period for the
purpose of appointing a committee of correspond-
ence and adopting
such other measures as may promote the cause
of the people. * *
* Should a meeting be held in
your
county we would
recommend that the proceedings be published in
some newspaper in
your vicinity, and one copy of the paper con-
taining such
proceedings forwarded to the National Republican
and to the Cincinnati
Advertiser."
The supporters of
Jackson were quite active in Belmont
County at this time,
and in pursuance of a call published in the
local paper, about
one hundred assembled in St. Clairsville, May
2, 1827.45 After
passing resolutions in support of Jackson,
fifteen persons were
appointed as a county committee of cor-
respondence, and it
was resolved that a copy of the proceedings
of the meeting be
forwarded to the friends of Jackson in Guern-
43National Republican, March 20, 1827.
44Cincinnati Daily
Gazette, Sept. 24, 1827.
45 United States
Telegraph (Washington, D. C.), May 17,
1827; Na-
tional Republican, May 18, 1827.
Vol. XXIV-2.
18 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
sey County with a request that they hold
a similar meeting. It
would seem, however, that this
suggestion was not very warmly
welcomed by the Jackson men in Guernsey,
for at their meeting,
which was held in the town of Washington
just ten days later,
it was resolved, "that as this
meeting has been called by the
result of a voluntary and deliberate
consultation of the citizens
of this county, and that public notice
was given previous to
the meeting in Belmont, it has therefore
been held * * *
independent of the instructions or
solicitations of any man or
set of men, and accordingly we will
pursue an independent course,
having no regard for the instructions of
friends further than a
mutual correspondence and an exchange of
sentiment." 46 This
Guernsey County meeting appointed a
committee of correspond-
ence of nine members.
In Montgomery County in the spring of
1827 there was some
political activity and organization
among the Jackson men, al-
though unity and concert throughout the
county seemed to be
lacking and each meeting seemed to stand
alone. Some of the
townships led the way and the county
followed. A meeting in
Jefferson Township, April 11, appointed
two members as a com-
mittee of correspondence "to
cooperate and act in concert with
similar committees in this state and
throughout the United
States." 47 Another meeting was
held in German Township, May
48 On May 11 , the Jackson men of
the county held a meeting
at Dayton and prepared an address and
appointed seven persons
as a committee of correspondence.49
During the summer of 1827 there were a
few meetings of
the Jackson committee of Hamilton
County, in Cincinnati, one
of which on July 16, called a meeting of
the citizens for the fol-
lowing day to discuss the tariff, which
was attended by about one
thousand persons.50 In the
fall the meetings of the committee
became more frequent and there were
meetings of the Jackson
46 U. S. Telegraph, June 19, 1827; National Republican, June 5, 1827.
47 U. S. Telegraph, May 5, 1827; National Republican, May 4, 1827.
48 U. S. Telegraph, May 5, 1827; National Republican, May 15, 1827.
49U. S.
Telegraph, May 26, 1827.
50 National Republican, July 17
and 20, 1827.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 19
citizens in the different wards of
Cincinnati.51 Some of the
modes of procedure were not as
democratic as they might have
been, for the Jackson committee of
correspondence for Hamilton
County appointed delegates to meet and
form a ticket of con-
didates for the fall election. These
delegates met and nominated
a county ticket on September 1.52
At many of the county and township
meetings amusing
sentiments were expressed reflecting the
partisan spirit of the
time. In a Wayne County meeting which
assembled in March
to effect county and township
organization, Adams was referred
to as "a man whose political life
has been too strongly marked
by a vacillating policy on all subjects
but that of an aristocratic
opposition to the Rights of Man."53
A resolution adopted by a
meeting in German township, Montgomery
County, in May, read
thus: "Although General Jackson has
not been educated at for-
eign courts and reared on sweetmeats
from the tables of kings
and princes, we think him nevertheless
much better qualified to
fill the dignified station of president
of the United States than
Mr. Adams."54
An editorial in the Cincinnati
Gazette of that time on the
fall election gives some interesting
sidelights on party organiza-
tion and seems on the whole a fair
statement of the case.55 It
says in substance that, notwithstanding
the attempts of the Jack-
sonians to mix up the presidential
question with the local elec-
tions, this course has been taken in but
a few counties. "In
Wayne, Columbiana, Jefferson, Hamilton,
Knox, Ross, and Bel-
mont the presidential election, or
Administration and opposition,
forms the line of division. I have
observed no other counties in
which an avowed Jackson ticket is openly
supported." The four
counties first named - Wayne,
Columbiana, Jefferson, and Ham-
ilton - were active Jacksonian centres.
The editorial continues:
"I have no doubt that an open
Jackson ticket has been made
wherever it was thought prudent to make
it;" that is, wherever
51 National Republican, Oct. 2, 1827.
52 Ibid, Sept. 4, 1827; Cincinnati Daily Gazette, Sept.
13, 1827.
53 U. S. Telegraph, Apr. 14, 1827, quoting National Republican.
54 U. S. Telegraph, May 5, 1827; National Republican, May 15, 1827.
55 Cincinnati Daily Gazette, Oct. 7, 1827.
20 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
success seemed probable. "In most
of the counties there is a
large number of candidates and many will
probably be elected
without receiving one-third of the votes
actually given. It is
easy in such cases for a small minority
of Jacksonians, by acting
in concert and keeping silent to elect
their man."
The election in Hamilton County in the
fall of 1827 illustrates
this, except that the Jackson men were
here in the majority in
any case. The Administration party
decided not to make a party
ticket.56 Just before the
election there were several candidates
for the assembly on the Administration
side. "It is true", wrote
the editor of the Gazette, "as
is stated in the National Republican,
that the unanimity which prevails among
the friends of General
Jackson, secures to the party the utmost
fidelity and the strictest
integrity. They have been disciplined
into unanimity * * *
and they deserve to reap the benefit of
this concert."57
As early as April 20, 1827, the citizens
of Jefferson County
favorable to the election of Jackson
held a meeting which seems
to have made the first suggestion of a
state convention for 1828
to appoint electors for president and
vice-president of the United
States.58 They resolved to
"recommend to the friends of Gen-
eral Jackson in this state, in imitation
of his early and faithful
friends in Pennsylvania, the propriety
of making arrangements
in due season for a delegate meeting at
Columbus on the eighth
of January next, to be composed of so
many from each county as
such county sends senators and
representatives to the general
assembly." Organization was
effected by appointing a corre-
sponding committee of eighteen for the
county and a committee
not exceeding seven in each township.59
Within the two months following, several
meetings made
provision for sending delegates to the
state convention. On May
10, a Jackson meeting in Columbiana
County appointed five per-
sons as a committee of vigilance and
correspondence for the
county and these in turn were required
to appoint committees
56Cincinnati Daily Gazette, Sept. 13, 1827.
57 Ibid, Oct. 17,
1827.
58U. S. Telegraph, May 10, 1827; National Republican, May 11, 1827.
59 St. Clairsville Gazette, Apr. 21, 1827.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 21
of three in each township.60 All
these committees together were
to appoint four delegates to represent
the county in the state con-
vention. A Jackson meeting was held in
Bath township, Green
County, May 26, which appointed a
corresponding committee of
five members.61 The meeting recommended
and concurred in
sending delegates from the different
counties to the state conven-
tion and appointed Thomas Gillespie,
Esq., of Xenia in another
part of the county as a delegate to this
convention. The fact that
he had offered himself for this office
in 1824 prompted his nom-
ination. A Licking County Jackson
meeting was held, June 11,
at Newark.62 A committee of
vigilance and correspondence was
appointed, consisting of thirty-five
members and two delegates
were chosen to the state convention.
During the fall preparatory to the state
convention there are
records of at least thirty county
conventions. These were as-
sembled by means of calls issued by
Jacksonians in the local
papers. In Butler County the convention
was called by a pre-
paratory meeting of the friends of
Jackson.63 In a few cases
where a county committee existed, as in
Belmont64 and Hamil-
ton,65 this body called the
convention. These county conventions
appointed delegates to the state
convention and formed county
organizations, where such had not been
formed, by appointing
committees of correspondence for the
counties. At the same time
committees were often appointed by the
county conventions for
the townships, or the latter were
requested to appoint such
themselves. The committees both of
county and township varied
greatly in number and organization. The
county committee was
composed of three, five, seven, or more
members, appointed with-
out regard to the townships; or again it
was composed of one
or more members from each township of
the county. When the
county committee was formed without
regard to the townships,
60 U. S. Telegraph, June 16, 1827.
61 National Republican, June 15, 1827.
62 U. S. Telegraph, June 28, 1827, quoting Newark Advocate; Na-
tional Republican, July 6, 1827.
63Hamilton Advertiser, Oct. 20, 1827.
64St. Clairsville Gazette, Sept. 29, 1827.
65 National Republican, Oct. 16, 1827.
22 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
committees were often appointed in the
townships besides, or the
townships were requested to appoint such
themselves.
In Monroe County the members of the
county meeting
formed themselves into a society, called
the "Monroe Jackson
committee of vigilance."66 In Belmont County the committee
which had been appointed on May 2,
called a convention on Sep-
tember 22, and this body increased the
committee from fifteen to
sixty and authorized it to appoint two
delegates to the state con-
vention.67 This committee met
November 24, and appointed
three delegates to this convention,68
and a central committee of
five from their number as a
correspondence committee, which
was authorized and required to appoint
township committees,
whose duty it should be to maintain a
regular, friendly inter-
course with their fellow citizens,
promote the success of Jack-
son, and communicate with the central
committee.
Some of the county meetings appointed
very large commit-
tees. In Pickaway the committee of
vigilance numbered seventy-
five.69 The Franklin County convention appointed committees
in each township aggregating one hundred
and three members.70
The Clinton County convention appointed
a committee of corre-
spondence of seventy-two members and a
committee of vigilance
of nearly one hundred, residing in
different parts of the county.71
The Brown County convention recommended
the citizens of each
township to meet and appoint committees
of from three to twenty
each.72
At the Franklin County convention it was
resolved, "that we
hold the press to be the best avenue
through which calumny and
misrepresentation can be refuted and
correct information dissem-
inated; that we earnestly recommend to
the friends of Andrew
Jackson in each and every township of
this state to form a club
66 St. Clairsville Gazette, Oct. 6, 1827; National Republican, Nov.
13,
1827.
67St. Clairsville Gazette, Sept. 29, 1827.
68Ibid, Dec. 1,
1827; National Republican, Dec. 14, 1827.
69National Republican, Nov. 30, 1827.
70 U. S. Telegraph, Dec. 8, 1827.
71National Republican, Dec. 25, 1827.
72 Western Aegis (Georgetown, O.), Dec. 4, 1827.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 23
and to subscribe to at least three of
the leading papers favorable
to his election to the presidency, which
shall be deposited with
one or more persons for the benefit of
all the inhabitants of the
townships without regard to their
political sentiments;" also,
"that five hundred copies of the
address and resolutions be pub-
lished and distributed throughout the
state under the direction
of a committee of five members."73
The number of delegates chosen to the
state convention
varied from one, as in the case of
Scioto County,74 to fifteen, as
in Fairfield.75 In several
counties their appointment was left
to a committee with discretionary power
as to the number. In
Ross County the township committees, together
with the citizens
of the townships, were to appoint as
many delegates as they
should deem advisable.76 The
delegates were regularly appointed
directly by the county convention but in
Monroe County a dele-
gate was appointed by the committee of
correspondence, as di-
rected by the county convention.77 The same method was fol-
lowed in Belmont.78 In Scioto County the joint committees
of
correspondence for the county and of
vigilance for the townships
were authorized to appoint one delegate,79
and in Columbiana
County the four delegates were appointed
by a joint meeting of
all the committees of the county and
townships, together with the
citizens of the county.80
The convention of delegates from the
counties of Ohio, who
were friendly to the election of
Jackson, assembled at the court
house at Columbus, January 8,81 1828.
One hundred and sixty
delegates attended,82 representing
fifty-four counties.83 After
73 U. S. Telegraph, Dec. 8, 1827.
74 Western Times (Portsmouth, O.), Nov. 15, 1827.
75National Republican, Dec. 11, 1827.
76Ibid, Nov. 13, 1827.
77St. Clairsville Gazette, Oct. 6, Nov. 17, and Dec. 15, 1827.
78Ibid, Sept. 29, Nov. 3, and Dec. 1, 1827.
79 Western Times, Nov. 15, 1827.
80 National Republican, Dec. 21, 1827.
81January 8 was chosen as the date for
Democratic conventions in
commemoration of Jackson's victory at
New Orleans, Jan. 8, 1815.
82 U. S. Telegraph, Jan. 19, 1828.
83Ibid, Feb. 7,
1828.
24 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
organizing, a committee of fourteen,
consisting of one member
from each congressional district, was
appointed to consult with
delegates from their respective
districts, and recommend to the
convention the names of sixteen persons
for nomination as elec-
tors of president and vice-president of
the United States at the
next election.84 Another
committee of fourteen members was
appointed to prepare an address to the
people of the state, with
suitable resolutions on the subject of
the next presidential elec-
tion and report the same to the
convention. Pursuant to adjourn-
ment on the eighth, the convention
reassembled January 9, and
accepted the reports of these
committees. The address filled
nearly six columns of the newspaper and
concluded with a col-
umn of a dozen resolutions,85 one
of which was:
"Resolved, That a committee of thirty-two be appointed by
the chairman of this convention,
consisting of two members from
each congressional district and four at
large, to act as a commit-
tee of observation and vigilance
throughout the state until the
final result of the next presidential
election is known; and that
such committee, or a majority of them,
have power to appoint
select committees either from among
themselves or otherwise;
and if considered expedient, to call a
future convention like the
present; and that they be required to
present to the people, such
information on the subject of the next
presidential election as to
them shall seem advisable; and that said
committee have power
to fill any vacancy that may occur in
the electoral ticket or in their
own body."
This committee was appointed. It was
further resolved
that one thousand copies of the
proceedings, address, and resolu-
tions of the convention be published,
and that two thousand copies
thereof be published in German. A
committee of three was ap-
pointed on publication.
Following the adjournment of this
convention, January 9,
another convention was held at Columbus
to nominate a gov-
ernor.86 This convention
consisted of many of the delegates to
the first one, Jackson members of the
legislature, and citizens of
84 St. Clairsville Gazette, Jan.
26, 1828.
85 Western Star and Lebanon (Ohio) Gazette, Feb. 9, 1828.
86Ibid, Feb. 2,
1828; U. S. Telegraph, Jan. 24, 1828.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 25
Columbus friendly to Jackson.87 There were one hundred and
two present from fifty-two counties.88
One of the secretaries of
the convention just held, Thomas R.
Ross, was made chairman
of the second convention,89 and
J. W. Campbell was nominated
for governor. It would seem that this
procedure was due to the
fact that the delegates to the regular
convention had not been in-
structed to nominate a governor, as may
be seen from the pro-
ceedings of the county meetings, and
hence they resorted to this
second meeting.
On January 8, 1828, the supporters of
Jackson in Indiana also
held a state convention at Indianapolis
for forming an electoral
ticket for the state. As early as
January 1, 1827, a Jackson meet-
ing was held at Vevay, Switzerland
County, which appointed
a committee of correspondence for the
county, provided that this
committee should appoint a committee of
vigilance in each town-
ship and requested the friends of
Jackson in the several counties
of the state to adopt similar measures.90 But it was not until
November following that steps were taken
toward the state con-
vention. On November 10, at a Clarke
County Jackson meeting
it was resolved "that this meeting
consider it essential that a con-
vention of the friends of General
Jackson assemble at Indian-
apolis, January 8 next, for the purpose
of nominating a Jackson.
ian electoral ticket and for other
purposes; and that it is recom-
mended that meetings be held in every
county in this state as
soon as possible and that delegates be
appointed to act in concert.
whereby a perfect understanding may
exist and the whole force
of the friends of the People's Favorite
stand united and invin-
cible." Whereupon two delegates to
the convention and also a
committee of correspondence for the
county were chosen.91 Fol-
lowing this meeting notices were
published in different papers,
calling for meetings to be held at the
county seats on December
15, for the purpose of appointing
committees of correspondence
87 U. S. Telegraph, Jan. 24, 1828.
88Lebanon Gazette, Feb. 2, 1828.
89Ibid, Feb. 2 and 9, 1828.
90 National Republican, Jan. 19, 1827.
Indiana Palladium (Lawrenceburgh), Nov. 24, 1827.
26 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
and delegates to the state convention.92
In Dearborn County a
preliminary meeting was held on December
3, which called a sec-
ond meeting for the fifteenth93 at
which a committee of corre-
spondence of thirty-nine members was
appointed for the county
and six delegates were appointed to
attend the state convention.94
Similar meetings were held in various
other counties such as
Orange, Switzerland, Knox, Rush,
Hancock, Henry, and
Marion.95
The state convention assembled on
January 8, and held ses-
sions on the eighth, ninth, and tenth.96
Thirty-seven delegates
were present from twenty counties.97
It was "resolved that those
members of the legislature who have not
been delegated to this
convention but who are friendly to the
election of Jackson, be
admitted as members of this
convention." Whereupon ten mem-
bers were added, making forty-seven from
twenty-five coun-
ties.
A committee composed of two
from each of the five
judicial circuits of the state was
appointed which prepared an
electoral ticket of five members.98 An address to the people of
Indiana was prepared by a committee of
five.99 A committee of
two delegates from each judicial
district was appointed to ad-
vance the election of Jackson and to
report to the convention the
names of proper persons to constitute a
central committee of cor-
respondence and such other committees as
might be deemed
necessary throughout the state.100 In
accordance with their re-
port a "committee of general
superintendence" was appointed
consisting of fifteen members, any five
of whom had authority
to act, whose duty it was to fill any
vacancy which might occur
92Indiana Palladium, Nov. 17, 1827; Indianapolis Gazette, Nov. 27,
1827.
93 Indiana Palladium, Dec. 8, 1827.
94Ibid, Dec. 22, 1827.
95Western Sun, Dec. 8 and 29, 1827; Jan. 12, 18-28; Indianapolis
Gazette, Dec.
25, 1827; Jan. 1, 1828.
96Indianapolis Gazette, Jan. 9, 1828; National Republican, Jan. 25,
1828.
97Indianapolis Gazette, Jan. 15, 1828.
98Ibid, Jan. 15, 1828; U. S. Telegraph, Jan. 31,
1828.
99 Western Sun, Jan. 26, 1828; U. S. Telegraph, Jan. 31,
1828.
100 Western Sun, Jan.
26, 1828.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 27
in the electoral ticket, to insure the
circulation of correct in-
telligence among their friends in every
county and to provide the
funds necessary to defray such expenses
as might be incurred;
and to adopt or recommend such measures
as to them appeared
expedient.101 The members of
this committee were requested
to hold their first meeting at Salem on
February 22. The friends
of Jackson were requested to organize
committees of correspond-
ence in their counties and as far as
possible, committees of vig-
ilance in their townships and to
transmit the names of the mem-
bers of such committees to the state
committee at Salem. The
delegations in the state convention were
to act in concert with
the committees of correspondence in
their respective counties.102
A committee of three was appointed on
printing and was in-
structed to publish the address of the
convention; also to con-
tract for five hundred copies and to
raise the means for this
object.l03
In both Ohio and Indiana the county
meetings left the selec-
tion of the presidential electors to the
state conventions of 1828
and made no recommendations) as in 1824.
In both states in
1827 there was some development in
township organization and
in a few of the stronger Jackson centres
the presidential question
became influential in local politics.104
The Campaign in 1828.
In considering the development of
Democratic party or-
ganization in Ohio in 1828, two features
are conspicuous, the
extension and prominence of township
meetings and committees
and the congressional district
convention. Throughout the year
there were township meetings which made
organization in ac-
cordance with the suggestions of county
meetings or county
committees. In Belmont County township
committees had been
appointed by the central committee by
March, 1828.105 During
the summer and fall of 1828 meetings
were held in the different
101 U. S. Telegraph, Jan. 31, 1828; National Republican, Jan. 25, 1828.
102 Indiana Palladium, Jan. 26, 1828.
103Ibid, Jan. 26,
1828; Western Sun., Jan. 26,
1828.
104Indiana Palladium, July 21, 1827; Cincinnati Daily Gazette, Oct.
7, 1827.
105St. Clairsville Gazette, March 15, 1828.
28 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
townships and the size of the committees
was much increased,
several numbering about two hundred, one
nearly four hun-
dred,106 and the committees
of eleven townships aggregating one
thousand nine hundred and ninety-two. In
the Smith township
meeting it was resolved that the
vigilance committee should in-
clude every Jackson man in the
township.107 In two townships
of Hamilton County the organization
extended to the school dis-
tricts, each one being represented in
the vigilance committees of
the townships.108 The plan of
meeting at stated intervals was
adopted by the central committee in
Hamilton109 and Franklin110
Counties. The former met biweekly with
the vigilance commit-
tees of the townships; the latter held
monthly meetings with
delegates appointed by the monthly
meetings of the township
committees.
The regular county convention,
consisting of delegates ap-
pointed by township meetings, occurred
in several instances dur-
ing the year 1828. As already observed,
Hamilton County had
introduced this method in 1825111 and
Belmont had adopted it in
1826,112 but as yet the plan did not
generally prevail. One of
these conventions was held in Warren
County, August 16, all the
townships being represented by
seventy-four delegates.113 An-
other was held in Hamilton County,
August 23, attended by sev-
enty-six delegates from the different
wards and townships of
the county.1l4 Harrison1l5
and Jefferson116 Counties held similar
conventions. These conventions and
several county meetings117
held during this summer formed county
tickets.
106 St. Clairsville Gazette, Aug. 2 and 30, Sept. 13 and 27, Oct. 4
and
11, 1828.
107 Ibid, Aug 30, 1828.
108 National Republican, June 27, Aug. 3, 1828.
109Ibid, May 20, 1828.
110Ohio Monitor, May 24, June 28, and Aug. 6, 1828.
111 See p. 13.
112 See p. 14.
113 Lebanon Gazette, Aug. 23, 1828.
114 National Republican, Aug. 26, 1828.
115 St. Clairsville Gazette, June 28, 1828.
116 U. S. Telegraph, July 2, 1828.
117 National Republican, Aug. 8 and 12, 1828; Western Times, Sept.
20, 1828.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 29
There are records of congressional
district conventions in
most of the fourteen districts of Ohio
in 1828.118 In some of the
districts, as in the first,119 second,120
and ninth,121 the delegates
were appointed by townships directly, at
the suggestion of the
county committees or county conventions.
In other districts, as
the third,122 eighth,123
and tenth,124 delegates
were chosen by
county meetings or committees which were
not based on town-
ship meetings. In at least two counties
of the eleventh district,
Harrison125 and Jefferson,126
the perfected system toward which
all were tending was adopted, by which
the delegates were sent by
regular county conventions composed of
regularly appointed
delegates from township meetings. These
congressional district
conventions varied greatly in size and
representation. In the
ninth district the convention was
attended by eighty-four dele-
gates,127 in the second by
seventy-eight,128 while in the third there
were seventeen129 and in the
tenth only eleven.l30 Yet in
the third
district, six of the seven organized
counties, and in the tenth dis-
trict, three of the four counties, were
represented. In the con-
ventions most largely attended the
delegations came directly from
townships. In at least one of these
conventions, that of the third
district, there was appointed a Jackson
corresponding committee
of six members for the district.
The Democratic young men of St.
Clairsville and vicinity
in Belmont County met in August, 1828,
and called a convention
118National Republican, July 8, Aug. 5, and Sept. 2, 1828; Ohio
Monitor, July 9, 1828; St. Clairsville Gazette, July 19,
1828; U. S. Tele-
graph, July 18 and Aug. 29, 1828.
119National Republican, May 27, June 17, 20, and 27, 1828.
120 Lebanon Gazette, Aug. 23, 1828.
121 Ohio Monitor, July 9, 1828.
122National Republican, Aug. 5, 1828.
123 Ohio Monitor, June 21, July 5, 1828; U. S. Telegraph, June 30,
1828.
124 St. Clairsville Gazette, June 28 and July 12, 1828.
125 Ibid, June 28,
1828.
126 U. S. Telegraph, July 2, 1828.
127 Ohio Monitor, July 9,
1828.
128National Republican, Sept. 2, 1828.
129Ibid, Aug. 5, 1828.
130
St. Clairsville Gazette, July 19, 1828.
30 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society
Publications.
of the young men of the county and
appointed a committee to
prepare an address.13l This
was one of the first of the move-
ments of this kind which afterward
became frequent.
Evidence is not wanting that the
newspaper played its part
in the campaign of 1828 in Ohio.l32 Early in March
the central
committee of Belmont County called a
meeting in St. Clairsville to
form a "Jackson Newspaper
Club."133 At the
monthly meeting
of the Jackson committee of Franklin
County with the delegates
from the townships, resolutions were
passed for extending the
means of information by encouraging
subscriptions to news-
papers and "a gratuitous
circulation of them among the desti-
tute."134 In April the
committee of Anderson township, Hamil-
ton County, adopted the following
preamble and resolutions :135
"Whereas, This meeting
has been informed that in many
parts of the state, especially in the
northern parts and in the
Western Reserve, the people are
destitute of Jackson newspapers,
and are weekly inundated with the filthy
stuff that issues from
the Ebony gazettes, in consequence of
which they have no certain
authority by which to contradict the
base calumnies that daily
issue from those venal presses,
"Resolved, That all those friendly to the cause who take
Jackson papers, after perusal, be
requested either to send them
to this committee or enclose them to
persons who they are con-
fident will act faithfully, with the request
to give them as wide
a circulation as comes within the scope
of their power and
convenience.
131 St. Clairsville Gazette, Aug. 30, 1828.
132 The following from an editorial in the National
Republican,
quoted in the United States
Telegraph, Aug. 29, 1828, gives some idea
of the personalities indulged in by the
press at that time: "We learn
with mingled feelings of disgust and
indignation that Henry Clay, the
celebrated traveling preacher and
political missionary of J. Q. Adams,
is expected in this city tomorrow on his
grand electioneering tour
through Ohio. ** * * t was earnestly desired by the real friends of
our political institutions * * *that this last insult to the state might
be avoided."
133St. Clairsville Gazette, Mar. 8, 1828.
134 Ohio Monitor, Aug. 6, 1828.
135 National Republican, May 2,
1828.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 31
"Resolved, That the several committees in the state, if they
have not already adopted the above plan,
be requested to take the
hint from this."
That this anxiety for the Western
Reserve was not without
cause is shown by the fact that while
there were eight adminis-
tration papers in that locality, no
Jackson paper was published
there until midsummer, when David B.
McLain launched one in
Cleveland.136 Early in July,
1828, there were said to be twenty-
three Jackson newspapers in Ohio, while
at the last election it
was said that there had been but five
out of fifty for him in
the state.137
Occasional references are found to
financing the campaign.
At a meeting of the Jackson general
committee for Hamilton
County in May, it was resolved
"that the several ward and town-
ship committees in this county be
requested to appoint a fund
committee in their respective wards and
townships, for the pur-
pose of receiving such contributions as
may be given to promote
the election of General Jackson, and
that the same be paid over
to the treasurer of the general
committee of the county."138 In
Richland township, Belmont County, a
Jackson meeting in Sep-
tember resolved, "that Mr. Marshall
be appointed to receive the
funds collected to pay for tickets and
other incidental expenses
connected with the presidential
election, and to pay them out to
the order of the Jackson central committee for Belmont
County."139 It was
further "resolved that a committee of four
be appointed to receive contributions
from citizens of Richland
township, to be deposited with the
treasurer appointed by the
foregoing resolution for the purpose
therein specified."
Some insight into the machinery of
elections is occasionally
given. At a Franklin County Jackson
meeting those in attend-
136Ohio Monitor, July 30, 1828.
137 U. S. Telegraph, July 21,
1828. James Heaton, commenting on
the Democratic wave which was then
sweeping over Ohio, wrote to
Governor Allen Trimble: "The all devouring
spirit of Jacksonism seems
to have seized on all the faculties of
the multitude." See Old Northwest
Genealogical Quarterly (Columbus, Ohio), XI, p. 16, Selections from the
Papers of Gov. Allen Trimble.
138 National Republican, May 27, 1828.
139 St. Clairsville Gazette, Sept. 27, 1828.
32 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
ance pledged themselves individually to
bring forward every
friend to the cause and to do all in
their power to support the
Jackson ticket at the ensuing election
for county and state
officers.140 A notice in a
Belmont County paper read :141 "Jack-
son electoral tickets, printed by order
of the central committee,
can be had by township committees and
others on application at
this office. Neighboring counties can be
supplied to any extent."
At a Franklin County Jackson committee
meeting it was resolved
"that this committee consider the
proposal of Moses Dawson, of
Cincinnati, to furnish the Jackson
committees throughout the
state with tickets at fifty cents per
thousand, an offer friendly to
the cause of reform; and that this
committee procure five thou-
sand Jackson electoral tickets from him
for Franklin County."142
A Jackson meeting in Columbia township,
Hamilton County, ap-
pointed a committee of ten to attend the
polls at election and
distribute tickets.l43
In Indiana in 1828, the township
meetings and congressional
district conventions which were then so
prominent in Ohio, were
almost entirely lacking. On the other
hand, the influence of the
state convention and the activity of the
state central committee in
Indiana were much more prominent than in
Ohio. This com-
mittee held several meetings and there
are records of a series of
county meetings which were due directly
to the suggestion of the
state convention and which made county
and township organiza-
tion as it had directed. Indeed the
organizations in Indiana and
Ohio were counterparts to each other,
each supplying those ele-
ments which the other lacked. In Indiana
the party was organ-
ized more from the centre-from the state
conventions; in Ohio,
from the local centres-townships and
counties. The perfect
system would be the combination of both.
The state central committee held all its
meetings at Salem.
The first was on February 22, as requested
by the convention.
The comittee was increased by over a
hundred members from all
parts of the state and the chairman was
authorized to add more
140 Ohio Monitor, Oct. 15, 1828.
141 St. Clairsville Gazette, Oct. 18, 1828.
142Ohio Monitor, Sept.
10, 1828.
143 National Republican, Oct. 7,
1828.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 33
members at his discretion.144 At this meeting the committee
nominated John C. Calhoun for
vice-president. On March 22, the
committee held an adjourned meeting,
only fourteen members
being present from seven counties.145
Nineteen new members
were added. The committee appointed for
that purpose reported
an address on the presidential election
which was adopted and
four thousand copies were ordered to be
printed and circulated
among the different counties of the
state.146 Several more
meetings of the committee were held
through the spring, summer,
and fall and another address was
published by it in October.147
The records of county and township
meetings in Indiana in
1828 are meager, although as stated, a
number of counties held
meetings which appointed county and
township committees in
pursuance of the recommendation of the
state convention.148 At
successive meetings in Manchester
township, Dearborn County,
the desire was expressed to exclude the
presidential question from
state politics.149 Just
preceding the fall election committees were
appointed in each township of Dearborn
County to see that a
sufficient number of tickets was
provided at the polls.150
In both Ohio and Indiana there are
traces of outside influence
bearing upon the campaign of 1828. The
Ohio central committee
of correspondence wrote to the editor of
the United States
Telegraph: "Your circular has been gladly received. Assure
yourselves of our faithful
cooperation."151 This
suggests that
campaign literature from Washington was
used in Ohio. Like-
144 Western Sun, Mar. 15, 1828.
145 Indiana Palladium, May 3, 1828.
146 This address was published in the
local papers of the time, such
as the Western Sun, Apr. 26 and
the Indiana Palladium, May 10, and
although it filled a page in these
papers it contained only the usual cam-
paign material.
147 Western Sun, April 26, July 19, Oct. 4, 1828; Indiana Palladium,
Nov. 1, 1828.
148Indiana Palladium, Mar. 15, May 3, June 28, Oct. 25, 1828; West-
ern Sun, May 31, 1828; National Republican, Apr. 4, May
6, July 18, 1828;
Indianapolis Gazette, Oct. 16, 1828; U. S. Telegraph, July 25, 1828,
quot-
ing Cincinnati Republican.
149Indiana Palladium, Mar. 15, May 3, 1828.
150Ibid, Oct. 25, 1828.
151 U. S. Telegraph Extra, No. 28,
Aug., 1828.
Vol. XXIV -3.
34 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
wise there is evidence that Indiana was
well supplied with free
Jacksonian literature from other
quarters.152
The election gave a majority for Jackson
in both states. In
Ohio the returns were sixty-seven
thousand against sixty-three
thousand;l53 in Indiana they were
twenty-two thousand against
seventeen thousand.154 In the
congressional election in Ohio in
1826 only
four of the fourteen districts of the state had elected
Jackson men. In 1828 Jackson
congressmen were elected in
eight districts.155 These districts formed the
east-central and
southwestern parts of the state and in
all but one, if not in all of
these, Jacksonian nominating conventions
had been held. In Indi-
ana only one of the three congressmen
elected was a Jackson
man.156 This was in the first
or western district of the state in
which the congressional elections were
always closely contested.
The Adams candidates together received a
majority of five thou-
sand five hundred.157 In the local elections both states
supported
administration governors158 and
legislatures.159 In other words
these state elections were not conducted
on strictly national party
lines. The legislature of Ohio elected
an Administration candidate
to the United States Senate, though the
majority was small.l60
152Lebanon Gazette, June 7, 1828, quoting Indiana Palladium.
153Ohio State Journal (Columbus, Ohio), Nov. 20, 1828.
154Indiana Palladium, Dec. 6, 1828.
155 Ohio State Journal, Oct. 23, 1828; Niles'
Register (Baltimore,
Md.), XXXV, p. 148.
156 Niles'
Register, XXXV, p. 45.
157 National Intelligencer (Washington, D. C.),
Oct. 23, 1828.
158 The regular Jackson candidate for governor of Indiana in 1828,
I. T. Canby, was opposed by James B.
Ray, who had been an Administra-
tion man but now claimed to be neutral
and was elected. See Lebanon
Gazette, July 26, 1828; also Niles' Register, Nov. 1,
1828, quoting Indian-
apolis Gazette. Ray later became an avowed supporter of Jackson. See
Globe (daily) (Washington, D. C.), Dec. 24, 1831, quoting Indiana
Pal-
ladium, Dec. 10, 1831.
159 Ohio Monitor, Dec. 24, 1828; U. S. Telegraph, Sept. 10,
1830.
160 American
Annual Register (New York), III,
Domestic Occur-
rences, p. 157.
CHAPTER II.
SOLIDIFYING THE ORGANIZATION (OHIO AND
INDIANA).
The Period from 1829 to 1832.
After the campaign of 1828 political
party activity naturally
subsided and until preparations were
resumed for another presi-
dential election the Jacksonian
Democracy was comparatively
quiet in the Northwest. The organization
attained in 1828 was
not brought into active use generally
and became somewhat dor-
mant. Certain active centers endeavored
to maintain their organi-
zations, but in general there was little
in this interval to claim
attention.
Just after the presidential election,
editorial cautions to Jack-
sonians appeared in some papers urging
them to remain well
organized.1 In pursuance to a call by
the Democratic central com-
mittee of Belmont County, Ohio, a large
meeting was convened in
St. Clairsville in March, 1829.2 R. H.
Miller addressed the meet-
ing in behalf of the central committee,
urged the necessity of unity
of action, recommended a reorganization
and tendered the resig-
nation of the committee. It was resolved
"that the organization
of the Democratic party, which has
proved so beneficial for the
last two years, be continued." Whereupon a new central
committee of five was appointed for the
ensuing year, which in
turn appointed township committees of
two throughout the
county.
While the United States Circuit Court
was in session in
Columbus, a Jackson meeting was held
there in July, 1829, which
prepared an address recommending
conventions of delegates in
the respective counties to be held as
early as possible, as the best
mode of uniting the party at the
approaching October elections.3
1Ohio Monitor, Nov. 28, 1828, quoting the People's Press.
2 St.
Clairsville Gazette, Mar. 14, and May
16, 1829.
3 U.
S Telegraph, July 31, 1829, quoting Ohio
Monitor; Ohio State
Buletin (Columbus), July 29, 1829; Western Times, Aug.
8, 1829.
(35)
36 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
About the same time the Jackson
executive committee of Cincin-
nati issued a circular to the Jackson
party in the State of Ohio,
urging it to form a legislative ticket
for the October election.4
"Every county," said the State
Bulletin, "is expected to make a
regular convention nomination," and
this was done in many
counties.5
During the spring and summer of 1830
more activity was
shown in Ohio, because of the
congressional and gubernatorial
elections. In February a Democratic
meeting was held at Colum-
bus which recommended the electors
throughout the state to meet
at their respective county seats and
choose as many delegates as
they were entitled to members in the
most numerous branch of the
legislature, to attend a state
convention to be held in Columbus,
July 12, to nominate a suitable
candidate for governor.6 Only
thirty-four counties or about half of
those then in the state
responded to this call by holding
meetings and sending thirty-
eight delegates to the convention.7
Among the resolutions drafted
by the convention was one to the effect
that they heartily joined
their "brethren" of
Pennsylvania and New York in the hope that
Jackson would again yield himself as a
candidate for the presi-
dency. A central committee of
correspondence was appointed
consisting of seven members, which
published an address to the
people of the state.8 During
August and September a series of
county meetings was held for the purpose
of forming tickets for
the fall elections. Some counties were
quite active and showed
good organization, such as Belmont,
Fairfield, Franklin, Dela-
ware, Muskingum, and Hamilton. In such
counties candidates
were nominated by regular conventions
composed of delegates
from the townships, and there were
county and township com-
mittees. The Muskingum County convention
appointed between
three and four hundred upon the
committee of vigilance for the
4 Ohio State Bulletin, Aug. 19, 1829; U. S. Telegraph, Aug. 7, 1829,
quoting National Republican.
5Ohio State Bulletin, Aug. 12 and 26, 1829.
6Western Times, March 4, 1830, quoting Ohio State Bulletin, Feb.
24; Ohio elected a governor every two
years.
7Ohio Monitor, July
14, 1830.
8Ohio State Bulletin, Sept. 22, 1830.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 37
county.9 In Franklin County the
committee of vigilance pre-
pared and published an address to the
electors of the county and
distributed one hundred copies of it in
each township.10 While
this committee approved the nominations
which had been made
by the party for governor and for
congressman in that district,
concerning the state legislature the
committee expressed them-
selves thus: "We cannot say
anything in allusion to a candidate
for representative in the state
legislature. The views and inten-
tions of the Republican party are not
yet fully settled on this sub-
ject and we have no individual in
particular to whom we can
direct attention at this time. At a
future period the preferences
of the party may be more particularly
defined." This indicates
that in local matters in Franklin
County, party lines were not then
clearly drawn. But in Hamilton County, a
full Jackson ticket for
state and county offices was prepared by
a convention composed
of duly appointed delegates from most of
the townships of the
county and wards of Cincinnati, and it
was resolved that "no
person will be considered a candidate
for any office by this con-
vention who will not pledge himself
either in writing or by his
friends present to abide the result, and
to agree to support the
entire ticket nominated by the
majority."11 It was
further
resolved that all the delegates
attending the convention should act
as committees of vigilance at the
ensuing election in their respec-
tive townships and wards.
The congressional district convention
was much less in evi-
dence than in 1828. Perhaps the
most interesting was that of the
eighth district which was first
appointed for Sunbury, Delaware
County, June 8 ;12 then for Newark,
Licking County, August 7 ;13
and finally an adjourned meeting was
held at Mt. Vernon, Knox
County, August 21.14 This
shifting seems to have been due to
lack of attendance until finally all the
counties of the district were
9Ohio State Bulletin, Aug. 25, 1830.
10Ibid, Sept.
22, 1830.
11National Republican, Sept. 3, 1830.
12 Ohio State Bulletin, Apr. 21, 1830; Ohio Monitor, June 2 and 9,
1830.
13 Ohio
Monitor, July 14 and 21, 1830.
14 Ohio State Bulletin, Aug. 25, 1830; U. S. Telegraph, Sept.
3, 1830.
38 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
represented at Mt. Vernon. The mode of
procedure in calling the
district convention was for a county
meeting to take the initiative
and propose it, suggesting a time and
place and the other counties
of the district would then hold meetings
and fall in line by
appointing delegates. In Fairfield
County two delegates were
appointed from each township to attend
the convention of the
ninth congressional district,15 but
in the eighth district the coun-
ties had sent from three to four
delegates each to the convention.
The Delaware County meeting had
suggested three from each
county,16 while the Coshocton
County meeting favored twice the
number to which each county was entitled
representatives in the
state legislature.17 At this convention a committee of
three was
appointed to draft an address to the
electors of the district and a
corresponding committee consisting of
three in each county was
appointed for the district.18 The
chief work of the convention
was, of course, to nominate a candidate
for congress.
As the result of the state election of
1830 in Ohio, while
the Jackson party claimed a very small
majority in the state leg-
islature,19 it lost two
representatives in congress, the second and
eighth districts having elected
opposition men, so that instead of
the districts being eight to six for
Jackson, as in 1828, they were
now eight to six against him.20
The year 1831 was a quiet one in Ohio
politics. In Jan-
uary, as is well known, fifty-two
members of the legislature ad-
dressed a letter to Jackson, soliciting
him to be a candidate again
for the presidency. But this is a part
of the national story of
the preparation for the second term. A
number of county con-
ventions were held during the summer and
fall which formed
county tickets. In Fairfield County the
preliminary meeting for
calling a convention resolved "that
a committee of fourteen per-
sons be appointed to consist of one from
each township, whose
duty it shall be to put up four notices
at the most public places
15 Ohio Monitor, June 9, 1830.
16 Ohio State Bulletin, Apr. 21, 1830.
17 Ohio Monitor, July 14, 1830.
18 Ohio State Bulletin, Aug. 25, 1830; U. S. Telegraph, Sept. 3, 1830.
19 Ohio State Bulletin, Nov. 24, 1830.
20Ohio State Gazette (Delaware), Nov. 4, 1830.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 39
in their townships, informing the
electors when and where the
township meetings are to be held",
for the purpose of electing
delegates to the county convention.21
It was also resolved that,
"no elector intending to offer
himself as a candidate before the
people shall be entitled to a seat as a
member in the convention."
The chief political interest of the year
was the preparation
through county meetings for the state
convention which was to
be held, January 8, 1832,22 for the
purpose of nominating a gov-
ernor, choosing presidential electors,
and also delegates to the
first national nominating convention of
the party which was to
meet at Baltimore the following May.
This state convention was
attended by two hundred and forty-nine
delegates23 from fifty-
four counties24 and held its
sessions on January 9 and 10. It
was resolved "that when this
convention proceeds to nominate a
candidate for governor, any member of
the convention shall have
the privilege of rising in his place and
naming any individual."
The selection was by ballot, a majority
of the whole number
being necessary to a choice. Each
congressional district through
its delegates, chose two delegates to
the Baltimore convention and
one presidential elector. A committee
composed of one mem-
ber from each congressional district of
the state, chosen by the
respective delegations, selected four
additional delegates at large
to the Baltimore convention, two
senatorial electors and five con-
tingent electors. There were thus
selected thirty-two delegates
to the national convention, sixteen
presidential electors and five
contingent electors. The convention
appointed a central corre-
sponding committee of seven for the
state; a central correspond-
ing committee of eight for each of the
fourteen congressional
districts ;25 and central
committees for the counties.26 A spirited
address and set of resolutions were
adopted and ten thousand
copies of the proceedings were ordered
to be published.
21 Globe, Aug. 29, 1831, quoting Ohio
Eagle.
22This date fell on Sunday, so the
convention met on the ninth.
23 Globe, Jan. 19, 1832, quoting Ohio Monitor.
24 Columbus (Ohio)
Sentinel, Jan. 10 and 17, 1832.
25National Republican, May 1, 1832; Columbus Sentinel, July 19,
and Aug. 10, 1832.
26Columbus Sentinel, Apr. 5, 1832; Globe, Aug. 16, 1833, quoting
St. Clairsville Gazette.
40 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
In Indiana even more than in Ohio there
was a period of in-
activity in political affairs after the
campaign of 1828. For two
years following this campaign politics
slept and both county and
state organizations fell into disuse.27 In the spring of 1830 can-
didates for state and county offices
were announced individually
by the editors in their papers.28 In some papers there appeared
a "Candidates' Department" in
which the various candidates'
names were published under the names of
the respective offices
to be filled, and these were inserted
from week to week until the
election.29 This mode of presenting candidates of
course still
obtains with this essential difference,
that now such candidates
are sifted before election by nominating
conventions while then
it was open for all until the day of
election when a choice was
made from the many. The Indiana
legislature elected in 1830
was safely for Clay as usual and elected
a United States Sen-
ator of the same persuasion.30
In August 1830 there appeared at
Indianapolis Volume I,
Number I of the Indiana Democrat, edited
and published by A.
F. Morrison who had already been an
active Democratic leader
and the editor of the Republican
Statesman in Charlestown,
Clark County.31 He wrote
stirring editorials for party organiza-
tion and for a state convention and
sounded a new note by say-
27It was at this time of political
inactivity that the following re-
markable forecast of political events
appeared as an editorial in a Whig
paper, the Indianapolis Gazette, June
11, 1829: "From every account,
we are more and more constrained to
believe that General Jackson will
be a candidate for reelection for
president of the United States for the
next four years; and we believe it will
not be from any eagerness on
his part to continue in office; but from
the impossibility of his friends
uniting on any other individual. The
friends of General Jackson who
are advocates of domestic industry, and
there are many, particularly in
the West, will not support Mr. Calhoun,
the avowed opponent of the
policy; neither will the southern people
support an advocate of the tariff.
It is therefore highly probable that the
contest will be between Mr. Clay
and General Jackson; and General
Jackson's election will depend on his
acts as president."
28 Western Sun, March 20 and 27,
1830.
29Ibid, Apr. 3,
1830, et. seq.
30Niles Register, XXXIX, pp. 55, 302, 334.
31Indiana Palladium, Nov. 24, 1827; Nov. 21, 1829.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 41
ing: "Let it be distinctly known
that it is only the intention to
elect to the legislature such persons as
will render a candid, hon-
est and fair support to the general
administration. No man
should have the confidence of Jackson
men unless he will un-
equivocally pledge himself thus
far."32 But despite these urgent
editorials, Indiana waited a year before
calling another regular
state convention.
A meeting of the Democratic members of
the general assem-
bly of Indiana and others convened at
the governor's house in
December, 1830.33 Five thousand
copies of the president's mes-
sage were ordered to be published for
distribution throughout the
state. A standing central committee of
twenty members was
appointed for the state with
intsructions to publish an address
to the people of Indiana. This committee
met a few days later
and organized, choosing A. F. Morrison
as secretary "for the
term of its necessary existence." A
subcommittee was appointed
to prepare and publish the address which
appeared the following
May in pamphlet form.34 It
was resolved "that this committee
will endeavor to designate a committee
of five persons in every
county in the state, as a county
corresponding committee, and
that said committees be requested to
organize committees of vigi-
lance in the several townships of their
counties, and all such
committees are invited to correspond
freely with the central
committee through their chairman and
secretary at Indianapolis."
Notwithstanding this excellent plan
there is little evidence of
activity during the ensuing few months.
Dearborn County seems
to have been the most active and best
organized in the state in
1831. A county meeting was held in March
preparatory to a
county convention in April. At the
preparatory meeting it was
resolved to "unite in the support
of suitable and well qualified
persons, friendly to the republican
principles of the present
administration, for United States, state
and county officers at the
approaching election."35 The convention was attended by dele-
gates from the townships and nominated a
ticket for the August
32Indiana Democrat (Indianapolis), Oct. 2, 1830.
33 Western Sun, Jan. 22, 1831; U.
S. Telegraph, Jan. 19, 1831.
34 Western Sun, May 21, 1831; Indiana
Democrat, May 7 and 14, 1831.
35Indiana Palladium, April 2, 1831; Western Sun, April 16, 1831.
42 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
election.36 The congressional
election for the twenty-second con-
gress and the state election were held
in Indiana in August, 1831,
and resulted in the election of a
Jackson congressman in each of
the three districts of the state, while
as before, the opposition
elected the governor and state
legislature.37 Thus while attempts
were then being made to connect local
and national politics, they
still remained quite distinct in
Indiana.
Since January, 1828, no Democratic state
convention had
been held in Indiana.38 In September, 1831, the editor of the
Indiana Democrat heralded one in his columns.39 "From
various
sources," he wrote, "we are
authorized to say that a state conven-
tion will be held at Indianapolis on the
second Monday of Decem-
ber next, to nominate electors for
president and vice-president."
It was recommended to the voters of the
several counties to hold
public meetings and elect one delegate
from each township to the
convention. In preparation, county
meetings were held and dele-
gates were appointed from most of the
counties of the state.40 In
Dearborn County the meeting was composed
of delegates ap-
pointed by township meetings,41
but in most of the counties there
were no preliminary township meetings
and the county meetings
were merely gatherings of the friends of
Jackson assembled "in
pursuance of previous notice." The
number of delegates ap-
pointed by the counties varied from one
as in the case of Posey42
to forty in the case of Dearborn.43
The Jefferson County meeting
resolved that it was inexpedient to send
more than the number
of representatives to which the county
was entitled in the state
legislature and recommended the counties
throughout the state to
adopt this number.44
36Indiana Palladium, April 30, 1831.
37 Globe, Aug. 15 and 30, Sept. 1, 1831; Indiana elected a governor
every three years.
38Indiana Democrat, Sept. 17, 1831.
39 Western Sun, Sept. 17, 1831, quoting Indiana Democrat.
40Indiana Palladium, Oct. 22 and 29, Nov. 5 and 12, Dec. 10, 1831;
Indiana Democrat, Oct. 15, Nov. 5 and 26, and Dec. 6, 1831; Western
Sun, Nov. 12 and 26, and Dec. 3, 1831; Globe, Dec. 2
and 5, 1831.
41 Indiana Palladium, Nov. 19, 1831.
42 Western Sun, Dec.
3, 1831.
43Indiana Palladium, Nov. 19, 1831.
44Ibid, Oct. 15,
1831.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 43
The delegates assembled December 12, and organized
by
appointing a president, two
vice-presidents, and two secretaries.45
Forty counties were represented by one
hundred and twenty-one
delegates. It was resolved that the
friends of the administration
then at Indianapolis who had not been
appointed as delegates,
including A. F. Morrison, editor of the Indiana
Democrat, be
invited to take seats and participate in
the proceedings of the con-
vention. As a result of this resolution,
twenty-one members were
added making a total of one hundred and
forty-two from forty-
four counties. Five delegates were
appointed to attend the
national convention at Baltimore in May
to nominate a vice-
president to be run on the ticket with
Jackson; also five electors
for president and vice-president were
chosen and four contingent
electors. It was resolved "that the
delegates present be requested
to use their best exertions to create
committees of vigilance and
correspondence in their several counties
for the purpose of corre-
sponding with the state central
committee at Indianapolis." A
committee of two was appointed to
receive contributions to
defray the expenses of this convention.
A state central com-
mittee of twenty-four was also
appointed. An address and reso-
lutions were prepared and seven thousand
copies were ordered to
be printed and distributed throughout
the state.
The Campaign in 1832.
After the state convention in January,
the year 1832 brought
no very conspicuous advancement in party
organization in Ohio.
County and township organizations
through the appointment of
committees were effected in many
counties. The regular county
convention, attended by delegates duly
appointed by the town-
ships, for forming tickets and
appointing delegates to district
conventions, became more common
throughout the state although
it was not invariably adopted. The
district convention had be-
come the usual mode of nominating
congressmen, but the Logan
County meeting merely appointed a
committee of five to corre-
spond with the committees of the other
counties of the congres-
45
For account of convention see Western Sun, Jan. 7, 1831; Globe,
Dec. 26, 1831, quoting Indiana
Democrat.
44 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
sional district to nominate a suitable
candidate for congress.46
The county nominating conventions, too,
were sometimes
mixed and irregular. A Shelby County
meeting appointed a vigi-
lance and corresponding committee of two
in each township, who
with as many friends as might see fit to
attend, were requested to
meet to consider forming a ticket to be
supported at the annual
election in October.47
The "Hickory Clubs" which had
been organized in each ward
of Cincinnati by the young men of the
city in former campaigns
were reorganized in the spring of
1832.48 Some of the leading
party papers of Ohio showed their zeal
in the campaign by issuing
extras during the two or three months
preceding the fall elec-
tion.49 In one of these
papers appeared the names of the "Na-
tional Democratic Committee in
Ohio," three in number, who
were appointed by the National
convention at Baltimore in May
under a resolution, "that a general
corresponding committee from
each state be appointed by the president
of this convention." 50
This committee also constituted three of
the seven members of
the Ohio central committee,51
and took the leading part in its
work.
There was noticeable activity on the
part of committees espe-
cially in connection with the fall
elections. The corresponding
committee of Franklin County appointed
seventy-eight men, one
in each school district of the county,
"to take special charge of
bringing Jackson voters within their
respective school districts to
the polls." 52 In Crosby township,
Hamilton County, a committee
of two in each school district was appointed to induce people to
attend the election and to provide them
with tickets.53 In Cin-
cinnati sixteen persons were appointed
in each ward to act as
committees of vigilance at the polls and
one hundred bills contain-
46Columbus Sentinel, Aug. 30, 1832.
47 Ibid, Apr. 5, 1832.
48National Republican, Apr. 20, 1832.
49Columbus Sentinel, July 12, 1832; Ibid, Aug. 23, 1832, quoting Cin-
cinnati Gazette.
50 Globe, May 25, 1832.
51 Columbus Sentinel, July 12, et al., 1832.
52 Ibid, Oct.
4, 1832.
53 National Republican, July 18,
1832.
Democratic Party Organization in the Northwest. 45
ing the names of the Jackson electors
were ordered to be printed
and posted in conspicuous places near
each ballot box in the
county.54 The state central
committee inserted a card in the
Democratic press requesting that a
corresponding committeeman
in each county transmit the earliest
information possible concern-
ing the vote for president to some
member of this central com-
mittee.55 Another notice in
the press called upon every corre-
sponding committeeman to see that
township and school district
committees were supplied with Jackson
tickets, and in case there
was no printing office in any county,
they were to apply to one of
the Democratic printing offices in
Columbus.56 Just after the
state election in October the state
central committee tendered
acknowledgements for the receipt of
about one hundred letters
from the different counties giving the
results of the election.57
Finally the state committee formally
retired from its duties after
the November election and in doing so
returned acknowledge-
ments to the committees appointed in the
several congressional
districts of the state "for the
prompt and efficient manner" in
which they had "communicated
intelligence, from time to time, on
the subject of the late election." 58
Although 1832 was the year of the
presidential election, it
was a very quiet one in Indiana and
there was no advancement in
party organization. No systematic
attempt seems to have been
made to unite the Jackson forces for the
state election in Au-
gust,59 but preparatory to
the fall election a circular was issued to
the friends of Jackson by the central
committee of the state for
the purpose of uniting the party.60
The election gave Jackson a good
majority in both Ohio and
Indiana in 1832 as in 1828. In Ohio
Jackson received eighty-one
thousand two hundred votes and Clay,
seventy-six thousand five
hundred, making a majority for Jackson
of four thousand seven
54National Republican, Oct. 3, 1832.
55 Columbus
Sentinel, Oct. 25, 1832.
56 Ohio Monitor,
Oct. 17, 1832; Columbus Sentinel, Oct.
18, 1832.
57
Columbus Sentinel, Oct. 18, 1832.
58 Ibid, Nov. 15,
1832.
59 Western
Sun, Aug. 25, 1832, quoting Indiana Democrat, Aug. 18,
1832.
60 Western Sun, Oct.
20, 1832.
46 Ohio
Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
hundred.61 The vote in Indiana was thirty-one thousand
five
hundred for Jackson and
twenty-five thousand five hundred for
Clay, giving Jackson a
majority of about six thousand.62 In the
Ohio congressional
election, eleven of the nineteen63 districts of
the state elected
Jackson men.64
Progress from 1833
to 1836.
In 1833 the chief
interests of the Democratic party in Ohio
centered about the
coming state convention and the beginnings of
the cleavage in the
party caused by the championship of Judge
John McLean for
president. This faction and disaffection first
showed itself in
relation to the tenure and authority of the state
central committee and
later in opposing the state convention.
Early in August the
state central committee which had retired the
preceding November,65
resumed its functions by issuing an ad-
dress to the Democratic
party in Ohio.66 It recommended each
county corresponding
committee "to take immediate measures to
ensure concert of
action among their political friends for effecting
a choice of candidates
for state and county officers." The address
also favored county
conventions as the best method of securing
union and success. It
was warmly seconded by a similar ad-
dress issued soon
afterward by the corresponding committee of
Clermont County in
which it stated: "It may be said that the
powers of the central
committee with those of the corresponding
committees, have ceased
with the occasion that caused their exist-
ence. * *
* We think otherwise
ourselves."67 On the
other
hand, the editor of the
Columbus Sentinel, while publishing the
61Niles' Register, Nov. 24, 1832.
62 St. Joseph's Beacon and Indiana and Michigan Intelligencer
(South Bend, Ind.),
Dec. 15, 1832.
63 By the congressional
apportionment Act of 1832, after the fifth
census, the number of
representatives from Ohio was increased from
fourteen to nineteen
and the legislature redistricted the state accordingly.
64 Niles' Register, Oct. 27, 1832. In Indiana the
congressional elec-
tion was held in the
odd years.
65 See p. 45.
66 Globe, Aug. 16, 1833, quoting St. Clairsville Gazette. Also
pub-
lished in Columbus
Sentinel, Aug. 8, 1833.
67 Globe, Aug. 31, 1833.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 47
address and claiming to support its
recommendations, contended
that the state committee had not existed
since the act of dissolu-
tion by the committee itself in the
preceding November, and he
questioned the authority of its
action.68 The state convention, he
said, did not contemplate the
organization of a permanent body
and had not the power to do so. Later
when considering the
reorganization of the party, the Ohio
Monitor said:69 "A state
convention ought also to be held for an
organization of the
Democratic party. The action of the last
state convention has
mostly ceased. Some honestly think it
has altogether. The state
central committee acted this season more
tardily and reservedly
from the consideration that very many
considered they were
functi officio, and probably there was a greater laxity with the
county committees for the same reason. A
fresh organization is
important to a concerted action of the
party." The Sentinel was
probably correct in its contention that
the intended term of the
committee had expired, but this mere
technicality fails to explain
the editor's real motives. The committee
favored Van Buren
while the editor of the Sentinel did
not and later came out openly
for McLean.
Meanwhile the question of holding a
state convention arose
and here again the Sentinel was
opposed to holding it so early.
It wished to give the sentiments for
McLean more time to de-
velop.70 When it is
considered that it was three years until the
next presidential election, it must be
admitted that, apart from
partisan motives, the objection of the Sentinel
was not without
reason so far as it related to
appointing delegates to a national
convention.
By November the movement for a state
convention took defi-
nite form. An editorial in the Columbus
Monitor gave it the
required stimulus, the substance of
which was as follows :71 "It
is now well established that the
Democratic party at large have
determined on a National convention. * *
* This must be
constituted by primary conventions and
these will differ in differ-
68 Columbus Sentinel, Aug. 15 and 22, 1833.
69Ibid, Nov. 9,
1833, quoting Ohio Monitor, Nov. 6, 1833.
70 Columbus Sentinel, Nov. 2 and 9, Dec. 7 and 17, 1833.
Globe, Nov. 5, 1833, quoting editorial in Ohio Monitor.
48 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
ent states, though probably each
congressional district will be
specially represented. Ohio, we doubt
not, will hold a state con-
vention; and we present for the
consideration of the people a
plan. We hope to receive an immediate
reply from the Demo-
cratic papers in this state, whether the
people in their vicinity
favor a state convention and how much of
the following plan
they think best suited to that object,
viz.:
"That a delegate convention for the
State of Ohio be held at
Columbus on the eighth of January next;
"That every county send twice the
number of delegates that
it is entitled to senators and
representatives in the general assem-
bly, and that there be a delegate from
every county that is not
entitled to a full representative;
"That such delegates be appointed
by a county meeting
*
* * consisting of delegates from
the townships;
"That the townships send to such
county convention a num-
ber of delegates equal to their number
of jurors."
The editor of the Lisbon (Ohio) Patriot
wrote in similar
vein :72 "The importance of a state
convention preparatory to a
national convention must be apparent to
every friend of Democ-
racy. * * * It is necessary that
we should have but one can-
didate for each office, and the sooner
we know who they are to be,
the better for the harmony and welfare
of the Democratic party.
We go for a state and national
convention."
The usual county meetings were held and
delegates were
appointed and on January 8, 1834, the
convention assembled. Of
the seventy-two counties then in the
state, fifty were represented
by two hundred twenty-nine delegates.73 The nomination of
Robert Lucas for a second term as
governor was unanimous.
Seats in the convention were offered to
those Democrats present
who had not been regularly appointed
delegates from county con-
ventions, which added somewhat to the
number. The convention
approved the plan for a national
convention and suggested the
second Monday in May, 1835, at
Pittsburgh, for the time and
72Globe, Nov. 29, 1833, quoting Lisbon (Ohio) Patriot.
73Account of convention in Globe, Jan.
24, 1834, taken from Colum-
bus Daily Advertiser; Indiana
Democrat, Jan. 25, 1834, quoting
Supple-
ment to Cincinnati Republican.
Democratic Party
Organization in the Northwest. 49
place for holding it.
The delegates from each of the nineteen
congressional
districts were asked to select a delegate to the
national convention
and to these, two senatorial delegates were
added, making the
same number for the state as it had repre-
sentatives and
senators in congress. It was resolved "that this
convention disapprove
of the appointment as delegates to the na-
tional nominating
convention, of any member of congress or
other person holding
any office under the government." The
delegates to the
national convention were instructed to support
Van Buren for
president, with power to use their own judgment
as to the
vice-president, "so long as the candidate be of that
branch of the
Democratic family termed Jeffersonian."74 A
state central
committee of nine members was appointed.75 The
delegates from each
county were requested to report one person as
a member of the
congressional district corresponding committee
and six persons to
compose a corresponding committee for the
county. These were
appointed and after a three days' session
the convention
adjourned.
This convention
aroused some opposition among the sup-
porters of McLean76
which was expressed in several county
meetings77 and
by the Sentinel,78 but on the whole its influence
prevailed with the
party. The year 1834 witnessed the recur-
rence of the
congressional and gubernatorial elections in Ohio
and the United States
Bank was the question at issue. The usual
county and district
conventions were held. Party organization
and methods were
being perfected in county, district and state.
The usual method of
nomination in county conventions was by
74Globe, Jan. 18, 1834.
75Columbus
Sentinel, Jan. 21, and Feb. 15, 1834.
76The reason given by one of the prominent supporters of
Judge
McLean in Ohio for
presenting him as a candidate for the presidency
was: "We must
have a candidate upon whom the opposition [Whigs]
can unite, but in
addition to this, we must have one who can take some
strength from the
Jackson party." See Western Hemisphere (Columbus,
Ohio), Jan. 27, 1835,
taken from Cleveland Whig, Jan. 21, 1835. He did
draw men from the
Jackson party for a time but he was later super-
seded by Harrison as
the Whig candidate and the McLean movement
was dropped.
77See files of Columbus Sentinel for February.
78Ibid, Jan. 21, and Feb. 15, 1834.
Vol. XXIV-4.
50 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
ballot and a majority of the votes was
required for a choice. The
tickets were sometimes prepared by
committees composed of one
from each township. The Democrats
reelected Lucas for gov-
ernor by a small majority but elected
only nine of the nineteen
congressmen and were left in the
minority in the state legis-
lature.79
One needed reform in organization was
for the members of
the state central committee to reside in
or near Columbus instead
of being widely scattered over the
state, in order that they might
work together more effectively.80 The editor of the Western
Hemisphere had urged this before the election and later he re-
newed his efforts. In December, 1834, he
wrote a stirring edito-
rial on party organization.81
"The first step to be taken," he said,
"is to summon and hold a state
convention. On this convention
will devolve the duty of making an
efficient organization. An
active state central committee must be
reappointed, all of whose
members should reside at the seat of
government. * * *
Many and serious were the disadvantages
which resulted from
the members of the present committee not
residing in town. * * *
County and township committees also
should be appointed, the
former to correspond with and report to
the state central com-
mittee; the latter to establish and
maintain a similar correspond-
ence with the committees of each
county." The effects of this
editorial were referred to in a later
one on the same subject, in
which the writer said his suggestion had
been "poorly received
except in some portions of the
state."82 He still believed that a
convention should be held during the
coming summer, but nothing
further seems to have been done
concerning it until June, when
the movement was begun for holding the
regular biennial con-
vention.
On June 12, 1835, a meeting in Columbus,
held pursuant to
public notice, recommended the
Democratic citizens to assemble
in their respective counties and elect
delegates to a state conven-
tion to be held January 8, 1836, for the
purpose of choosing
79 Western Hemisphere, Oct. 22, 1834.
80Ibid, Sept. 17,
1834.
81 Ibid, Dec. 2, 1834.
82Ibid, Jan. 27,
1835.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 51
electors for president and
vice-president and nominating a candi-
date for governor.83 The meeting further recommended the
organization of the party in the several
counties of the state pre-
paratory to the next annual elections.
These recommendations
were published in the Democratic papers
of the state. A sena-
torial district convention at
Wapakoneta, August 6, in which the
six counties of the district were
represented, recommended hold-
ing a state convention at the usual
time, but left it to the counties
to appoint their own delegates.84 The state central committee
later took up the matter and recommended
holding the conven-
tion.85 During August and
September a large number of county
meetings were held to nominate
candidates for county offices and
they usually appointed delegates to the
state convention.86
Almost all of these meetings were
regular conventions composed
of delegates from the townships. A
number of things done in
the conventions indicate an improvement
in political methods and
a solidifying of party organization. The
delegates to both county
and state conventions were often
provided with credentials.87
A meeting in Wayne County preparatory to
a county convention
resolved "that no delegate of said
convention ought to be nomi-
nated as a candidate for any office by
said convention."88 At a
preliminary meeting in Fairfield County,
a committee reported
that "it was of the opinion that it
would afford as general satis-
faction to proceed at once to a choice
of candidates to be recom-
mended at the ensuing election, as to
make that choice through
the medium of a convention."89
When this question was put to
the meeting, it was disagreed to by a
large majority. At the
meeting of this county convention, it
was resolved, as it had been
before in Hamilton County,90 that
no one should be considered a
candidate for any office by the
convention who would not agree
83 Western Hemisphere, June 17, 1835.
84 Ibid, Aug. 26, 1835.
85Ibid, Dec. 2, 1835.
86 See files of Western Hemisphere
for these months.
87 Ibid, Sept. 16, 1835, Stark County convention; et al.
88Ibid, Sept, 2.
1835.
89 Ibid, Sept. 2, 1835, quoting Ohio Eagle.
90 See p. 37.
52 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
to abide by its decision.91 The
method of nominating a county
ticket by appointing in the convention a
nominating committee
composed of one member from each
township had become com-
mon. The convention system was now often
applied for nom-
inating representatives and senators for
the state legislature.
The counties composing the
representative and senatorial districts
sent delegates to a district nominating
convention. When such
district conventions were not held, the
county conventions in the
district made nominations separately for
these offices. Frequently
one county convention took the
initiative and others of the dis-
trict seconded its nomination. The fall
election of 1835 gave the
Democrats a large majority in the state
legislature of Ohio which
during the previous year had been Whig.92
After the election those counties which
had not already done
so held conventions and appointed
delegates to the state conven-
tion.93 The method of
appointing these delegates was sometimes
noteworthy. Usually the county
convention appointed a certain
number from each township or directed
the delegates from the
respective townships to appoint them.
The Belmont County con-
vention resolved that their
"Democratic brethren assemble in their
respective counties and elect a number
of delegates to said
[state] convention equal to three times
the number of senators
and representatives which their county
sends to the general
assembly and that the delegates be
furnished with a certificate of
the time and manner of their
election."94 Whereupon nine dele-
gates were appointed from that county.
In Highland County, a
committee of four was appointed to fill
vacancies in the delega-
tion,95 a power usually given
directly to the delegates. The
Hamilton County convention recommended
each township and
ward to appoint a delegate.96 The
number appointed in the
91 Western
Hemisphere, Sept. 16, 1835, quoting Ohio
Eagle.
92 Ibid, Oct. 28, 1835.
93 See files of Western Hemisphere for
November and December,
1835.
94 Ibid, Sept. 2, 1835.
95 Ibid, Dec. 9, 1835.
96 Ibid, Sept. 9, 1835, quoting National Republican.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 53
counties varied greatly. Hardin
appointed three, Miami sixty.97
Ross appointed one for each one thousand
population.98
The convention organized January 8,
1836, by electing a
president, one vice-president from each
congressional district,
and six secretaries.99 The
whole number in attendance was said
to be about eight hundred of which over
four hundred were duly
appointed delegates. Almost every county
was represented.100
The number of delegates from the
different counties varied from
one to thirty-eight. It is interesting
to compare the number in
attendance with the number appointed in
some of the counties.
Of the sixty appointed by Miami, nine
attended. Of the fifty-
seven appointed by Muskingum, eighteen
attended. Jefferson
appointed nine and seven attended; while
Fairfield appointed
twenty-eight and thirty-eight attended.
It was resolved that in
nominating a candidate for governor, the
number of votes to be
97 Western Hemisphere, Dec. 19, 1835.
98Ibid, Sept. 2,
1835.
99 For account of convention see Western
Hemisphere, Jan. 9 and
13, 1836.
100 The difficulties encountered by the
delegates in attending this con-
vention from remote parts of the state
were revealed in connection with
the convention of Jan. 8, 1838, in a
protest by the editor of the Warren
News Letter against holding conventions at that time of the year.
See
Ohio Statesman (Columbus), Nov. 7, 1837, quoting editorial in Warren
News Letter. The writer very sensibly urged some time in May or the
fourth of July as a more suitable time.
In speaking of attending the
convention of 1836 he said: "The
roads were literally impassable. The
stages on many of the routes were taken
off and the members were
obliged to tarry at Columbus for weeks
or 'go round by the bridge.' The
latter alternative many of them chose.
We well remember that on that
occasion the delegates from Cincinnati
were obliged, in order to get to
their homes, to go to Wheeling and there
take a boat and descend the
river. The delegates from Cuyahoga and
Lorain were also compelled to
return by the National Road via
Wheeling, and from that city they went
up the river to Beaver, Pa., and from
there by stage to Cleveland; and
we shall not soon forget the sufferings
we endured going and returning
on that same occasion. Therefore we
object to the time." In favor of a
later date he wrote: "It is early
enough. The country wants repose, a
little respite from the clamor of
political strife. In July the roads will be
good, travelling pleasant and
comfortable and a convention at that time
would be fully attended." This wise
protest however was unavailing and
the next convention was held at the
usual time, January 8, 1838.
54 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
given should be equal to the number of
representatives in the
lower house of the state legislature,
which votes should be cast
viva voce by the delegates from each representative district by
such person or persons as they might
agree upon; a majority of
all the votes being necessary to a
choice. The delegates from
each congressional district were
directed to select and report to
the convention the name of one elector
to represent their district
in the electoral college. A committee
consisting of one from
each congressional district was chosen
to select the two senatorial
electors. The delegates from each
congressional district were
also directed to report to the
convention the names of one person
in each county, as a committee of
correspondence for the district,
except where the district was composed
of but one county, in
which case the committee should consist
of three members. The
needed reform in the state central
committee perviously men-
tioned was effected by appointing five
members who resided in
and near Columbus and whose duty it was
"to correspond with
and obtain information from the several
Democratic county and
district committees in this state in
relation to all matters con-
nected with the proceedings and objects
of this convention." The
central committee was given power to
fill all vacancies in its
own number and in the electoral ticket
formed by this convention,
and to call another convention, by
giving public notice thereof in
the Democratic newspapers and such other
notices as they might
deem advisable. The president of the
convention was directed
to appoint a committee to prepare the
usual address to the people
of Ohio and publish the proceedings of
the convention.
The chief political events in Indiana in
1833 were the con-
gressional election,101 which then came
in odd years in that state,
and a state convention for the
nomination of governor and the
appointment of delegates to the next
national nominating con-
vention. In Indiana and Ohio, delegates
were appointed to the
next national convention within a year
after the beginning of the
presidential term and almost three years
before the next election.
In this year also in Indiana the
congressional district convention
first claims attention in some of the
districts.
101By the congressional apportionment
Act of 1832, after the fifth
census, the number of representatives
from Indiana was increased from
three to seven and the legislature
redistricted the state accordingly.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 55
The following examples indicate that in
the sixth and
seventh districts very representative
conventions were planned.
A meeting in Addison township, Shelby
County, in April recom-
mended the Democrats of that
congressional district to call meet-
ings in each township and elect
delegates to county conventions
for the purpose of sending five
delegates from each county to a
district convention to be held in
Indianapolis in May.102 This
township meeting appointed five
delegates to the county conven-
tion and requested the other townships
of the county to do the
same. A congressional district
convention was held in Lafayette
in June, and although five counties
containing two-thirds of the
population of the district were
represented, an adjourned and
more representative session was called
for July 4.103
The movement for the state convention
began in August and
seems to have been directed by the press
rather than by a state
committee. An editorial in the Indiana
Democrat stated that the
necessity of calling the convention had
been urged by a great
number, that the Democrats were
unanimously in favor of the
measure, and suggested the holding of
meetings at an early period
to carry the measure into effect.104 In a later editorial the writer
said the public feeling in favor of a
convention was so general
that he could not hear of any portion of
the state where the people
were not "up and doing."105
After the usual series of preparatory
county conventions the
state convention assembled, December 9,
1833.106 It was organized
by appointing a president, two
vice-presidents and two secretaries
and the delegates presented
credentials. At first forty-one
102 Indiana Democrat, Apr. 20,
1833.
103 Ibid, June 29, 1833, quoting Wabash Mercury. Further
accounts
of these conventions are wanting. How
generally these district conven-
tions were held in Indiana in 1833 does
not appear in the contemporary
newspaper files which are somewhat less
complete than usual for this
year, but the election returns indicate
that the Jackson men in all but
the second district, which they lost,
were well united on the one successful
candidate. In the second district the
Democratic votes were scattered,
indicating that no convention had been
held.
104 Indiana Democrat, Aug. 31, 1833.
105Globe, Nov. 20, 1833, quoting Indiana Democrat.
106 For account of convention see Indiana Democrat, Dec.
11, 1833.
56 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
counties were represented by one hundred
forty-eight delegates.
The ratio of the number of delegates
attending to the number
appointed by the different counties
varied as usual. The three
appointed by Hancock all attended and
while Madison appointed
but two, its representation was five. On
the other hand, of the
eight delegates appointed by Dearborn,
but one attended and
Pike which had appointed four, was
unrepresented. It was re-
solved that the Democratic senators and
representatives of the
legislature of Indiana, be admitted to
take part in all the delibera-
tions of the convention. The Democratic
citizens who were
present from unrepresented counties of
the state were also invited
to become members of the
convention. Whereupon fifteen
names were added representing eight more
counties. The method
adopted for nominating a governor was
suggested by a commit-
tee representing all the congressional
districts of the state and
was similar to that which was later
adopted in the Ohio conven-
tion of 1836 already mentioned.107 In
both cases the number of
votes was to be the same as the number
of representatives in the
state legislature. The rules of the
house of representatives of
the state were adopted in substance as
the rules of the conven-
tion. It was generously resolved that
the convention would waive
any nomination or recommendation at that
time for the presi-
dency or vice-presidency and that its
members would cheerfully
support the leaders of the party. The
delegates of each con-
gressional district were directed to
confer together and report to
the convention three persons from that
district to attend the next
Democratic national convention. The
Democratic senators and
representatives of Indiana in congress
were also asked to attend.
The delegates to the national convention
were requested, in case
of any change of events rendering it
necessary, to call primary
meetings for the appointment of
delegates to conventions in each
congressional district to instruct said
national delegates; and if
in such case, these delegates failed to
call for instructions, the
convention advised that the people hold
meetings and appoint
delegates for such purpose. The
delegates were empowered to
fill vacancies in their number from the
districts in which the
107 See pp. 53 and 54.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 57
vacancies should occur. A central
corresponding committee of
twenty-one members, three from each
congressional district, was
appointed whose duty it was to determine
the time and place of
holding the next state convention and
also to act as a committee
of vigilance in promoting the election
of the candidates nominated
by this convention. All the Democratic
journals of the state
were requested to publish the
proceedings of the convention. In
the same issue of the Indiana
Democrat in which the account of
the convention appeared, the editor
wrote: "We shall hear no
more, we presume, of the opposition to
conventions in Indiana,
and particularly from those who profess
to be our friends.
* * * We consider the system now
established upon so firm a
basis, that our opponents can no longer
indulge the vain hope of
overturning it."
Although the regular congressional
elections occurred in
Indiana in 1835, political party
activity was at a low ebb. The
existing files of contemporary
newspapers have little to say con-
cerning the congressional campaign, yet
the Democratic candi-
dates succeeded in every district.108
An interesting meeting of
"members of all political
parties" was held in Franklin County
in February "for the purpose of
devising some scheme to allay
party excitement."109 It
was resolved "that this object could best
be obtained by the selection of a
candidate for the presidency in
whom the people of all parties could
confide." A resolution
nominating Harrison for president was
first offered. It was
then proposed to substitute the nominee
of the Democratic
national convention. This failing it was
proposed to substitute
Van Buren for president and Harrison for
vice-president. This
in turn was abandoned and the original
resolution was adopted.
This meeting seems to have been an
attempt by the Whigs to
enlist all the citizens of the county in
support of Harrison on
non-partisan grounds. The Democrats were
not satisfied with
the nomination and within a few weeks
they held a meeting and
passed resolutions supporting Van Buren
and Johnson, approv-
ing the national convention to be held
at Baltimore, appointing
a vigilance committee of over sixty, and
recommending a county
108 Indiana Democrat, Sept. 23, 1835, official
returns
109 Indiana Palladium, Feb. 21, 1835.
58 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
convention in May, "having in view
the sustenance of their
principles."110
Following the congressional elections,
the chief political
interest of the year among the Democrats
in Indiana was the
preparation for the state convention in
January, 1836. Again,
as in 1833, the party newspapers of the
state led and directed the
movement. An editorial in the Democrat,
early in September,
presented the matter by saying:111 "Within
a few weeks it has
been suggested to us by a number of the
friends of the admin-
istration in different parts of the
state that it would be good
policy to hold a state convention at
Indianapolis on the eighth of
January next for the purpose of forming
an electoral ticket.
*
* * As the meeting of the
legislature will afford the only
good opportunity of procuring a full
attendance of delegates, we
approve the suggestion. * * * Primary
meetings in all parts
of the state will, of course, be held if
the suggestion is generally
approved and so far as we are informed
the friends of the Admin-
istration in this part of the state will
unite in the convention."
In a later issue the editor wrote :112 "We are
now convinced that
a Democratic state convention will be
held during the ensuing
session of the legislature. * * * The
eighth of January
appears to be the day most generally
fixed on for that purpose."
Again he wrote:113 "The editors of the Indiana Palladium
warmly second the proposal of the Democrat
for a convention."
Early in October the editor of the Western
Sun wrote that the
time for action had arrived and he
proposed that meetings of all
those friendly to the election of Van
Buren and Johnson should
be held in the several counties in the
state on the second Saturday
of November to elect delegates to the
state convention.114 He
asked all the Democratic editors in the
state to make similar
appointments in their respective
counties. A little later the editor
of the Democrat wrote :115 "Nearly all the Democratic editors in
110Indiana Democrat, Apr. 4, 1835.
111Ibid, Sept. 2,
1835.
112Ibid, Sept.
30, 1835.
113Ibid, Oct. 7, 1835.
114 Western Sun, Oct.
10, 1835.
115Indiana Democrat, Oct. 21, 1835.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 59
Indiana have come out in favor of the
proposed state conven-
tion." By the end of November
meetings appointing delegates
to the convention had been held in most
of the counties of the
state.116 A number of these
meetings also effected county
organization.
The convention assembled on January 8,
1836, at Indian-
apolis and two hundred eighty-one
delegates representing sixty-
two counties produced their
credentials.117 A committee was
appointed, consisting of five members
from each of the seven
congressional districts, to nominate
officers and recommend rules
for the government of the convention.
The officers appointed
were a president, seven vice-presidents,
one for each congres-
sional district, and two secretaries,
and the rules of the house of
representatives of Indiana were adopted
so far as applicable for
the convention. All those in attendance
who were friendly to the
election of Van Buren and Johnson, who
were then members of
the general assembly, or who had been
members of any "Repub-
lican" state convention or of the
national convention, or who had
been presidential electors, were invited
to take seats as members
of the convention. A committee composed
of one from each con-
gressional district was appointed to
prepare an address and reso-
lutions. The delegates from each
congressional district nom-
inated the presidential electors for
their respective districts, and
the two senatorial electors were
nominated by a committee com-
posed of five from each congressional
district. An equivalent
number of contingent electors were
nominated. A majority vote
in the respective districts was required
for a choice of an elector
and each county was allowed as many
votes as it was entitled to
members in the house of representatives.
The nomination of presidential electors
was the primary pur-
pose for which the convention assembled,
but perhaps no less
important was its work in party
organization. A committee of
three from each congressional district
was appointed to prepare
and report to the convention a mode of
organizing the party in
the state. The report was adopted. It
provided for a state cen-
116Western Sun, Nov. 21 and 28, 1835.
117 See
Western Sun, Jan. 23 and 26, 1836, for full account of the
convention: account also in Globe, Feb.
19, 1836.
60 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
tral committee of sixteen persons who
should reside in or near
Indianapolis; a committee of five in or
near the center of each
congressional district; and a committee
of six in or near the
center of each county. Each of these
committees was authorized
to fill any vacancy which might arise in
its membership until a
reorganization of the party by a
subsequent state convention
emanating from the people. A majority of
the members of any
of these committees constituted a
quorum. The duties of the
state central committee were: to
correspond with the county
committees; to collect political
information and transmit it to the
people throughout the state; to
harmonize conflicting interests
and secure the triumph of Democratic
principles; to give notice of
all vacancies which might occur in the
departments of the govern-
ment of the state; and to call a state
convention whenever in their
opinion, the public interest might
demand it. The convention
referred the naming of the members of
the congressional district
and county committees to the delegates
present from the respec-
tive districts and counties. In counties
not represented in the
state convention, the committees of the
congressional districts in
which they were located were to appoint
their corresponding com-
mittees. The duties of the
county corresponding committees
were: to appoint committees of vigilance
in the townships with
instructions to organize the townships
by adding to their numbers
all the Democratic citizens thereof; to
apportion to each township
its number of delegates to the county
convention; to ascertain
from the committees of vigilance the
strength of the parties
within their several townships and
report the same to the state
committee and to the congressional
district committee annually
as soon as practicable after the April
election. The citizens of
the townships were to appoint and
instruct delegates to county
conventions and these were to appoint
and instruct delegates to
representative, senatorial, and
congressional district conventions.
A committee of three was directed to
publish twenty thousand
copies of the proceedings of the
convention and to collect the
necessary contributions to defray the
expense. It was the duty
of another committee to invite Van
Buren, Johnson, and Benton
to visit Indiana during the ensuing
season. The convention ad-
journed on January 9.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 61
Organization in 1836.
Some effects of the work of the state
convention may be
traced through the following months. The
central committee held
meetings in February and issued a
circular to the voters of the
state.1l8 The plan of
organization suggested by the state con-
vention was not followed strictly by the
committee but the end
sought was the same. The circular
recommended the Demo-
crats to convene in the several
townships early in April and
choose committees of vigilance. These
committees were to call
township meetings and it was suggested
that they prepare lists
of the voters in each township noting
their political affiliations;
also that they obtain assistance for
supporting reading rooms in
the more populous towns where the
newspapers of the day might
be made free and accessible to all.
Those counties in which com-
mittees had not already been appointed
were urged to call conven-
tions for that purpose. County and
township organization was
regarded as of the utmost importance,
without which the work
of the state committee would be in vain.
It was urged that candi-
dates for the state legislature be
selected with special reference
to their political opinions especially
in view of the approaching
election of a United States senator.
An editorial in the Democrat in
March observed that in
many parts of the state the friends of
the party were organizing
in advance of the recommendation of the
state committee in
preparation for county conventions for
the formation of Demo-
cratic tickets to be supported at the
August election.119 "It is the
duty of the county committees,"
said the editorial, "to appoint
the township committees. But when the
county committees fail
to act with energy, let the Democrats of
the township go ahead
themselves." In Hamilton County the
plan of organization sug-
gested by the state convention was
closely followed. The mem-
bers of the county committee appointed
by the state convention,
met and appointed township committees.120 These were re-
quested to add to their number every
Democratic voter in their
118 Indiana Democrat, Feb. 24, and Mar. 2, 1836.
119Indiana Democrat Extra, March 16, 1836.
120Indiana Democrat, May 4, 1836.
62 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
respective townships and to call a
meeting to appoint one delegate
for every thirty-three voters in the
township to meet in county
convention and nominate a ticket for the
August election. A
district convention, held in connection
with the Lagrange County
convention at Bloomfield in June, to
nominate a candidate for
representative to the state legislature,
showed interest and united
action.121 The district embraced the counties of
Lagrange, Noble,
Steuben, and DeKalb and the several
townships in the district
were all represented.
As the fall election approached the
state central committee
issued another address to the voters of
the state, dwelling upon
the importance of the election, and
calling upon all citizens to
do their duty.122 A little
later this committee recommended that
a convention be held on January 8, 1837,
for nominating candi-
dates for the offices of governor and
lieutenant governor and
suggested that township meetings be held
on the twenty-sixth of
November and county meetings for
appointing delegates the week
following.123 An editorial in the same
issue stated that meetings
had already been held in several
counties recommending a con-
vention and appointing delegates. After
the election in which
Indiana gave Harrison forty-one thousand
and Van Buren thirty-
two thousand,l24 the central
committee withdrew the call for the
convention.125 This action
was explained by an editorial in the
Democrat which stated that the presidential election had
"caused
a lukewarmness and indifference in the
Republican [Democratic]
ranks." The people rather than the
committee had lost confi-
dence and felt that the Whig candidate
would without doubt be
elected.
The congressional as well as the
presidential election occur-
red in Ohio in 1836 and the system of
both district and county
conventions was almost uniformly
adopted. Some advancement
was made in organization. In the
district conventions the votes
121 Indiana Democrat, June 22, 1836.
122Ibid, Sept. 28, 1836.
123 Ibid. Nov. 9, 1836.
124Official returns in Western Sun, Jan.
7, 1837.
125 Indiana Democrat, Nov. 30, 1836.
Democratic Party Organization in the Northwest. 63
of the counties were apportioned
according to population.l26
In Pickaway County all delegates to
district and state conven-
tions were provided with certified lists
of their respective dele-
gations.127 The names of
delegates to the county convention and
of corresponding committees for the
townships were sometimes
sent directly to the county committee by
the clerks of the town-
ship meetings.l28 In a Muskingum County meeting a
committee
of five was appointed to communicate
with several congressmen
and invite them to visit Zanesville, and
county and township com-
mittees were appointed to serve until
others should be duly
appointed to succeed them.129 A
later meeting in the same county
appointed a "congressional county
committee" of five whose duty
it was "to have general
superintendence and direction over all
documents and proceedings emanating from
the Democratic party
or any member thereof in the approaching
electioneering con-
test."130 This committee
was to cooperate with the central com-
mittee of the county. A Hamilton County
meeting recommended
the county convention not to nominate
any one for office who
would not pledge himself "to obey
any instructions that might be
forwarded to him by a majority of the
Democratic party of that
county, after his election by them, or
to resign his seat
instantly."131 In Logan County
a financial committee of four was
appointed to collect funds for defraying
campaign expenses.l32
While the organization was generally
solidifying it disap-
126 Western Hemisphere, June 15, 1836, quoting Cleveland Advertiser;
Western Hemisphere, Aug. 31, 1836.
127Ibid, Aug. 17, 1836, quoting Circleville (Ohio) Press.
Western Hemisphere, Apr. 27, 1836, Coshocton County meeting.
129Ibid, May 18, 1836, quoting Zanesville Aurora.
130 Western
Hemisphere, July 13, 1836, quoting Zanesville
Aurora.
This Muskingum County meeting was a very
enthusiastic one and most
of its proceedings were sensible and to
the point. One resolution, how-
ever, was: "Resolved, That
it is the unanimous and deliberate opinion of
this meeting that Wm. H. Harrison and
Francis Granger, the Federal,
Whig, Anti-Masonic, and Abolition
candidates for president and vice-
president, ought not to receive, at the
election in November next, in any
one of the whole states of the American
Union, one, single electoral
vote."
131 Western Hemisphere, July 13, 1836.
132Ibid, Aug. 31,
1836.
64 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
peared at times in some of the counties.
Franklin County in the
centre of the state and the seat of the
capital city had no Demo-
cratic party organization early in July,
1836.133 This was doubt-
less partly due to the fact that
Franklin was a Whig county,
though at times, as already observed,
its Democratic organization
had been well developed. A call for a
county convention was at
this time circulating in the townships.
Should this plan fail,
wrote the editor of the Monitor, the
next advisable course would
be for the congressional committeeman
appointed at the last
Democratic state convention for each
county, to call a convention
in his county. He called the attention
of the congressional com-
mitteemen in the counties of the
district to this suggestion and
urged the holding of county and district
conventions. "There
is no correct way," he added,
"of obtaining a congressional con-
vention but through county
conventions." In response to this
agitation there appeared in the columns
of the Hemisphere a
call for a county convention on July 30,
to nominate delegates
to a congressional district convention
and to form a ticket for the
October election.l34 This
county convention was duly held.135
It revived the county organization,
nominated a county ticket and
appointed six delegates to the district
convention which occurred
in August.136 Thus the
organization was speedily restored.
The most enthusiastic organizing
activity of the year was
that of the young men and one of the
most interesting features
about it was the agency of the press in
developing it. The move-
ment for a young men's state convention
was begun by an edi-
torial in the Dayton Herald about
the first of May.137 "Let us
have a young men's state
convention," wrote the editor. "Let the
state central committee designate time
and place for such con-
vention to assemble and give general and
timely notice of the
same. * * * The above hints are
thrown out for the con-
sideration of our brethren of the
Democratic presses in Ohio.
We hope they will give the subject
deliberate consideration and
133 Western Hemisphere, July 6, quoting Ohio Monitor.
134 Western Hemisphere, July 13, 1836.
135Ibid, Aug. 3, 1836.
136 Ibid, Aug. 31, 1836.
137Ibid, May 4, 1836, quoting Dayton Herald.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 65
also their views through the medium of
their respective papers."
The Ohio Eagle warmly seconded
this editorial in the Herald
and suggested to the central committee
the fourth of July as
the time for the convention.138 The editor of the Hemisphere
wrote: "We should, in common with
our Dayton brother, be
pleased to hear an expression of opinion
on the subject from the
conductors of Democratic presses in
different sections of the
state."139 The subject
was taken up with enthusiasm by a num-
ber of the Democratic papers such as the
Zanesville Aurora, St
Clairsville Gazette, Ohio Sun (Batavia), Elyria Republican,
Steubenville Union, Coshocton
Horizon, Washington Genius of
Liberty, and the Cleveland Advertiser.140 The editors of the War-
ren News Letter and the New Lisbon Patriot were not opposed
to the convention but thought efficient
county and township
organizations would be preferable. To
this the editor of the
Hemisphere rejoined that at a state convention where every
county and section of the state would be
represented, much
might be done to facilitate
organization, and that he understood
this to be the chief object of the
convention.
The state central committee, one of whose
members was
the editor of the Western Hemisphere,
issued a circular of in-
quiry to the respective county
corresponding committees of the
state on the subject of the proposed
young men's convention
and the replies were so assuring that on
July 20, the committee
issued a formal call for the convention
to be held at Columbus
on September 9.141 The Democratic
papers throughout the state
were requested to copy this notice.
Enthusiastic county meet-
ings were held in all parts of the state
and delegates were ap-
pointed in generous numbers. In Delaware
County all the Demo-
cratic young men under the age of
thirty-one were authorized
and urgently requested to attend.l42
The Franklin County con-
vention appointed five hundred
delegates,143 Ross one
hundred
138
Western Hemisphere, May 4, 1836, quoting Ohio Eagle.
139 Western Hemisphere, May 4, 1836.
140 Ibid, June 1, 1836.
141 Ibid, July 20, 1836.
142Ibid, Aug. 17,
1836, quoting National Republican.
143 Western Hemisphere, Aug. 3,
1836.
Vol. XXIV-5.
66 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
thirty,144 Clinton and
Fayette each seventy-three,145 Muskingum
fifty,146 Clermont thirty-one,147 and Hardin three.148 Several
days before the convention assembled
more than twelve hun-
dred delegates had been appointed149
but only about half this
number attended.150
The organization and work of this
convention was some-
what similar to that of the regular
convention in January.151
Governor Lucas and others attended and
addressed the conven-
tion by invitation. Besides the address
and resolutions adopted
by the convention, an address was to be
prepared for the bene-
fit of the German citizens and another
for the Welsh citizens
of the state. A committee of three from
each county was named
to call a meeting in its county and take
such measures as would
insure a complete organization of the
Democratic young men
of the state. A "Young Men's
Central Committee" of fifteen
was appointed, seven of whom resided in
Franklin County in
which Columbus was located. The central
committee was directed
to collect the necessary funds to
publish the proceedings and ad-
dress and these were to be distributed
among the counties in
proportion to their representation in
the general assembly.
The activity of the press during this
campaign in Ohio de-
serves a further word. Early in June the
Democratic central
corresponding committee of Pickaway
County had established
at Circleville a paper entitled the Ohio
Press which they con-
ducted with much zeal and ability.152 Beginning with July 4,
the publishers of the Western
Hemisphere issued a supplemen-
tary campaign extra entitled the Magician,
which was continued
till after the election.153
144 Western Hemisphere, Aug. 31, 1836.
145Ibid, Aug. 31 and Sept. 7, 1836.
146 Ibid, July 27, 1836.
147 It
is gratifying to be assured by the Ohio Sun (quoted in Western
Hemisphere, Sept. 7, 1836) that this Clermont County meeting was
"no
gormandizing, intemperate, ox-eating
humbug."
148 Western Hemisphere, Sept. 7, 1836.
149 Ibid, Sept. 7, 1836.
150 Globe, Sept. 21, 1836, quoting National Republican.
151 See Globe, Sept. 23, 1836,
for account of this convention.
152 Western Hemisphere, June 8, 1836.
153Ibid, July 20, 1836.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 67
In the congressional election in Ohio
the Whigs carried
eleven of the nineteen districts154
and in the presidential election
Harrison received one hundred and five
thousand and Van
Buren ninety-seven thousand votes.155
The Democrats of the
state however rejoiced in the national
victory of their party and
seemed oblivious to the local defeat. A
movement was at once
begun to celebrate the national victory
and in addition to im-
mediate demonstrations, the ninth of the
following January,
(the eighth being Sunday) was set apart
for a Democratic Jubi-
lee at Columbus and various other places
in the state, which
was duly observed by speeches and
feasting.156
154 Ohio State
Journal, Oct. 22, 1836.
155Niles' Register, Dec. 3, 1836.
156 Western
Hemisphere, Nov. 30, 1836; Ibid, Jan.
11 and 18, 1837.
CHAPTER III.
EXTENSION TO ILLINOIS AND MICHIGAN.
Beginnings in Illinois.
In Illinois political parties were much
slower in developing
their organization than in Ohio and
Indiana. Several causes
contributed to this. It was a more
sparsely settled frontier
state with a less advanced population.
The townships which
were so important a factor in party
organization in Ohio and
Indiana, because through their meetings
and delegates they
formed the basis for the whole
convention system, were en-
tirely lacking in Illinois until after
the Jacksonian period. In-
stead of the township there was only the
precinct, a mere voting
district without local government or
organization as in the town-
ship, in which the only uniting
influence was an annual election.1
The great difficulty was in the primary
meetings in the precincts
which were very poorly attended and were
a prey to profes-
sional politicians. Moreover, party
organization was not ex-
tended to the precincts until 1835 and
then only in a few cases
in the northern part of the state. In
December, 1835, the Illi-
nois senate expressed opposition to the
convention system by
resolving that "every person
eligible to the office of president
has a right to come forward as a
candidate for it without the
intervention of caucuses and
conventions" and that they "dis-
approve of the convention system
attempted to be forced upon
the American people by the Van Buren
party and believe it to
be destructive of the freedom of the
elective franchise, opposed
to republican institutions, and
dangerous to the liberties of the
people."2 In writing of
the convention system in Illinois Gov-
ernor Ford said:3 "The western
Democrats looked upon it with
1Thomas Ford, History of Illinois (Chicago,
1854), p. 206.
2Niles Register, XLIX,
p. 384; Illinois Advocate (Vandalia), Dec.
23, 1835. This resolution was passed by
a vote of 13 to 12.
3Ford, History of Illinois, p.
203.
(68)
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 69
a good deal of suspicion. It was
considered a Yankee contri-
vance, intended to abridge the liberties
of the people by depriv-
ing individuals on their own mere
motion, of the privilege of
becoming candidates, and depriving each
man of the right to vote
for a candidate of his own selection and
choice." Under such
circumstances it is easy to understand
why the development of
political party organization was later
in Illinois than in the older
states. However by 1840 the convention
system was fairly well
established in Illinois. The party was
organized upon the prin-
ciples of national politics only and not
upon those of the state.4
In this respect Illinois was in marked
contrast with Indiana in
which national party lines had little to
do with state elections.
This backwardness of Illinois in party
organization is par-
ticularly noteworthy in view of the fact
that from 1824 to 1840
this state was conspicuously under he
control of the Democratic
party which was the party par
excellence of organization. From
1824 to 1840 the congressmen
from Illinois were uniformly
Democratic, except in the last two years
in the northern district,
and the state always supported a
Democratic president. The
governor and legislature were also
invariably Democratic.
In the election of 1824 a plurality of
the popular votes of
the state had been claimed for Jackson
and he had received
two of its electoral votes, the third
being cast for Adams, for in
Illinois the district plan was then
pursued in choosing electors
instead of the general ticket plan.5
When the election went to
the house of representatives the one
representative of Illinois
cast his vote for Adams claiming that he
had received the plu-
rality of the popular votes of the
state, but this congressman was
superseded by a Jackson man in 1826.
In February, 1827, the house of
representatives of Illinois
resolved by a vote of nineteen to
eleven, that although they did
not "consider it the province of
the legislature to dictate to the
people in regard to the presidential
election," yet they believed
"General Andrew Jackson eminently
qualified and justly entitled
to the office from the important
services" he had rendered his
4Ford, History of Illinois, p.
207.
5By an Act of the Illinois legislature,
Jan. 11, 1827, the general
ticket plan was introduced for use in
presidential elections.
70 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
country.6 This resolution was
approved by a large meeting of
Republican citizens in Belleville, St.
Clair County in March,
which recommended the citizens of the
state friendly to the elec-
tion of Jackson to assemble in the
different counties and adopt
resolutions and measures to promote his
election.7 In 1828 the
state was composed of three electoral
districts and in the spring
the friends of Jackson in Fayette County
held a meeting at Van-
dalia, then the state capital, and
recommended the citizens of the
counties of the northern district to
hold meetings and appoint
delegates to a convention at
Springfield.8 The accounts of some
of these county meetings are preserved
in the newspapers of
that time. Two were held on March 3,
1828, one in Montgom-
ery County, the other in Greene County,
both of which approved
the recommendations of the Vandalia
meeting and appointed
delegates to the northern electoral
district convention to be held
at Springfield in May.9
In harmony with the action taken by
members of the legis-
latures of Ohio, Indiana, and several
other states, both houses
of the legislature of Illinois in
January, 1831, passed by almost
unanimous votes resolutions favoring the
election of Jackson
for a second term.10 A
meeting of the citizens of Fayette County
and others from various counties of
Illinois attending the su-
preme court of Vandalia in December,
1831, recommended the
support of Jackson for the next
presidency in conjunction with
such person for vice-president as the
Baltimore convention might
select.11 This meeting further
recommended the citizens who
were friendly to the reelection of
Jackson to assemble in their
several counties in the three
congressional districts of the state12
6Journal of the House of Representatives
of Illinois, Feb. 19, 1827.
7 U. S. Telegraph, April 7, 1827.
8The knowledge of this Vandalia meeting comes from the
accounts
of the county meetings next referred to
in the text.
9National Republican, Mar. 28, 1828; U. S. Telegraph, Apr. 12, 1828.
No record of this district convention
seems to be preserved.
10Journals of the House of
Representatives, and of the Senate of
Illinois, Jan. 3, 1831.
Globe, Jan. 5, 1832, quoting Illinois Intelligencer.
12The state had been divided into three
congressional districts by
an Act of the legislature, Feb. 15,
1831, in anticipation of the congres-
sional apportionment Act of 1832.
Previously Illinois had had but one
representative in congress.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 71
as soon as practicable and to choose
three delegates to attend
conventions in their respective
districts at Kaskaskia, Vandalia,
and Springfield during the spring terms
of the circuit courts
in the counties of Randolph, Fayette,
and Sangamon, to agree
upon the selection of suitable persons
to be supported as electors
of president and vice-president. A
committee of twenty-four
was appointed to prepare and publish an
address to the citizens
of Illinois on the objects of the
meeting and the next presi-
dential election. Three delegates were
appointed to represent
Fayette County at the congressional
district convention at Van-
dalia; and although this meeting was in
no sense a regular state
convention composed of delegates duly
appointed, it chose four
delegates to represent Illinois at the
Baltimore convention. Pur-
suant to the recommendation of this
Vandalia meeting, county
meetings were held in each of the three
congressional districts
which appointed delegates to the
district conventions.l3 A
meeting in Adams County besides
appointing delegates to the
district convention at Springfield,
appointed a committee of cor-
respondence for the county. The four
delegates appointed by the
Vandalia meeting to the Baltimore
convention were approved
and it took the liberty of appointing an
additional delegate in
behalf of the citizens of the fifth
judicial circuit. No records
seem to be preserved of any of the
district conventions but the
electoral ticket which later appeared
for Jackson and Van Buren
would indicate that they were held.
At this time the Democrats of Illinois
were divided into two
factions on the subject of the
vice-presidency, some favoring Van
Buren, others R. M. Johnson. The
movement for Johnson be-
gan in a meeting at Vandalia early in
January, 1832, the object
of which was to nominate a candidate for
vice-president.14 Col.
A. P. Field introduced resolutions in
support of Johnson and
some friction was aroused, but after the
retirement of its op-
ponents this nomination was carried.
This was followed by a
call for a Jackson and Johnson state
convention.15 Those
13Illinois Advocate (Edwardsville), Mar. 9 and 23, 1832.
14 U. S. Telegraph, Feb. 21, 1832, quoting Illinois Journal (Spring-
field).
15Western Sun, Feb.
25, 1832; Sangamo Journal (Springfield, Ill.),
March 8, 1832.
72 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society
Publications.
friendly
to these candidates were requested to appoint delegates
to
meet on March 26 at the state house in Vandalia for the pur-
pose
of nominating electors. Preparatory to this state convention
a
Fayette county meeting was held at Vandalia in February and
appointed
twelve delegates.16 No record appears of any other
preparatory
meetings but on March 26 the convention was held.17
Five
persons were nominated, one from each of the five judicial
circuits
of the state, to be supported as candidates for electors
for
Jackson and Johnson, provided the latter should be supported
by
the Jackson party in any of the states. But if there should be
no
hope of electing Johnson, these electors were to be at liberty
to
vote for another candidate. An address to the people of the
United
States was prepared; committees of correspondence were
appointed
for each of the five judicial districts and a central
committee
of twelve for the state. Two thousand copies of the
address
adopted in favor of Johnson were to be printed and
distributed
among the counties of the state. No delegates were
appointed
to the Baltimore convention and it was disregarded.
Of
the four delegates appointed to the Baltimore convention
by
the Vandalia meeting in December, two attended, and these
divided
the vote of Illinois in the nomination of vice-president
between
Van Buren and Johnson.18 In the November election
the
five Van Buren electors were chosen and thus he received
all
the electoral votes of Illinois for vice-president. In the presi-
dential
elections of both 1828 and 1832 in Illinois Jackson re-
ceived
more than double the number of votes received by the
opposing
candidate.19
The
strife between the Van Buren and Johnson factions
in
Illinois did not cease with the election of 1832 but was re-
16Sangamo
Journal, March 1, 1832.
17Ibid,
Apr. 5, 1832; U. S. Telegraph, Apr.
14, 1832, quoting Van-
dalia
(Illinois) Whig.
18 U. S. Telegraph, May 25, 1832.
19Official
returns, office of Illinois Secretary of State.
1828 1832
Jackson 9560 Jackson 14617
Adams 4662 Clay 6744
In
1828 Jackson received majorities in 37 of the 42 counties. In
1832
he received majorities in 46 of the 53 counties.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 73
newed in 1833 and 1834 in connection
with the campaign for
governor to be elected in 1834,20 and a Johnson
meeting in Van-
dalia in February of that year nominated
him for president and
appointed six delegates to attend a
Democratic Johnson state
convention.21 No time was then fixed for this convention and
it was probably not held.
John Reynolds who had been governor
since 1830 was elec-
ted to congress in 1834 and in speaking
of the campaign he said :22
"At that day the convention system
was not established and as
many persons offered their services as
pleased. * * * There
were in the field three candidates for
congress [in the first dis-
trict], all Democrats and Jackson
men. All the candidates
offered without a convention. * * * At
the same election
Kinney and Duncan were candidates for
governor, also without
a convention." The only organized
method for promoting the
cause of a candidate for public office
was the county meeting and
a number of these were held for the
purpose of nominating fa-
vorite candidates.23
Development in Illinois, 1835-36.
The year 1835 practically marked the
beginning of party
organization on a large scale in
Illinois. In that year the Demo-
crats began in earnest to prepare for
the coming presidential
campaign along lines which were followed
in other states. Two
Democratic state conventions were held
at Vandalia, the state
capital, that year; one in April to
appoint delegates to the Balti-
more convention in May and one in
December to choose presi-
dential electors. The movement for the
April convention was
begun in that same month and because of
this short time it was
not largely attended. In Fayette County
itself, the seat of the
capital, after repeated calls for it, a
meeting was held at Van-
dalia April 18, to express opinions upon
the national convention.24
20 Globe, Feb. 22, 1833. Illinois elected a governor every four
years.
21Illinois Advocate and State Register (Vandalia), Feb. 22, 1834;
Sangamo Journal, March 1, 1834.
22John Reynolds, History of Illinois (Chicago,
1879), p. 283.
23Illinois Advocate, Dec. 7, 1833; Jan. 11 and Feb. 22, 1834; Chicago
Democrat, Jan. 21, 1834.
24Illinois Advocate, Apr. 1, 15, and 22, 1835.
74 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
It was resolved that, as the shortness
of the time rendered it im-
practicable to hold a state convention
for appointing delegates
to the national convention, county
meetings should be held
throughout the state approving the
national convention and
agreeing to support its nominations.
Precisely the same attitude
had been taken by a meeting in St. Clair
County.25 But the
Morgan County meeting, under the
leadership of S. S. Brooks,
editor of the Jacksonville News, and
Stephen A. Douglas,29
resolved, "that * * * Illinois
should be fully represented in
the proposed convention at Baltimore;
and that for the purpose
of appointing delegates thereto, a state
convention be held at
Vandalia, April 27, to be composed of
delegates from all the
counties in the state equal in number to
the representation in the
legislature."27 Six
delegates were then chosen to represent Mor-
gan County in such a state convention
with instructions to select
delegates who would favor Van Buren and
Johnson. On the
same day the Democrats of Greene County
held a meeting which
was soon followed by meetings in
Sangamon and Edgar Counties,
all of which appointed delegates to the
state convention.28
One of the most active Democratic
meetings of the year
was held at Chicago about a week after
the Morgan County meet-
ing.29 Among its resolutions
were the following:
"Whereas, There has not heretofore been such an organiza-
tion of the party in this town, county,
or state as would give to
individual members a voice in the
selection of candidates to be
supported for office, * * * therefore:
"Resolved, That an immediate and thorough organization
throughout the state in accordance with
the principles and usages
of the Democratic party, is not only
expedient but absolutely
necessary to its present united and
efficient action. * * *
25Illinois Advocate, Apr. 1, 1835.
26 For the part taken by Douglas in
promoting Democratic party
organization in Illinois, see James W.
Sheahan, The Life of Stephen A.
Douglas (New York, 1860); Allen Johnson, Stephen A. Douglas:
A
Study in American Politics (New York, 1908).
27Illinois Advocate, June 3, 1835.
28 Ibid,
Apr. 22, 29, and June 3, 1835.
29Ibid, June 3, 1835.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 75
And while we pledge ourselves to use all
necessary and proper
means to effect such an organization in
this town, we earnestly
recommend a similar course to our
political brethren in the
different precincts, villages and
settlements in this county and
in the different counties throughout the
state." A committee of
correspondence was appointed for Chicago
and the Democrats
"throughout the state and
especially in the different precincts and
settlements" of that county were
earnestly solicited to appoint
similar committees. It was resolved to cooperate with the
Democrats of the county in holding a
county convention to nom-
inate candidates for offices to be
filled at the August election, and
to support for all public offices only
those candidates who should
be duly nominated by a convention of
delegates fairly called
together. Two citizens of Vandalia were
requested to represent
the Democrats of Chicago in the state
convention, "should such
convention, in accordance with the
recommendations of our
political friends of Morgan and other
counties, be held." Three
hundred copies of the proceedings were
to be printed, some of
which were to be distributed among the
Democratic editors
throughout the state for publication.
This unique plan of ap-
pointing delegates to the state
convention who lived at the seat of
the proposed convention was doubtless
because of the great dis-
tance of Vandalia from Chicago and the
shortness of the time.
The state convention assembled at
Vandalia on the twenty-
seventh and held sessions on the
twenty-seventh and twenty-
eighth.30 Because of the
short notice and of the "idea having
gone abroad that there would not be
sufficient time to hold a con-
vention before the meeting of the
convention at Baltimore," the
attendance was small, only a few
counties being represented at all
and these only partially so. An active
part was taken by the
delegates from Morgan and Sangamon
Counties and two from
each of these counties were among the
officers chosen by the
convention.3l Five delegates were appointed to atttend the
Baltimore convention and were instructed
to support the nom-
ination of Van Buren and Johnson. The
Democrats throughout
30 Illinois Advocate, Apr. 29, 1835.
31 Sangamo Journal, May 16, 1835.
76 Ohio
Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
the state were requested to hold county
meetings where they had
not already been held and concur in the
proceedings of this con-
vention. The proceedings and address
were directed to be
printed in a hand bill for distribution.
In accordance with the request of the
state convention, its
proceedings were approved by a meeting
in Clinton County,32 but
during April and May several meetings
were held in counties
remote from Vandalia which had no
knowledge of this conven-
tion. For instance, a meeting at
Shelbyville two days prior to
the state convention, solicited and
recommended fourteen named
delegates from various counties of the
state to attend the Balti-
more convention.33 Democratic meetings in Vermillion, Jo
Davies and La Salle Counties made no
mention of the Vandalia
convention.34 The meeting in
La Salle County adopted resolu-
tions on organization evidently modeled
upon those of the Chicago
meeting in April. Committees were
appointed for the county
and precinct and the convention system
was strongly supported.
During June and July, 1835, the plans
for organization sug-
gested by the April meeting in Chicago
were carried out by the
Democratic party in that vicinity and
apparently for the first
time in Illinois there was a county
convention composed of dele-
gates duly appointed by the precincts.35
This convention was
held in Cook County, July 4, in response
to a call by the Chicago
committee requesting the precincts to
send delegates.36 At the
same time the committee requested the
Democrats in the other
counties of the district to send
delegates to a senatorial conven-
tion at Ottawa, July 8. The Cook County
convention nominated
candidates for county officers, made
county organization and
appointed delegates to the senatorial
convention.37 This latter
convention nominated a senator and
appointed a senatorial dis-
trict corresponding committee of two in
each county.38 In the
32Illinois Advocate, May 27, 1835, quoting St. Clair Gazette.
33Illinois Advocate, May 6, 1835.
34Ibid, June 3 and 10, 1835.
35Chicago Democrat, July 8, 1835, editorial.
36Ibid, June 24 and July 1, 1835.
37Ibid, July 8, 1835.
38Ibid, July 15,
1835.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 77
latter part of July a Democratic primary
meeting was held in the
Chicago precinct which nominated
officers for the precinct, and
appointed a committee of nine to bring
out the entire Democratic
vote at the next election.39 Thus
the convention system of nomina-
tions was extended to precinct, county,
and district.
The next general organizing activity of
the party in Illinois
was the movement for a state convention
to be held in December,
1835, for choosing presidential
electors. In this movement Mr.
Douglas and Morgan county again took the
initiative. At a
Morgan county meeting at Jacksonville in
June in which Douglas
was active, a decided stand was taken in
support of conventions
and the meeting recommended the friends
of Van Buren and
Johnson to hold meetings in their
respective counties throughout
the state and send delegates to a state
convention to be held at
Vandalia in December, to form a
Democratic electoral ticket for
the state.40 Each county was
requested to send a number of
delegates equal to its number of
representatives in both branches
of the legislature and every county was
to send at least one
delegate. Delegates were appointed from
Morgan and a county
organization of the party was effected.
From July to November a large number of
county meetings
were held, all of which appointed
delegates to the state conven-
tion and a number of them effected
county organizations.41 None
of these meetings seems to have been
composed of delegates
regularly appointed by the precincts but
the Peoria county meet-
ing appointed a committee of
correspondence consisting of three
in each precinct of the county42 and
the meeting in Cook county
recommended the precincts to appoint
committees and to present
their names to the county committees.43 The delegates from
Wabash county were provided with
certified copies of the pro-
39 Chicago Democrat, July 29,
1835. A series of editorials appeared
in this paper in the summer of 1835 in
support of the convention system
of nominations.
40 Ibid, July 15, 1835.
41Illinois Advocate, July to Nov., 1835.
42Ibid, Dec. 2, 1835.
43Chicago Democrat, Oct. 14, 1835.
78 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
ceedings of the meeting, which served as
their credentials to the
state convention.44
The convention held its sessions at
Vandalia, December 7
and 8.45 At this time there
were about sixty counties in the
state and twenty-three of these were
represented in the conven-
tion by seventy delegates. The rules for
the government of the
house of representatives of Illinois
were adopted for the govern-
ment of the convention. A committee
appointed by the president,
consisting of one from each county
represented, selected the five
candidates for presidential electors who
should vote for Van
Buren and Johnson. An address was
prepared to the people
of the state. The most interesting
feature of the convention was
an exciting debate during the session of
the second evening on
the introduction of the convention
system into Illinois.46 A Mr.
Peck, of Chicago, offered resolutions
the object of which was to
introduce in Illinois the convention
system of nominating all
candidates for state and county officers
and to prevent the
election of all persons who would not
submit to the decision of
these conventions. He opened the
discussion by observing that
some of his party had prejudices against
the plan. The conven-
tion system, he said, was all that could
save the party; it brought
men under proper control; it tested
their fidelity to party. The
system had worked well in New York. If
southern Illinois was
not ready for it, the third
congressional district might adopt it.
The chairman, Mr. Maxwell, thought it
too soon to force
the convention system upon the people.
They were not prepared
for it. He believed the whole system to
be anti-Republican, and
although Wyatt and Douglas said it
worked well in Morgan
county, he was "afraid it would not
go down with the old-
fashioned Democrats." He stated
that inasmuch as the pro-
ceedings of the meeting were taking a
turn which he did not
approve and one which he was convinced
the people would much
less approve, he would therefore be
constrained to leave the chair.
This he did and a momentary confusion
ensued which was soon
settled by the mounting of a second
chairman, William Weather-
44 Western Sun, Dec. 15, 1835.
45Proceedings given in Illinois Advocate,
Dec. 17, 1835.
46 Account given in Sangamo Journal, Feb. 6, 13, and 20, 1836.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 79
ford, upon the rostrum. Mr. Douglas of
Morgan County said
he had lived in New York, was well
acquainted with the con-
vention system, and knew that it was the
only way to manage
elections with success.
"Gentlemen," he said, "were mistaken
when they supposed that the people of
the West had too long
enjoyed their own opinions to submit
quietly to the regulation
of a convention." He knew better.
He claimed the honor of
having introduced it into the county of
Morgan; and there it
had "already prostrated one
distinguished individual holding high
office." He said the convention
system had already been in-
troduced with great success by Mr. Van
Buren's friends into
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina,
Georgia, Ohio, and Indiana.
Mr. Caton, formerly of New York, then of
Chicago, spoke
warmly for conventions and said that the
ex-chairman, Mr.
Maxwell, also favored state and national
conventions, but op-
posed county and district conventions
because he said the people
were "not prepared to give up their
old ways." The immediate
result of the debate was that the
resolutions in favor of the con-
vention system which had precipitated it
were not adopted.
The convention question was also
discussed in the state
legislature in the session of 1835-36.
The senate passed resolu-
tions recommending Hugh L. White for the
presidency and at
the same time adopted the resolutions
already given opposing
the convention system.47 In
the house of representatives some
days later, resolutions were adopted
recommending the support
of Van Buren and Johnson, favoring the
convention system, and
disapproving the "efforts of the
opposition party to divide the
Jackson Democratic party and thus bring
the election into the
house of representatives."48
During the year 1836 there were a number
of county and
district conventions in the northern
part of the state. In the
spring, through the leadership of
Douglas and Brooks, the Dem-
ocrats of Morgan County were induced to
hold a convention at
Jacksonville in April for the purpose of
forming a county ticket.49
47 See p. 68; Illinois Advocate, Dec.
23, 1835.
48Ibid, Jan. 6,
and Feb. 10, 1836.
49For
account of this activity in Morgan County, see Sheahan, Life
of Douglas, p. 25, et seq.
80 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
Every precinct was represented by
delegates and a ticket was
nominated. This was the first regular
convention composed of
delegates duly appointed by the
precincts, ever held in that
county, though there had been one in
Cook County the previous
year.50 Such unity and
concentration were necessary if the
Democrats would win, particularly in
Morgan County, which
was Whig. Previous to this time a half
dozen or more candi-
dates in each of the parties had often
run for the same office.
Douglas made a thorough canvass of the
county and fought the
first fight there in behalf of regular
nominations and all but
one of the Democratic candidates were
elected.
At Flag Creek near Chicago a senatorial
district convention
was held in July composed of delegates
duly appointed from
the several precincts of Will and Cook
Counties which nominated
one candidate for the state senate,
three for representatives, and
recommended Wm. L. May as representative
to congress from
the third district.51 The
delegates from Will County then with-
drew and those of Cook nominated a
county ticket and resolved
"that the county corresponding
committee be empowered to
specify the number of delegates to be
hereafter admitted to
represent each precinct in future
conventions." A Peoria County
meeting in March nominated a candidate
for the house of repre-
sentatives, chose delegates to meet with
delegates from Putnam
County to nominate a candidate for the
senate, chose delegates
to attend a congressional district
convention at Peoria in May,
and adjourned to a later date to
nominate county officers.52
This year there occurred the first
congressional district con-
vention in Illinois to nominate a
candidate for congress.53 It
met in May at Peoria in the third or
northern district of the
state and there are accounts of several
county meetings which
appointed delegates to it.54 It
was poorly attended but nominated
Wm. L. May for congress and he was
elected. This district
50 See p. 76.
51 Chicago Democrat, July 20, 1836.
52 Ibid, March 30, 1836.
53Ibid, May 11,
1836; Illinois State Register and Illinois Advocate
(Vandalia), May 20, 1836.
Chicago Democrat, Jan. 27 and Feb. 24, 1836.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 81
was settled by emigrants from New York
and New England,
like Douglas, who adopted the convention
system more readily
than did the inhabitants of southern
Illinois.55 Even in the
northern district it was hard enough to
secure its adoption and
much credit for doing so belonged to
Douglas. Neither of the
other two congressional districts held
conventions and although
there were two Democratic candidates for
congress in each,
Democrats were elected in both
districts.56
Summing up the situation, by the end of
1836 there had been
but one congressional district
convention in Illinois to nominate
a candidate for congress; there had not
yet been a convention
for the nomination of a governor; the
state conventions which
had been held, had made no state
organization of the party; and
the organization had been extended to
the precincts only in a
few counties in the northern part of the
state. On the other
hand, county meetings were becoming
quite familiar; the dele-
gate system was gaining recognition;
conventions in representa-
tive, senatorial, and congressional
districts as well as state con-
ventions had been introduced; and the
ground had been broken
for the rapid advancement in party
organization which occurred
in the next few years.
Organization in Michigan by 1836.
The early history of Democratic party
organization in
Michigan is in marked contrast to that
in Illinois. For several
years before Michigan territory was
admitted as a state its party
organization was well developed. In 1832
and 1833, not to go
farther back, there were township
meetings and committees, and
county, district, and territorial party
organization and conven-
tions, to which delegates with
credentials were duly appointed.57
55Reynolds, History of Illinois, pp.
304 and 305.
56 Illinois State Register, Sept. 2, 15, and Oct. 7, 1836. The vote of
the state in the congressional election
was practically 28,000 Democratic
and 16,000 Whig. In the presidential
election it was 18.000 for Van
Buren and 15,000 for Harrison. (Illinois
State Register, Dec. 2, 1836.)
57 For account of this see St. Joseph
Beacon, Feb. 16, June 1 and 15,
1833.
Vol. XXIV-6.
82 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
The history of Michigan from 1835 to
1837 was unique.58 It
had a state government long before its
admission as a state by
congress and this admission was brought
about by the Demo-
cratic party in Michigan. In January,
1835, just two years be-
fore the state was admitted, the
legislative council provided for
the election of delegates to form a
state constitution. This con-
stitution was adopted by the people at
an election in October,
1835. In June, 1836, congress passed an
act admitting Michigan
as a state, provided she would accept
boundaries which gave
disputed territory to Ohio. The
legislature of the territory in
July provided for the election of
delegates to a convention to
consider the subject. This convention
met at Ann Arbor Sep-
tember 26 and voted against admission on
the terms proposed
by congress. The Whigs opposed admission
because the state,
being Democratic, would aid in electing
Van Buren to the
presidency but the Democrats did not
awaken to the situation
till after the convention had voted
against admission. This
action of the convention caused much
dissatisfaction among the
Democrats and on November 14, the
Democratic committee of
Wayne County issued a circular
recommending the holding of
meetings in all the counties to choose
delegates to another con-
vention at Ann Arbor on December 14. It
was urged that
speedy action was necessary in order to
secure to the new
state a share of the surplus revenue
that congress was about to
distribute and also the revenue from
public land sales in Michi-
gan. The Whigs held aloof but the
convention was held as
proposed by the Democrats and resolved
to accept the prescribed
conditions of admission and congress by
a new act formally
admitted the state in Januuary, 1837.
Thus a convention called
by the Democratic party brought about
the admission of Mich-
igan and the anomalous government,
neither territorial nor state,
gave place to that of the state.
Meanwhile party organization had been
well developed.
Niles in the southwestern part of the
state, and Detroit were
early active Democratic centers and the
party activities in these
vicinities give an idea of the political
advancement of the state.
58 T. M. Cooley, Michigan (American
Commonwealths), (Boston,
1886); Silas Farmer, History
of Detroit and Michigan (Detroit, 1889).
Democratic Party Organization in
the Northwest. 83
A meeting of Democratic Republicans at
Niles in August, 1835,
approved of the organization of the
Democratic party of the
territory, resolved to support the
Democratic nominations made
throughout the territory with a view to
state organization and
appointed delegates to a Berrien County
convention.59 At this
convention, consisting of delegates from
the several townships,
a committee of one from each of the
townships was appointed
to examine the credentials of the
members.60 It was resolved:
"That we pledge ourselves to the
Democratic party of Michigan
and to each other, that we will support
the regularly nominated
candidate of this party as the only
efficient means of preserving
and perfecting the powers and influence
of the party; that this
convention is convinced that the
principles of Democracy require
a strict adherence to conventional
nominations." Two delegates
were chosen by ballot to represent the
county in the convention
to be held at Ann Arbor in August to
nominate state officers and
a representative to congress; two
delegates were appointed to
attend a senatorial convention to be
held at Schoolcraft in Sep-
tember, and a candidate was nominated to
represent Berrien
County in the state legislature. The
convention appointed a
central corresponding committee for the
county and a committee
of three in each of the townships. The
senatorial convention
at Schoolcraft was attended by eighteen
delegates from seven
counties.61 It nominated three candidates to
represent the
western senatorial district in the state
legislature and urged upon
the district the importance of
supporting the nominations made
by this and the different county
conventions.
The attitude of the party toward the
convention system
of nominations was again shown by a
resolution of the Oak-
land County convention, that "all
differences of opinion as to
candidates for office should terminate
whenever a regular
nomination is announced by those
authorized by the party to
make it."62
59 Niles (Michigan) Gazette and Advertiser, Vol. 1, No.
1, Sept. 5,
1835.
60Ibid, Sept. 5, 1835.
61 Ibid, Sept. 5, 1835.
62Detroit Daily Free Press, Oct. 1, 1835.
84 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
The Democratic state convention held at
Ann Arbor, August
20, was quite representative and well attended. Sixteen of the
nineteen counties then organized were
represented by eighty-
nine delegates chosen by county
conventions "pursuant to the
recommendation of the general
committee."63 Stephens
T.
Mason was nominated for governor and
Isaac E. Crary for
representative to congress.64 It
was resolved "that the territorial
corresponding committee act in the state
of Michigan until the
next state convention" and that
this committee have power to
add to their number one member from each
of the new counties
organized. The Democratic young men were
alert and were
organizing in Michigan as elsewhere and
the object and pro-
ceedings of their late general
convention held at Tecumseh were
approved by the state convention.
The Democrats were particularly active
in and about Detroit
at the time of the fall election in
1835, when the state constitu-
tion was submitted for ratification and
state officers and a
representative to congress were elected.
Democratic meetings
were often held and early in October a
resolution was passed
by one of them which expressed
indignation at "the attempt of
the Detroit Whigs to sow dissension
among them" and stated
that they would "give their [Whig]
mixed ticket the same fate
as though it partook alone of the Whig
leaven."65 Four Demo-
crats were commended for declining the
Whig nomination. At
a later meeting the loss of a few who
had joined the Whigs was
referred to as a great gain to the
Democratic party and it was
resolved that every effort to alter the
Democratic ticket should
be watched and discouraged and that
every exertion be made to
prevent dividing or weakening the
ticket.66 A vigilance com-
mittee of forty-one was appointed which
was directed to arrange
and divide itself into subcommittees so
that part of them should
always be present at the polls on
election days. The editor of
the Press gave warning to
Democratic voters to examine their
63Niles Gazette, Sept. 12, 1835.
64 Since Michigan was entitled to but
one representative in congress
prior to 1840, her congressmen were
nominated by the state conventions.
65Detroit Free Press, Oct. 3, 1835.
66 Ibid, Oct. 5, 1835.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 85
tickets particularly before voting.67 Tickets with the Demo-
cratic candidates for governor,
lieutenant governor, and member
of congress at the head and the names of
the Whig candidates
for senate and house of representatives
below, were in circula-
tion.
The year 1836 was a stirring one in
Michigan politics.
There were two conventions on the
admission of the state, the
latter of which was a Democratic party
convention and another
for the selection of Democratic
presidential electors. Although
a Democratic state committee already
existed, the movement
for a convention for nominating
presidential electors began in
the legislature. At a meeting of the
Democratic members of
the legislature, held pursuant to public
notice at the Capitol in
Detroit, July 25, it was recommended
that the Democratic central
corresponding committee of the state,
call a convention to meet
at Ann Arbor, September 28, for the
purpose of nominating
presidential electors.68 In
pursuance of this recommendation
the state committee met in Detroit,
August 10, and recommended
to the county corresponding committees
throughout the state that
meetings be. held in all the townships
to appoint delegates to meet
in county convention, August 27, and
that these conventions
"elect the same number of delegates
to the state convention as
each county is entitled to members in
the state house of repre-
sentatives.69 The state
committee also recommended that dele-
gates be sent to a convention to give
assent to the conditions
imposed by congress for the admission of
the state. Five hun-
dred copies of the proceedings of the
state committee were to be
distributed among the counties of the
state.
Thus two state conventions were called
at Ann Arbor, one on
September 26 to vote on admission, the
other on September 28
to choose presidential electors. There
are accounts of a number
of township and county meetings to send
delegates to them and
both conventions were duly held.70 The
convention which voted
67Detroit Free Press, Oct. 6, 1835.
68 Ibid, July 21 and 30, 1836; Niles Gazette, Aug. 10,
1836.
69Detroit Free Press, Aug. 11, 1836.
70 Ibid, Aug. 31, and Sept. 17, 1836; Niles Gazette, Aug.
31, and
Sept. 7, 1836.
86 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
on admission on the terms imposed by
congress opposed it by a
vote of 28 to 21.71 This action aroused
opposition particularly
among the Democrats and at a Democratic
meeting in Detroit
October 17, a protest against it was
drafted.72 A Wayne County
Democratic convention, October 29, resolved in favor
of the
governor's calling a second state
convention to assent to the
conditions of admission proposed by
congress and appointed
a committee of three to correspond with
other counties to promote
the same.73 This was followed
by a similar meeting in Washte-
naw County.74 The governor
for lack of authority declined to
call another convention but intimated
that a convention originat-
ing with the people "in their
primary capacity" might be suffi-
cient. A circular issued by the
Democratic committee of Wayne
County, November 14, recommended the
second convention and
the movement resulted in a convention,
December 14, in which
practically none but Van Buren Democrats
participated and
which voted assent to the conditions of
admission imposed by
congress.
In writing of this second convention
Judge T. M. Cooley has
rightly said:75 "A movement for
another convention was there-
fore soon on foot which assumed to
represent the whole people,
though in fact originating in the
caucuses of the Jackson party
and representing that party almost
exclusively." The delegates
convened and "with no more
authority than any party caucus, as-
sumed the sovereign power of accepting
the proposition of con-
gress. No pretense could be more
baseless than this assump-
tion of authority by the convention.
People ridiculed its meeting
and christened it the 'frost-bitten
convention.'" Congress ac-
cepted the action of the convention as
that of the state and on
January 26, 1837, passed the final act
for admission. While this
movement for admission was for the most
part a movement of
the Democratic party it caused a
division in its ranks and the
71Detroit Daily Advertiser, Oct. 1 and 4, 1836; Michigan Pioneer and
Historical Collections, XI, pp. 157-159.
72Detroit Free Press, Oct. 19, 1836.
73 Ibid, Nov. 1, 1836.
74 Ibid, Nov. 15,
1836.
75 Cooley, Michigan, pp. 223 and 224.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 87
formation of a State Rights wing opposed
to admission on the
terms imposed, though all the Democrats
supported Van Buren.76
The organization of the Democratic young
men of Michi-
gan in 1836 is illustrated by a circular
issued by their state
central committee in July. This was
addressed to each member
of the corresponding committee, one of
whom was located in each
county of the state, and read as
follows:77 "At the state con-
vention of the Democratic young men of
Michigan held at
Tecumseh, August 12, 1835, you were
appointed a corresponding
member of the central committee. You are
therefore requested
to call a county convention of the
Democratic young men in
your county and appoint one delegate for
each one thousand in-
habitants to attend a state convention
at such time as may be
thought most expedient. The committee
would suggest that
you recommend to the several towns in
your county to appoint
corresponding committees; also that a
county corresponding
committee be appointed at the county
convention. You will
please confer with some person on this
subject in the unorganized
counties if any are attached to yours,
that they may be repre-
sented in the next convention. Your
views are requested with
regard to the time and place of holding
the next state con-
vention."
In the presidential election of 1836, in
which Michigan par-
ticipated although not yet admitted as a
state, her vote was
strongly Democratic. Of the twenty-one
counties which gave
returns, all but three supported Van
Buren, whose majority in
the state was over three thousand and
the ratio of the votes was
almost two to one.78
76Detroit Daily Advertiser, Oct. 4, 1836; Detroit Free Press, Oct.
20, 1836.
77 Detroit Free Press, Aug. 25,
1836.
78 Ibid, Nov. 26,
1836.
CHAPTER IV.
DEVELOPMENT FROM 1837 TO 1839.
Ohio.
In this chapter it is the purpose to
carry the study of the
Democratic party organization in Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, and
Michigan from the close of the
presidential campaign in 1836
to the preparation for that of 1840. In
Ohio and Indiana, as
has been shown, the Democratic party had
already become well
organized and little that was new was
presented in these states
in this later period. The chief thing to
be noted is the further
solidifying and perfecting of that
organization attained in these
states by 1836. The same is largely true
of Michigan, in which
the Democratic party was quite as far
advanced in organization
as in the two older states. In Illinois,
on the other hand, the
situation was different and a
conspicuous advancement was
made during these three years, so that
by 1840 the four states
had developed similar organizations and
all were well estab-
lished in the use of the delegate and
convention system.
The summer of 1837 contributed but
little of interest in the
Democratic party organization in Ohio.
After the election of
1836 the next interesting and important
political event in Ohio
was the state convention of January,
1838, for the nomination of
a governor. There was some objection to
having the conven-
tion in the winter because of bad
weather and roads and the
difficulties of travel but the patriotic
Democratic central com-
mittee could not abandon the memorable
eighth of January.1
In response to their call the editor of
the Statesman, which was
then the leading Democratic paper of the
state, wrote: "Let
Democrats everywhere meet, reorganize,
consult, and resolve."2
Much interest was shown in preparing for
the convention, but
1Ohio Statesman (Columbus), Nov. 7, 14, and 21, 1837; (See p. 53,
note 100.)
2Ibid, Nov. 21, 1837.
(88)
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 89
few new features appeared. The Fairfield
County convention
appointed a central committee for the
county "to be reported to
the state convention."3 Washington
County, while appointing
delegates to the state convention,
appointed a "congressional
corresponding committee for the
county" to be presented for the
approval of the state convention.4 This
reference of such ap-
pointments to the state convention for
approval was unusual and
seems to have indicated a deference for
that body. In Guernsey
County a meeting at Washington on
January 1, 1838, added six
delegates to the number already
appointed by a meeting at Cam-
bridge in the same county,5 although
the number of delegates
from this county who reported in the
state convention was only
three.6 The first seven
resolutions on political principles adopted
by this meeting were identically the
same as had been adopted by
the Franklin County meeting, December
16.7 Such copying of
resolutions was quite common in all
county meetings. The editor
of the Statesman at Columbus
cooperated with the Democrats
in counties which had no Democratic
paper of their own by
publishing the proceedings of their
meetings promptly.8 The
enthusiasm for the state convention is
indicated by the fact that
larger numbers of delegates than usual
were appointed by the
county conventions. In Franklin County,
three hundred were
appointed;9 in Delaware from two hundred
to four hundred;10
in Fairfield, one hundred forty-six.11
These delegations were
the largest appointed. In the list of
delegates reported at the
convention, there were from Franklin one
hundred fifty-six,
from Delaware twenty-nine, and from
Fairfield sixty-five.12
Seven counties were represented by one
each and the total at-
tendance was six hundred fifteen from
fifty-two of the seventy-
3Ohio Statesman, Dec. 26, 1837.
4Ibid, Jan. 2, 1838.
5Ibid, Jan. 5, 1838.
6 Ibid, Jan. 12, 1838.
7Ibid, Dec. 22, 1837.
Ibid, Jan. 9, 1838, editorial.
Ibid, Dec. 22, 1837.
10Ibid, Jan. 5, 1838.
11Ibid, Dec. 26, 1837.
12 Ibid, Jan. 12, 1838.
90 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
four counties then in the state. The
convention nominated a
governor, appointed a state central
committee to serve until the
next convention, and resolved that it
would be expedient to hold
a state convention of Democratic young
men at Newark on the
second Wednesday in September.
The year 1838 brought the congressional
election again in
Ohio13 and a series of
congressional district conventions. At
the same time there are the usual
accounts of township, county,
and legislative district meetings but
they were more numerous
and better systematized than before. The
Democratic papers of
the state were active. An article in the
Statesman in January
listed forty-three of them and the
editor suggested that they
open a regular exchange until after the
fall election.14 The
Ohio Eagle and Muskingusm
Valley at once responded to this
suggestion, sending copies to all the
other Democratic papers in
the state, and inviting a general
exchange in return. The sub-
scriptions to Democratic papers
increased rapidly at this time.15
Resolutions in some of the county
meetings favored the establish-
ment of Democratic papers. The meeting
in Guernsey County
in January, already mentioned, resolved
that "the establishment
of a Democratic press in this county is
a measure of vital im-
portance to every true Republican in the
county."16 A Union
County Democratic meeting in October
resolved "that immediate
steps be taken to establish a Democratic
press in this legislative
district" and a committee was
appointed to confer upon this sub-
ject with the Democratic central
committees of Marion and
Crawford Counties.17
The most enthusiastic event of the year
in Ohio was the
meeting of the Democratic young men of
the state at Newark.
This had been suggested for September by
the state conven-
tion but the Democratic young men's
state central committee
later issued a circular and changed the
date to the seventeenth
13Twelve of the nineteen congressional
districts elected Democratic
congressmen.
14Ohio Statesman, Jan. 16
and Feb. 2, 1838.
15Ibid, Feb. 23, 1838.
16 Ibid, Jan. 5,
1838.
17Ibid, Nov. 14, 1838.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 91
of August.l8 The preparations
were conducted on a vast scale.
The Democrats of Pickaway County
appointed two hundred
delegates.l9 The Franklin
County meeting referred the ap-
pointment of delegates to a committee
and empowered this com-
mittee to extend the number of delegates
to five hundred.20 The
meeting in Delaware County appointed
"all the Democratic Re-
publican electors of the county under
the age of thirty-eight," as
delegates.21 A young men's
central committee for the county
was appointed and it was requested to
appoint in each town-
ship a young men's committee of
vigilance. The county meet-
ings in preparation for the convention
were either regular county
conventions or young men's meetings. The
number who at-
tended the convention was estimated at
from four to six thou-
sand.22 A long address and
resolutions were adopted. The
Volksblatt of Cincinnati and the Vaterlandsfreund of Canton
were recommended to the German citizens
as the only two Ger-
man papers of the state which advocated
doctrines of true De-
mocracy. A young men's state central
committee of seven was
appointed. It was resolved "that
the members of this con-
vention use their endeavors to have
Democratic Republican as-
sociations formed in each township,
disseminating necessary po-
litical knowledge among the people, to
secure unity of action
among the Democracy of the state."
Indiana.
In Indiana after the campaign of 1836 the
Democratic party
relaxed its efforts and its organization
declined. The following
year brought the congressional and
gubernatorial elections again
in this state and neither awakened any
organizing activity among
the Democrats. The reward of this
lethargy was the loss of
every congressional district in the
state, except the first, by a
popular vote of almost 2 to 1 in the
aggregate in the August
18 Ohio
Statesman, July 4, 1838.
19Ibid, Aug. 15, 1838.
20Ibid, Aug. 15, 1838.
21Ibid, Aug. 15, 1838.
22Ibid, Aug. 29, 1838, quoting Newark Constitutionalist.
92 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
elections.23 For the governorship the Democrats
did not even
bring forward a
candidate. Moreover there was still a decided
tendency to eliminate
national politics from the state election and
the Democrats supported
the different Whig candidates for gov-
ernor.24 The
Whig party itself was much divided on the gov-
ernorship, having
several candidates for it, and it would have
been easy to elect a
strong Democratic candidate had one been
presented. There is no
account of nominating conventions but
in October, 1837, the Indiana
Democrat proposed that county
meetings preparatory to
a state convention in December, be held
to discuss and adopt
resolutions on political principles.25
Other
Democratic papers
seconded the suggestion.26 Although
much
apathy was shown, the
convention assembled, December 13, and
requested the party
throughout the state to hold county meet-
ings for the purpose of
expressing their views and of reor-
ganizing the party.27 There was little response to this
request.
A meeting in Clark
County, January 8, 1838, thoroughly reor-
ganized the party in
that county and appointed a committee to
solicit contributions
for defraying the expenses of publishing
three thousand copies
of its address and proceedings.28
The
Democratic members of
the legislature and others met at In-
dianapolis, February 1, and appointed a
committee to report to an
adjourned meeting on
the tenth a plan for the organization of the
party in the state, and
although this adjourned meeting was held
and adopted a long
address, nothing seems to have been done in
the way of party
organization,29 and few, if any, county meet-
ings were held
preparatory to the August election. Following
this election a significant
statement appeared in one of the lead-
ing Democratic papers
of the state. Referring to the plan of
party organization
recommended by the state convention of Jan-
uary 8, 1836, already
presented, the writer said: "Had it been
23 Whig Almanac (New York), 1838.
24 Indiana
Democrat, April 19, and May 31, 1837.
25 Ibid, Oct. 4,
1837.
26Ibid, Oct. 25,
Nov. 8, 15, and 22, 1837.
27 Western Sun, Jan. 13, 1838, quoting Indiana Democrat.
28 Western Sun, Jan. 27, 1838, quoting Indianian.
29 Western
Sun, Feb. 17 and 24, 1838, quoting Indiana
Democrat.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 93
adopted and acted upon by the Democrats,
they would not have
been divided in opinion respecting the
proper men to receive their
support, as they were at the late
election."30
The next year more attention was given
to party organiza-
tion. At least some of the congressional
districts held regular
nominating conventions composed of
delegates from the various
counties of the district, chosen by
conventions of delegates ap-
pointed by township meetings.31 It
was partly because of this
and partly from a reaction, perhaps,
that the Democrats regained
their control of the state in the
elections of 1839. Five of the
seven congressional districts elected
Democratic congressmen, and
although the legislature had been Whig
for several years, both
branches of it then became Democratic.32
Illinois.
In Illinois the year 1837 marked further
development in
Democratic party organization. At this
time occurred the first
state convention which nominated a
governor and for the second
time a congressional district convention
was held in the third, or
northern district of the state. A
nominating convention was
also recommended for the following
spring in another congres-
sional district; the convention system
was rapidly gaining favor
and being adopted in the legislative
districts and in the counties,
and the party organization was extending
to the precincts. Gen-
erally too, the Democratic editors of
the state had come to
favor the convention system.33
The movement for the state convention
originated in a meet-
ing of the Democratic members of the
legislature and others in
Vandalia in July.34 This meeting which was nothing but a
party caucus, though it "assembled
agreeably to public notice,"
effected the first party organization
for the state. It urged that
delegates be chosen from all the
counties "in such manner as they
30 Western Sun, Oct.
6, 1838.
31 Ibid, Mar. 30, 1839.
32 Ibid, Aug. 31,
1839.
33 Illinois State Register, June 9, 1837,
editorial.
34Ibid, July 21,
1837.
94 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
may adopt," to meet at Vandalia the
second Monday of December
to nominate candidates for governor and
lieutenant governor.
A central committee of fifteen, five
from each congressional dis-
trict, was appointed to correspond with
other committees through-
out the state. Another committee of
thirty, of which Stephen
A. Douglas was one,35 was
appointed to prepare an address in
the interests of the party and the
convention. This address was
published later and set forth the
advantages of the convention
system.36 In pursuance of
this call the Democrats of Sangamon
County met in Springfield early in
October and at their request
were addressed by Douglas in support of
public meetings and
conventions.37 Resolutions
were adopted approving nomina-
tions by conventions and delegates were
appointed to the state
convention. A meeting in Fayette County
early in November ap-
pointed delegates to the state
convention and recommended the
Democrats of the county "to hold
meetings in their several
neighborhoods, at the places of electing
justices and constables
and there elect delegates to meet in
Vandalia with other dele-
gates from Effingham County" to
form a Democratic ticket for
the next August election.38 The meeting in Pike County after
appointing delegates to the state
convention and a central com-
mittee for the county, requested the
Democrats of the several pre-
cincts to hold meetings and choose
delegates to act in concert with
the central committee.39 Many
counties appointed delegates and
the convention seems to have been quite
representative.40 J. W.
Stephenson was nominated for governor.
Early in September, 1837, an editorial
appeared in the
Springfield Republican41 reminding the Democrats of the third
congressional district that the time was
approaching when it
would be necessary to hold a convention
to nominate a candi-
date for congress; that the fall terms
of the courts would be a
35 Sheahan, Life of Douglas, p.
35.
36 Illinois State Register, Nov.
3, 1837.
37 Ibid, Oct. 27. 1837.
38Ibid, Nov. 10, 1837.
39Ibid, Dec. 8,
1837.
40Ibid, Dec. 22, 1837.
41Quoted in Illinois State Register, Sept.
8, 1837.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 95
good time for the people to hold their
primary meetings to ap-
point delegates to it; and the third
Monday of November at
Peoria was suggested for the time and
place. In pursuance of
this suggestion a series of county
meetings appointed delegates
to this convention. Many of these
meetings appointed delegates
to both the district and the state
conventions and adopted reso-
lutions in support of the convention
plan for nominations. On
November 20, the convention assembled at
Peoria.42 Sixteen
counties, which were about half of those
in the district, were
represented by forty-one delegates. A
committee was appointed
to prepare and publish an address to the
people of the district.
It was resolved that a corresponding
committee be appointed,
consisting of one from each county of
the district, with power to
call conventions at its discretion. Upon
balloting for a can-
didate for congress, Stephen A. Douglas
received a majority of
the votes and was nominated.
That congressional district nominating
conventions were be-
coming favorably considered in the
southern part of the state, is
shown by the action of county
conventions in both the first and
second congressional districts. A Democratic
meeting in Clin-
ton County in December, 1837, adopted
resolutions approving
conventions and besides appointing
delegates to the state con-
vention, recommended the voters in the
first congressional dis-
trict to appoint delegates to a
convention to be held at Kaskaskia
in March, 1838, to select a candidate
for congress.43 Again in
the second congressional district a
meeting in Edgar County
in May, 1838, after appointing delegates
to attend a second state
convention in Vandalia in June for the
nomination of a gov-
ernor, authorized these delegates
"if thought expedient," to meet
with the other delegates from that
congressional district, and in
the capacity of a congressional
convention, to agree upon a can-
didate for congress.44 This second
gubernatorial nominating con-
vention in June, 1838, was made
necessary, as Mr. Stephenson
was accused of being a public defaulter
and declined to run for
42Account
given in Peoria (Illinois) Register and Northwestern
Gazetteer, Nov. 25, 1837; Globe, Dec. 12, 1837.
43Illinois State Register, Dec. 8, 1837.
44Ibid, May 25, 1838, quoting Illinois
Statesman.
96 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
the office of governor.45 To meet this emergency a call was
issued by the Democratic press of the
state for a second con-
vention. The convention assembled June
4. Twenty counties
were represented by sixty-two delegates,
the number varying
from 1 to 8 from each county.46 Thomas
Carlin was nominated
for governor.
The influence and leadership of the
Democratic press was
well illustrated in this case. An
editorial in the State Register
read thus:47 "In favor of the
reassemblage of the convention
* * * we have now a considerable
majority of the Demo-
cratic press." Seven papers were
named as having expressed
themselves in favor of it. "The
question is thus settled," said
the editor, "and we call upon the
delegates * * * to set out
at once for the convention. The first
Monday in June is the day
unanimously agreed upon." The Galena Democrat issued an
extra, May 5, in which it called upon
the Democracy of Jo
Daviess County to meet in convention on
the twenty-sixth and
choose delegates to the state
convention, which was done. Ap-
preciation of the press was indicated by
the Edgar County meet-
ing which resolved :48 "That as the success of Republican prin-
ciples depends greatly upon the
intelligence of the people, we
would respectfully impress upon the
minds of our friends the
importance of a general diffusion of
correct political information;
and to to this end, this meeting would
exhort the members of the
Democratic party throughout the country,
to use their influence
to extend the circulation of Democratic
newspapers."
The Democratic party in Illinois in 1838
elected Thomas
Carlin for governor by a small majority.
In the first district John
Reynolds was elected to congress by the
Democrats; in the second
district, Zodac Casey, who had been a
Democrat, was elected by
both parties; in the third, or northern
district, an exciting con-
test was waged between Stephen A.
Douglas (Democrat) and
John T. Stuart (Whig) and resulted in
the election of Stuart
45Stephenson's letter of withdrawal,
published in the Galena Demo-
crat was quoted in the Alton (Illinois) Telegraph,
May 23, 1838.
46 Peoria Register, June 16, 1838.
47Illinois State Register, May 25, 1838.
48Ibid, May 25, 1838, quoting Illinois Statesman.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 97
by a majority of only a few votes. It is
doubtful whether he
would have been elected if the election
had been contested. This
campaign reminds one of the greater
campaign between Lincoln
and Douglas just twenty years later.
Stuart was the only Whig
elected to congress from Illinois prior
to 1840. The fact that
the northern part of the state was being
settled rapidly at this
time, may help to explain this breakdown
in the uniform Demo-
cratic success in congressional
elections in Illinois. This incom-
ing mass overpowered for the time being
the machine which
Douglas and the Democrats were building
up and perfecting.
After 1840 for a number of years the
northern part of the state,
except in a single district, resumed its
earlier habit of electing
Democrats to congress. This meant that
the Democratic party
organization was succeeding in
assimilating a larger portion of
the population, not to mention the
principles, personal attach-
ments, traditions, and prejudices
involved in party affiliation.
Although the organizing activity of the
party in 1839 in
Illinois was largely in connection with
the state convention in
December for nominating presidential
electors, yet there was a
general expansion and solidifying of the
work. Party organiza-
tion was extending to the precincts,
legislative district conven-
tions were becoming common, the
committee system was en-
larged and perfected, and in general
quite advanced ground was
taken beyond that of the previous year.
Thus on February 25,
a Democratic meeting in the hall of
representatives appointed a
state central corresponding committee of
seven, a committee of
correspondence of three or less in each
county and a committee
of seven to prepare an address to the
people of the state.49 Early
in the spring the "Democratic
general committee" of the sen-
atorial district about Galena issued a
stirring address to the
Democratic citizens of the district,
urging the necessity of an
immediate organization :50 "Let the
Democratic citizens of each
precinct in the district meet together
and appoint corresponding
committees * * * and select delegates
to attend a Democratic
convention to be held at some central
point for the purpose of
49 Illinois State Register, May 10, 1839.
50 Ibid, March 22, 1839, quoting Galena Democrat, Extra.
Vol. XXIV--7.
98 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
adopting a perfect system of
organization throughout the whole
district." In pursuance of this
plan, a county meeting at Galena
in February and a precinct meeting near
Galena in March ap-
pointed delegates to a district
convention to be held at Dixon in
June.51 The latter meeting
appointed a committee of vigilance
for the precinct.
The district convention however, was
more often brought
about by a county meeting than by a
senatorial committee, as
these had seldom been appointed at this
time. In April, a large
Democratic meeting in Fayette County
called a district conven-
tion to be held in Clay County in
October, to nominate a senator
to represent Fayette, Effingham, and
Clay Counties.52 It also re-
solved that the delegates from Fayette
and Effingham Counties
at the same time and place should
nominate two persons for
representatives from those counties; and
after appointing dele-
gates to represent Fayette County, the
meeting recommended
that primary meetings be held in the
other counties to select dele-
gates to the convention. This
recommendation was complied
with by the other counties and the
convention was duly held,
the nominations were made, and a
committee was appointed to
draft an address to the people of the
senatorial district.53
That the precinct was in evidence in
party organization in
the spring of 1839 is again illustrated
by the fact that a Dem-
ocratic meeting was held in the Ottawa
precinct in April, which
was attended by "between two
hundred and three hundred" for
the purpose of choosing delegates to
represent the precinct in
the county convention to nominate
candidates for the August
election.54 A meeting in Lee
County in May, besides appointing
a corresponding committee for the
county, named a local com-
mittee in each of the six precincts of
the county.55
Michigan.
The Democratic party organization in
Michigan in 1837 had
already reached the stage of development
toward which it was
51 Chicago Democrat, May 1, 1839, quoting Galena Democrat.
52 Illinois State Register, Apr.
26, 1839.
53Ibid, Nov. 9, 1839.
54Chicago Democrat, May 1, 1839.
55Illinois State Register, Nov. 30, 1839.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 99
struggling in Illinois. From the
townships through the counties
and districts to the state, the system
of committees, delegates,
and conventions was well worked out and
running smoothly.
Committees of vigilance and
correspondence and committees on
credentials had become quite familiar
and in preparation for the
fall election, Detroit appointed a
vigilance committee of nearly a
hundred.56 The senatorial district
nominating conventions
seemed more regular and to occupy a more
definite place in the
Democratic party activity in Michigan at
this time than in any
other of the northwestern states.
The chief political events of the year
were the election of
a governor57 and a member of
congress. The term of Mr.
Crary in congress had expired in March
and the legislature ap-
pointed a special election for August 21 and 22 to choose a
suc-
cessor in time for him to attend the
special session of congress
called for September.58 The election of governor was held
later. The party was divided by a small
State Rights faction
which made a separate nomination for
governor but the vote
cast was so small that it need hardly be
noticed. Preparatory to
these elections there were two state conventions,
one for the
nomination of candidates for governor
and for a member of con-
gress, and the other a convention of the
Democratic young men.
The calling of the regular state
convention was first sug-
gested by a Democratic caucus of the
state legislature, which
was held pursuant to public notice in
the hall of the house of
representatives on the twentieth of
June.59 It requested the state
corresponding committee to call the
convention to meet at Ann
Arbor the twentieth of July, to nominate
candidates for governor,
lieutenant governor, and member of
congress. It also appointed
a committee to prepare resolutions and
an address to the Dem-
ocratic electors of the state. This
address urged the "importance
of adopting early and efficient measures
in every township and
county in the state, to insure a full
and satisfactory representa-
56 Detroit Free Press, Nov. 6, 1837.
57 Michigan elected a governor every two
years.
58Detroit Free Press, June 27, and Aug. 11, 1837.
59 Ibid, June 22, 1837.
100 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
tion" in the state convention.60 In
compliance with this request,
the Democratic state corresponding
committee on June 26, issued
the call for the convention.61 Some of the proceedings in one
or two of the county conventions which
met to send delegates,
may be noted in passing. The convention
in Livingston County,
attended by delegates from all the
townships, resolved "that
three delegates from each organized
township be entitled to seats
in the county convention for the
nomination of county officers."62
Thus equal representation was provided
for the townships. In
the Wayne County convention a committee
of one from each
township represented was appointed to
examine credentials of
members, which was a very usual
procedure.63 Besides ap-
pointing a corresponding committee for
the county, the several
townships in the county were requested
to appoint correspond-
ing committees. These examples
illustrate the advanced meth-
ods of organization employed in county
conventions in Michigan
at this time. The state convention
assembled at the appointed
time and a committee of one from each
county was appointed to
examine credentials.64 One
hundred four delegates were pres-
ent from twenty-four counties. Wayne
County sent sixteen
delegates, Washtenaw fourteen, some only
one, but the majority
of the counties sent two delegates each.
Some counties in the
northern peninsula had delegates from
the southern part of the
state represent them. A special
committee was appointed to
examine their credentials and reported
them satisfactory. After
several ballotings, Stevens T. Mason was
nominated for governor
and Isaac E. Crary for congressman. A
number of resolutions
were adopted and an address was to be
prepared later and pub-
lished in the Democratic papers of the
state. A state correspond-
ing committee of five was appointed for
the ensuing year and
until their successors should be
appointed, "together with an
additional member from each organized
county." Twenty-five
such members were added.
60Detroit Free Press, Aug. 11, 1837.
61 Ibid, June 27, 1837.
62Ibid, July 18, 1837.
63Ibid, July 17, 1837.
64Ibid, July 24, 1837.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 101
Early in July the Democratic young men's
state central
committee issued a circular calling for
a state convention to be
held at Ann Arbor, July 27, and
recommending that each county
send the same number of delegates as it
was entitled to repre-
sentatives in the state legislature.65
The committee also recom-
mended that, for the better organization
of the party, township
and county corresponding committees be
appointed in such town-
ships and counties as were without them.
On July 20, a second
circular was issued postponing the date
of the convention to
October 5.66 On August 5, the
committee issued another cir-
cular recommending that the number of
delegates be increased
to three times the number of
representatives in the legislature.67
In preparation for this convention,
township meetings appointed
delegates to county conventions which in
turn appointed dele-
gates, just as in the case of the
regular state convention, and
similar local committees were appointed.
The young men's cor-
responding committee of Wayne County
issued a circular the
latter part of July, calling upon the
township corresponding
committees to forward to the secretary
of the county commit-
tee the names of their members, and
recommending such town-
ships as had no committees to appoint
them as early as pos-
sible.68 The Democratic young
men of Detroit also organized
and had their corresponding committees.69
The convention as-
sembled at the time and place
designated.70 Eleven counties
were represented by ninety-five
delegates, of whom thirty-two
were from Washtenaw, twenty-seven from
Wayne, and several
of the counties were represented by only
one delegate each. A
committee was appointed to prepare an
address to the young
men of Michigan. A committee of five
residing in Ann Arbor,
was named as a state corresponding
committee, and two from
each county were added as corresponding
members. The Dem-
ocratic young men of the state were
requested to hold primary
65Detroit Free Press, July 10, 1837.
66Ibid, July 25, 1837.
67 Ibid, Sept. 7, 1837.
68Ibid, July 26,
1837.
69Ibid, Sept. 12,
1837.
70Ibid, Oct. 10,
1837.
102 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
meetings in their several townships to
make arrangements for
the ensuing election.
The Democratic papers of Michigan were
active in combat-
ing those of the Whigs. An editorial in
the Detroit Press in
July in speaking of the Whig efforts to
flood the state with
papers, said that to meet these efforts
it would be the duty of
the Democrats to provide for the
circulation of their own pa-
pers sufficiently to counteract them,
and suggested to the Dem-
ocratic county committees the propriety
of attending to this in
their respective counties.71 In
order to supply this greater de-
mand the editor of the Press proposed
to publish a larger edition
from the first of August till after the
November election. A
census of the press of Michigan in
August, 1837, gave seventeen
Democratic and five Whig papers.72
The election gave majorities to the
Democratic candidates
for governor and congressman,73 but
a Democratic meeting in
Detroit nobly resolved to use the money
which would be ex-
pended in celebrating the victory, for
the relief of the poor.74
A collecting committee was appointed,
consisting of one from
each ward in the city, which was
authorized to appoint a dis-
bursing committee.
In July, 1838, the Democratic state
central committee issued
a circular to the county committees
throughout the state, calling
attention to the approaching election
for a member of congress,
members of the legislature, and county
officers on the first Mon-
day and Tuesday of November.75 The committee recommended
that a state convention meet at Ann
Arbor, September 11, com-
posed
of four times as many
delegates as there were
representatives in the legislature; and
that each county unor-
ganized send two delegates. One hundred
seventy-five delegates
attended the state convention
representing twenty-two counties.76
71 Detroit Free Press, July 19, 1837.
72Ibid, Aug. 10, 1837.
73Ibid, Sept. 5, and Dec. 13, 1837.
74Ibid, Nov. 28, 1837.
75Niles (Michigan) Intelligencer, July 18, 1838; Detroit
Free Press,
July 16, 1838.
76Niles Intelligencer, Sept. 19, 1838; Detroit Free Press, Sept. 17,
1838.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 103
The ratio of representation in the
different counties was about
the same as in the preceding
conventions. It was resolved that
when ten members should require it, the
ballotings should be by
counties, each county having the same
number of votes as the
number of delegates to which it was
entitled, which votes were
to be determined by the majority of its
delegates present. After
nominating Isaac E. Crary as a candidate
for congress, the con-
vention adopted a series of resolutions
on political principles
and policy, and appointed a state
central corresponding commit-
tee, consisting of one member from each
of the seven senatorial
districts of the state. It was earnestly recommended to the
Democracy of the state to perfect
without delay a strong or-
ganization in the respective counties.
The Democratic young men of the state
were again active
in 1838, and in the latter part of July
their corresponding com-
mittee issued a circular recommending
the committee of each
county to call a county convention, for
the more thorough or-
ganization of the party and the election
of delegates to a state
convention, to be held at Ann Arbor on
the eighteenth of Sep-
tember.77 It was recommended that the number of delegates
be four times the number of
representatives in the legislature and
that each county not having a
representative be entitled to three
delegates. The convention drafted an
address and resolutions
and appointed a central corresponding
committee of three, lo-
cated at Ann Arbor.78 The
corresponding committees of the
counties for the past year were
reappointed.
The apportionment of representation in
county and district
conventions, and the division of
counties into representative dis-
tricts were often carefully arranged by
committees. Thus in
the senatorial convention for the
seventh district, a central com-
mittee for this district, consisting of
three members, was ap-
pointed which was to apportion the
number of delegates.79 In
the Berrien County convention, a
committee of one from each
township was appointed to apportion the
number of delegates to
77 Detroit Free Press, Aug. 1, 1838; Niles Intelligencer, Aug. 22,
1838.
78Detroit Free Press, Sept. 25, 1838.
79Niles Intelligencer, Sept. 26, 1838; Detroit Free Press, Sept. 28,
1838.
104 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
represent the different townships in
this convention.80 In the
Wayne County convention a committee was
appointed to divide
the county into representative
districts, from each of which a can-
didate was to be nominated for the
legislature.81 In the Lenawee
County convention a committee divided
the county into districts
for sending senatorial delegates.82
A few other Democratic organizing
activities deserve men-
tion. A state organization called the
"Democratic Society of the
State of Michigan" was formed at
Detroit in August, to carry
out the principles of the party, and
held occasional meetings.83
The German citizens of Detroit met in
October and passed reso-
lutions approving the Democratic nominations
for state and
county offices.84 About the same time French Democratic
cit-
izens of Wayne County assembled and
adopted a spirited ad-
dress and resolutions, and several
speeches in the French language
were made to the meeting.85 A
meeting of the "adopted cit-
izens" of Detroit also passed
resolutions and appointed a vigilance
committee. Democratic meetings were held
in each of the wards
of Detroit, after which, by order of the
several ward committees,
a meeting was held of all the Democrats
in the city.86 A vigilance
committee of thirty-two was appointed to
attend the polls on the
days of election, and ten were named as
challengers to be present
at the canvassing of the votes. At the
elections of 1838 in Mich-
igan, as in the previous year, the
Democratic ticket prevailed.87
The year 1839 was comparatively
uneventful in party or-
ganization in Michigan. In March,
Detroit was reorganized into
six wards,88 and in April,
meetings in all of these sent delegates
to a Detroit Democratic convention to
nominate candidates for
80Niles Intelligencer, Sept. 5, 1838.
81 Detroit Free Press, Sept. 3, 1838.
82Ibid, Sept.
15, 1838.
83 Ibid, Aug. 21, 1838.
84Ibid, Oct. 21, 1838.
85 Ibid, Oct. 25, 1838.
86 Ibid, Oct. 31, and Nov. 5, 1838.
87 Ibid, Dec. 21,
1838.
88Farmer, History of Detroit, p.
147; Act of Michigan Legislature,
March 27, 1839.
Democratic Party Organization in the Northwest. 105
city offices.89 Printed notices in blank for calling
ward meet-
ings were provided by the office of the Detroit
Press.90 In July
the chairman of the Democratic state
corresponding committee
issued a call for a state convention to
be held at Ann Arbor, Sep-
tember 11, for the purpose of
nominating candidates to be sup-
ported for the offices of governor and
lieutenant governor on
the first Monday and Tuesday of
November.91 The usual series
of township and county meetings
preparatory to the state con-
vention was held. One hundred forty-nine
delegates attended
and the candidates for governor and
lieutenant governor were
nominated by ballot.92 A
committee of one from each of the
seven senatorial districts drafted
resolutions. Three delegates
were appointed to attend the national
convention at Baltimore
in May, to nominate a president and
vice-president. A state cor-
responding committee was appointed,
consisting of six residents
of Detroit and a resident of each of the
seven senatorial dis-
tricts, thirteen in all, a majority of
whom had power to call the
next state convention. This state
committee on September 30,
issued a lengthy address to the
Democrats of Michigan.93
From the first Wednesday of September
until after the
election in November, a weekly campaign
paper, The Democratic
Republican, was advertised to be issued from the office of the
Detroit Free Press by the Democratic Association of Detroit.94
Preceding the November election a series
of rally meetings was
held in Detroit. Special effort was made
to gain the foreign
population and one of the meetings was
addressed by several
Irishmen who endeavored to win the Irish
vote.95 But in
spite of these systematic efforts the
tables were turned and the
election brought victory to the Whigs.96
89Detroit Free Press, Apr. 12, 1839.
90Ibid, Apr. 4, 1839.
91Ibid, July 8, 1839; Niles Intelligencer, July 17,
1839.
92 See Detroit
Free Press, Sept. 13, 1839, for account of convention.
93 Published in Detroit Free Press, Oct.
2, 1839.
94Ibid, July 15, 1839.
95 Ibid, Nov. 1, 1839.
96Ibid, Nov. 11, 1839.
CHAPTER V.
CAMPAIGN OF 1840.
Ohio.
There remain to be sketched the chief
organizing activities
of the Democratic party throughout the
Northwest in preparing
for and conducting the campaign of 1840.
First in Ohio, In-
diana, and Illinois came the state
conventions of December, 1839,
and January, 1840, for the nomination of
presidential electors.
This convention was not held in Michigan
until June, 1840. In
the Northwest generally the campaign was
marked by more
activity than usual in the way of
organization, not to mention
the great mass meetings, celebrations,
and speeches. There was
not much that was new in the way of
organization. The ob-
ject of the party was rather to utilize
to the utmost all that
had been developed so that all the
machinery previously organized
was then brought into use.
In Ohio the most interesting political
organizing activity in
1839 was the preparation for the
biennial state convention of
January 8, 1840. Unusual enthusiasm was
shown and although
the formal call for the convention was
not issued by the state
committee until early in November, a
number of the counties
had anticipated it and had already
appointed delegates. In the
circular which called the convention the
committee said: "The
first great object to be accomplished is
an organization of our
strength. To do this effectually we must
have a rallying point.
* * * The committee prefer making no suggestions as to the
ratio of delegation. Each county will
judge in that point and
send such number as they may
prefer."1 The county meetings
appointed delegates accordingly. The
Champaign County con-
vention recommended "that as many
attend the state convention
as could."2 The Morgan
County convention specially appointed
1Ohio Statesman, Nov.
6, 1839.
2Ibid, Nov. 20, 1839.
(106)
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 107
seventy-three "and all other
Democratic citizens of this county
who may attend."3 One hundred
thirty-eight were appointed
in Perry County with power to appoint
any others who should
happen to be in Columbus on January 8.4
In Delaware County
fifty-four were chosen, "with power
to add such others as they
may think proper."5 The
Seneca County convention appointed
thirty-nine "and all other Van
Buren Democrats of Seneca
County who may choose to attend the
Columbus convention."6
One hundred twenty-five were appointed
in Richland County,7
one hundred thirty-seven in Knox,8 and
one hundred eighty-eight
in Ross County.9 Some county
conventions appointed delegates
from the townships, others appointed
them from the county as a
whole and still others combined these
two methods of appoint-
ment. The general committee of
arrangements for the conven-
tion met in Columbus, December 26, and
appointed a finance
committee of three to collect funds to
defray the expenses in-
cident to the convention, and a
committee of three to procure
powder and superintend the firing of
cannon.10 Nine hundred
twenty delegates attended from seventy-two counties.11 The
attendance was so large that the
convention adjourned to the
state house yard and held its
deliberations in the snow. The
officers chosen for the meeting
consisted of a president, twenty-
one vice-presidents, and five
secretaries. Committees were ap-
pointed to draft an address and
resolutions, and to select twenty-
one presidential electors who were
instructed to vote for the
nominees of the coming national
convention. Twenty-one dele-
gates, two senatorial and one from each
of the nineteen con-
3Ohio Statesman, Dec.
13, 1839.
4Ibid, Jan. 8, 1840.
5 Ibid, Dec. 31, 1839.
6 Ibid, Dec. 31, 1839.
7Ibid, Dec. 24, 1839.
8Ibid, Dec. 27, 1839.
9 Ibid, Dec. 27, 1839.
10Ibid, Dec. 27, 1839. The firing of cannon was perhaps rather
to
aid in the recurring celebration of the
victory of New Orleans, than
to aid the convention.
For account of convention, see Ohio
Statesman, Jan. 8, 9, and 10,
1840.
108 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
gressional districts, were selected to
attend this convention at
Baltimore in May. Governor Shannon was
nominated for a
second term. A state central committee
of seven was appointed
to serve for two years with power to
fill vacancies in the electoral
ticket. It was recommended that the
Democratic young men of
Ohio hold a convention on the third
Wednesday in August at
Mt. Vernon.
The organizing activity of the party in
Ohio in 1840 ex-
ceeded that of any previous year. The
whole population was
astir and there was probably not a
township in the state which
did not have its appointed meetings for
the election of delegates.
A number of Democratic associations were
formed and Hickory
Clubs were reorganized or formed anew.
The organization was
frequently extended to the school
districts. The Irish, the Ger-
mans, and the young men all were active
and contributed their
parts to organization. Political
orators, too, with their elaborate
itineraries, infested the state as never
before; and great mass
meetings, far overshadowing in number
and size anything which
had previously been held, were
characteristic of the campaign.
The following examples will illustrate a
number of these
facts and show the general
tendencies. A Hamilton County
meeting in February recommended the
establishment of Dem-
ocratic associations in the wards and
townships which should
hold meetings for free discussion once a
week and report their
proceedings to the Democratic
association at Cincinnati.12 Early
in February in Butler County, was formed
the "Democratic As-
sociation of Hamilton and
Rossville", which recommended "the
revival of the Hickory Club [a
newspaper] for disseminating
correct political information."13
The officers of the association
and the central Democratic committee of
the county were to ap-
point an editorial committee to conduct
the paper. The latter
part of February an active Hickory Club
was formed by the
citizens of Canton14 and
about the same time a similar club was
formed in Columbus which met biweekly.l5
The Hickory Club
12Ohio Statesman, Mar. 10, 1840.
13 Ibid, Feb. 25, 1840.
14bid, Mar. 10, 1840, quoting Stark County Democrat.
15 Ohio Statesman, Mar. 13, 1840.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 109
in Madison County in July arranged for a
public discussion on
the subject of the next presidency.16
In April the editor of the
Statesman wrote that it was something new to see the township
elections carried by party tests.17
A Clermont County meeting
in February appointed committees of
vigilance in each township
and authorized them to organize the
school districts by ap-
pointing subcommittees if they deemed it
expedient.18 A Har-
rison County meeting selected township
committees and re-
quested them to appoint a subcommittee
of vigilance in each
school district.19 A
committee of vigilance for each school dis-
trict was appointed in Guilford
township, Medina County.20 A
Democratic Irish Club was organized by
the Irish citizens of
Fairfield County.21 In May
and June the Democratic Germans
of Seneca County held meetings and
organized.22 A Democratic
meeting of Germans was held at Columbus,
September 1, and
those present agreed to meet once a
month to discuss politics.23
A little later the Germans held a
similar meeting in Fairfield
County.24
Late in June the state central committee
of the Democratic
young men of Ohio issued a call for the
state convention in
August which had been recommended by the
convention in
January.25 The call stated that the most ample
preparations
would be made for the accommodation of
the thousands who
would be in attendance; that the
distinguished men of the De-
mocracy of the Union had been invited
and were expected to
be present at the convention; and it
recommended to the younger
Democracy of Ohio that, upon this
occasion, they so far depart
from an established usage as to come
themselves instead of send-
ing delegates. The convention assembled
at Mt. Vernon on
16 Ohio Statesman, July 8, 1840.
17Ibid, April 15,
1840.
18Ibid, Mar. 10, 1840.
19Ibid, Mar. 10, 1840.
20Ibid, Sept. 30, 1840.
21Ibid, Mar. 10,
1840, quoting Ohio Eagle.
22Ohio Statesman, June 3, 1840.
23Ibid, Sept. 9, 1840.
24Ibid, Sept. 30, 1840.
25 Ibid, July 8,
1840, quoting Mt. Vernon Banner.
110 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
August 19 and held sessions in the grove at
7 A. M., 10 A.
M., and 7 P. M.26 A
committee of three from each
con-
gressional district nominated a
president, nineteen vice-presidents,
and six secretaries; other committees
drafted resolutions and
an address to the young men of Ohio.
Addresses were made by
Col. R. M. Johnson, Governor Shannon,
Senator Allen, and
others. A state central committee of
nine was appointed to hold
office till their successors should be
appointed. The attendance
was estimated at twenty thousand. This
was the largest meeting
in the state, though a number of local
meetings were notably
large. A mass meeting at Dayton was
attended by from ten
thousand to fifteen thousand, and one at
Mansfield by ten thou-
sand.
A Democratic nominating
convention in Clermont
County, August 15, was attended by three
thousand.27 As al-
ready suggested the stump speaker was in
evidence in the North-
west in 1840 as never before.
Long itineraries were planned
covering the territory as thoroughly as
possible.28 Col. R. M.
Johnson, Governor Shannon, and Senator
Allen were the most
prominent Democratic speakers. Colonel
Johnson also visited
Michigan and Indiana and addressed a
series of Democratic
mass meetings in each of these states.29
Indiana.
In Indiana, aside from these numerous
mass meetings and
speakers, there was little that was new
in the machinery of the
campaign of 1840. Early in September, as
usual, the movement
began for the state convention on the
eighth of January and
county meetings began to be called for
the appointment of
delegates.30 The Washington
County meeting at Salem, Septem-
ber 14, 1839, after passing resolutions
in support of the conven-
tion system and appointing delegates to
the state convention,
26 Account given in Ohio
Statesman, Aug. 26, 1840.
27Ohio
Statesman, Aug. 26, 1840; Niles'
Register, Sept. 5, 1840,
quoting Cincinnati Advertiser.
28 Ohio Statesman, Aug. 5 and 19, Sept. 26 and 30, 1840.
29Ibid, Sept. 26 and 30, 1840; Western Sun, Sept. 26,
1840; Detroit
Free Press, Sept. 21, 1840.
30 Western Sun, Sept. 7 and 21,
1839.
Democratic Party Organization in
the Northwest. 1ll
urged every Democrat of the county
"to take, read, and circulate
some public newspaper supporting sound
Democratic prin-
ciples."31 It was further resolved
"that every Democratic Re-
publican in this county consider himself
a committee of vigilance
in addition to the township
committees." The Pike County
meeting resolved that "in order to
sustain Democratic principles
in the first congressional district and
to regain the ground we
have lost, it is indispensably necessary
that we establish and
maintain a good Democratic paper in said
district, and that we
patronize such paper to the utmost of
our ability."32 In Green
County the method of choosing delegates
to the state convention
was unique. The county meeting chose a
delegate from each of
the townships and these were to meet and
select from their num-
ber at least two to attend the
convenion.33
The convention was said to be attended
by at least six or
seven hundred from eighty of the
eighty-four counties of the
state34 and was the largest
thus far in Indiana.35 Its chief ob-
ject was to nominate candidates for
governor and lieutenant
governor and to select the nine
candidates for presidential elec-
tors. The electors, as usual, were
chosen by committees from
the respective congressional districts.
The candidates for gov-
ernor and lieutenant governor were
selected by a committee of
seventy-two from the senatorial
districts. A state central com-
mittee of seven was appointed with power
to fill vacancies in
the electoral ticket. The convention
urged a generous support
of Democratic newspapers; that
conventions be held by the
Democrats in every county in the state
that year; that delegates
31 Western Sun, Oct. 5, 1839.
32Ibid, Nov. 23, 1839. This was in the southwestern district of
the
state and was one of the two districts
in Indiana which the Democrats
lost in 1839.
33 Ibid, Nov. 23, 1839.
34Madison (Indiana) Courier, Jan. 18, 1840.
35 A brief account of the convention is
given in the Western Sun,
Jan. 25, 1840. See also Globe, Jan.
16 and 30, 1840; Niles Intelligencer,
Jan. 29, 1840. John Buttorf, a delegate
from Charlestown, Clark County.
and a soldier of the Revolutior, being
unable to attend, sent a note of
regret (published in the Sun), and
enclosed a $5.00 bill to aid in defray-
ing the expenses of the convention.
112 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
to these be chosen in primary
assemblies, and that the nominees
of these conventions be supported by the
party. The nominees
of this state convention were requested
to expound these prin-
ciples in every portion of the state. A
long address to the
people of Indiana was prepared by a
committee, the chairman
of which was Robert Dale Owen, who read
the address to the
convention.36 Five thousand copies of it and the
proceedings
were ordered to be printed and
distributed by a committee of
three from each congressional district.37 The convention ap-
pointed no delegates to the national
nominating convention which
was to meet in Baltimore in May. To
supply this omission a
Democratic meeting of "senators,
representatives, and other cit-
izens of the state" was held at the
capitol, February 17, and
appointed delegates from each
congressional district.38
The further organizing activity of the
party in Indiana in
1840
needs but a word in conclusion. There are
accounts of the
usual county and legislative district
nominating conventions.
Knox County, about Vincennes, showed
excellent organization.
Democratic associations were formed in
most or all of its town-
ships with their formidable array of
officers including president,
vice-presidents, recording secretary,
corresponding secretary,
treasurer, committee of vigilance and
elections, committee of dis-
tribution, and committee of
correspondence.39 These associations
held frequent meetings. In Indiana as in Ohio the political
orator was conspicuous in the fall of
1840. In this work Col.
R. M. Johnson and Robert Dale Owen did
efficient service.
Itineraries were mapped out for them by
the party committees.
Johnson wrote to Hon. John W. Davis,
saying that after he
reached Lafayette it would be his
purpose to comply with such
arrangements as might be thought most
advisable.40 Accord-
ingly the local committees mapped his
itinerary in much the
same manner as is done for campaign
speakers today.41
36 Niles
Intelligencer, Jan. 29, 1840.
37Madison Courier, Feb. 15, 1840.
38 Ibid, Feb. 29, 1840.
39 Accounts of the organization of these
associations in Western
Sun, Aug. 29-Oct. 10, 1840.
40 Western Sun, Sept. 26, 1840.
41Ibid, Sept. 26, 1840.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 113
Illinois.
In none of the other states of the
Northwest did the Dem
ocratic party organization develop so
rapidly in 1839-40 as in
Illinois. This was because less
advancement had been made
there than in the other states, yet
enough to prepare the soil
thoroughly for the most rapid growth. In
the fall of 1839 the
preparations for the presidential
campaign began. The Dem-
ocratic state central corresponding
committee issued a circular,
October 10, calling a state
convention at Springfield the second
Monday in December, "for the
purpose of adopting a more
efficient system of organization and
also to nominate candidates
for presidential electors."42 The
circular read: "You are re-
quested to immediately consult with your
friends and call a
meeting in your county and appoint
delegates to the proposed
convention. * * * We would recommend an expression of
opinion in your resolutions upon the
subjects that agitate the
country and upon the following
particularly." Six subjects
were then listed, four on national, and
two on state politics,
which served as standard texts for
resolutions throughout the
state. This explains the striking
similarity of the resolutions
adopted by the different county meetings
at this time. The cir-
cular further recommended the
appointment of corresponding
committees of three for the counties, at
or near the county
seats, and committees of vigilance of
three in each justice's pre-
cinct, to continue as permanent
committees until others should
be appointed. It requested that the
proceedings of the meet-
ings be forwarded to the State
Register and to local Democratic
papers for publication.
This call met with a generous response
from counties
throughout the state.43 Many
of the county meetings effected
good county and precinct organization by
appointing commit-
tees of correspondence and vigilance. A
number of the pre-
paratory meetings, too, were regular
county conventions, com-
posed of delegates from meetings in the
precincts. The whole
process was entered into much as it had
been in the older states.
42Illinois State Register (Springfield), Apr. 3, 1840.
43 See Illinois State Register, Nov.
and Dec., 1839.
Vol. XXIV- 8.
114 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
The tendency to become more systematic
and regular in proced-
ure was shown in a senatorial district
convention at Naperville,
November 15.44 After fixing a
definite ratio of representation
to county and district conventions, it
was resolved, "that subse-
quent conventions receive no one as
delegates therein, either
original or appointed to supply
vacancies, unless they shall pro-
duce authentic certificates of election,
or of their appointment
under some authority of the primary
meeting; and in no case
shall a vacancy be filled unless by some
person from the ward
or precinct vacant." It was voted
that it should be the duty of
the senatorial district corresponding
committee to notify the
corresponding committee of each county,
and of the latter to
notify each precinct of all calls of the
district convention in
future. At this time too, large mass
meetings addressed by
political orators abounded in Illinois.
The fall campaign pre-
paratory to that of 1840 began by a mass
meeting in Springfield,
November 19, which was addressed by Lincoln
and Douglas in
debate.45
The state convention met at Springfield,
December 9, and
was the largest thus far held in
Illinois.46 Two hundred forty-
three delegates attended from fifty-six
counties. The number
of delegates from the different counties
varied from one in many
cases, to twelve and fifteen from
Sangamon and Morgan. It
was resolved, "that all regularly
appointed delegates and such
substitutes for absentees as those
delegates have appointed, shall
be received and considered as members of
this convention."
Resolutions and an address were adopted
and five presidential
electors were chosen, one from each of
the three congressional
districts and two at large for the
state. A state central cor-
responding committee of nine was
appointed, of which Stephen
A. Douglas was chairman. A committee of
five was to publish
ten thousand copies of the proceedings
and address and dis-
tribute them throughout the state. To
defray the expense of
this, they were authorized to receive
contributions. A resolution
was adopted in favor of a young men's
state convention in June.
44Chicago Democrat, Apr. 29, 1840.
45Sheahan, Life
of Douglas, p. 41.
46 Illinois State Register, Dec. 14, 1839.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 115
The members pledged their influence and
means to extend the
circulation of Democratic newspapers.
The Democratic editors
of the state as a body were prominent in
the convention.47
The spring of 1840 brought renewed
activity in all parts of
the state. An editorial in one of the
leading papers of Illinois
at that time read: "The convention
system is becoming popular
throughout the state. Both Democrats and
Whigs are resorting
to it as the best means of concentrating
party strength and the
best index of public sentiment. Thus far
the regular nominees
have been considered as binding upon
both parties in the selec-
tion of candidates for August
next."48 Later the same
editor
wrote concerning a district convention
to be held at Naperville,
urging those who were not delegates to
remember that "a rigid
adherence to regular nominations
constitutes the salvation of
Democratic principles."49 Precinct meetings now became quite
common, and regular county and district
conventions were held
throughout the state. To illustrate the
working of the system,
as it was developing, and before
committees had been appointed,
a precinct meeting in Sangamon County in
February, recom-
mended a county convention in
Springfield to nominate candi-
dates for the August election and
elected nine delegates to this
convention.50 This led to a
call for the convention signed by
one hundred ninety-five persons and
published in the leading
papers of the county.51 The
call requested all the Democratic
voters of Sangamon County to meet in
their respective pre-
cincts and appoint nine delegates from
each to the county con-
vention to nominate candidates for
county offices and the legis-
lature. The other three counties of the
senatorial district were
requested to send delegates from each of
their precincts to this
convention, for the purpose of
nominating a candidate for the
senate. The convention met at the time
appointed and although
but one precinct outside of Sangamon
County was represented,
a senator was nominated.52 Sangamon itself was well repre-
47Illinois State Register, Nov. 16, 1839, quoting Quincy Argus.
48 Chicago Democrat, Mar. 30,
1840.
49Ibid,
May 20, 1840.
50Illinois State Register, Mar. 13, 1840.
51 Ibid, Mar. 27,
1840.
52 Ibid, Apr. 17,
1840.
116 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
sented and nominated county officers and
representatives. A
senatorial district convention at Dixon,
on the other hand, was
attended by delegates from seven of the
ten counties of the
district.53
In pursuance of the recommendation of
the state conven-
tion a movement for a young men's state
convention in June was
begun in the spring. Meetings in Will,
LaSalle, and Cook Coun-
ties all appointed large numbers of
delegates,54 but owing partly
to the fact that June was a busy time
for farmers and perhaps
still more on account of apathy, only a
few counties responded.
Accordingly the state committee at
Springfield issued a circular55
on May 13, suggesting that it was
inexpedient to hold the young
men's convention in June and the
movement was dropped.
A Democratic meeting which casually
assembled in Spring-
field early in June, recommended the
Democracy throughout the
state to meet at their respective county
seats on the fourth of
July for the purpose of organizing and
harmonizing the party
in each county.56 Although at
least one meeting was accord-
ingly held in Sangamon County, this
recommendation seems to
have had no important results.57 Early
in September a "Sang-
amon Democratic Association" was
formed at Springfield which
adopted "articles of
association" which were signed by one hun-
dred two names.58 One of the articles
was: "Every citizen be-
lieving in the Democratic principles
adopted by Thomas Jeffer-
son, the apostle of American liberty,
and who will attach his
name to these articles, shall become a
member of this associa-
tion." An executive committee of
nine was appointed which
was requested to transmit a copy of the
constitution to the
Democratic citizens in each county of
the state with the request
that they organize associations as soon
as possible. The associa-
tion held meetings every Saturday night.
About the middle of
53 Chicago
Democrat, Apr. 13, 1840.
54 Ibid, Mar. 23 and Apr. 29, 1840; Illinois State Register, May
8:
1840.
55 Illinois State Register, May
15, 1840.
56 Ibid, June 12,
1840.
57Ibid, June 26
and July 10, 1840.
58Ibid, Sept. 18, 1840.
Democratic Party Organization in the
Northwest. 117
October, through its executive committee
it issued a stirring
address to the voters of Illinois urging
them all to attend the
election.59
The usual series of great mass meetings
addressed by stump
speakers was held this season in
Illinois as elsewhere, but one
of the most important factors in
securing the success of the
Democrats at the polls in Illinois in
1840, was that of staying
the suit in the courts for the
disfranchisement of aliens and
thus retaining the alien vote till after
the fall election. This
result was accomplished largely through
the efforts of Stephen
A. Douglas and secured about nine
thousand additional votes
for the Democratic cause, and thus saved
the day by a small
majority for the Democracy in Illinois.60
Michigan.
In Michigan before 1840 the Democracy
had already shown
perhaps, the best party organization in
the Northwest and in the
campaign of this year it maintained its
high standard. On the
first of February a call was issued from
Detroit, signed by
fifty-four citizens from eighteen
counties, for a meeting of the
Democratic citizens of the state at
Detroit on February 22, "to
take the necessary measures to insure
the success of the Repub-
lican party at the next general
election."61 Democratic editors
of the state were requested to extend
the call. This meeting of
the twenty-second urged upon the
Democracy throughout the
state the necessity of holding monthly
meetings.62 Those pres-
ent resolved to exert themselves to the
utmost of their ability,
"to produce and perfect a thorough
county, town, village, and
school district political
organization" and "to place information
as far as possible in the hands of every
voter." A committee of
rive was appointed to promote all these objects.
On the twentieth of April the state
central committee is-
sued a call for a state convention to be
held at Marshall on the
twenty-fourth of June, to nominate
candidates for presidential
59 Illinois
State Register, Oct. 23, 1840.
60 For account of this see Sheahan, Life
of Douglas, pp. 43-47.
61 Detroit Free Press, Feb. 6, 1840; Niles Intelligencer, Feb.
12, 1840.
62Detroit Free Press, Feb. 24, 1840; Niles Intelligencer, Mar. 4, 1840.
118 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
electors and a representative in
congress, and directed the county
corresponding committees to take proper
steps to have delegates
appointed.63 One hundred four
delegates from twenty-nine of
the thirty-one counties then in the
state attended the conven-
tion.64 As the national
convention had left the nomination for
the vice-presidency to the states, R. M.
Johnson was nominated
for reelection by this state convention
and an invitation was
extended to him to visit Michigan that
summer. Candidates for
presidential electors were nominated and
both they and other
nominees of the party in the state
generally were urgently re-
quested to deliver addresses and expound
and disseminate Dem-
ocratic principles. After an interesting
contest65 a candidate for
representative in congress was
nominated. A state central com-
mittee of seven residing at Detroit was
appointed; also a state
corresponding committee in each of the
counties of the state,
composed of three members, residing in
one place. The coun-
ties, townships, and school districts
which had not already done
so, were urged to effect immediate
organizations and their com-
mittees were requested to circulate
Kendall's Extra Globe and
other Democratic newspapers, speeches,
and documents. The
address to the people of the state
prepared by the committee,
filled nineteen columns of Niles
Intelligencer and was published
in four installments in this paper
during September.
There were evidences here and there of
solidifying and per-
fecting the party organization. The
Berrien County Democratic
committee restricted to a definite
apportionment the number of
delegates from the townships to the
county convention.66 The
Democratic committee of Niles township,
Berrien County, had a
regular committee room where meetings
were held and addresses
given each Saturday evening for many
weeks.67 A "Democratic
German Society of Michigan" was
organized and held meetings
63Detroit Free Press, Apr. 21, 1840; Niles Intelligencer, Apr. 29,
1840.
64For account of
convention see Detroit Free Press, June 29, 1840;
Niles Intelligencer, July 8, 1840.
65Detroit Daily Advertiser, June 30, 1840; Detroit Free Press, July
1, 1840.
66Niles Intelligencer, Sept. 9. 1840.
67 Ibid, Aug. 26-Oct. 7, 1840.
Democratic Party Organisation in the Northwest. 119
every three months.68 The Democratic association of Detroit
met each month and a committee provided
for an address at
each meeting.69 The
Democratic ward committees of this city
together formed the Democratic general
committee which held
meetings semimonthly.70
Political oratory was in demand this
year in Michigan as
elsewhere. Mr. Felch, the Democratic
candidate for congress,
was to address the citizens in seventeen
different counties in
October.71 A political
discussion was arranged to take place at
Niles between J. S. Chipman and N. L.
Stout, each of whom
was to speak two hours, and another hour
was given each for
rejoinder.72 Democratic newspapers too were
supported. The
Democratic association of Genesee County
included in its bond
of association, the obligation of its
members to obtain for it a
press.73 Early in May a Democratic reading room in the city
of Detroit was established by the
Democratic committee of the
city, where the leading Democratic
papers of the state and
county were provided.74 An Ingham County Democratic meet-
ing appointed a committee of three in
each township to obtain
subscribers for a paper advocating
Democratic principles.75 Be-
ginning on August 12, the Detroit
Free Press issued an Extra
for three months as it had done for a
shorter time the previous
year.76 This was particularly
for the use of Democratic county
committees for campaign purposes. An
Ionia County meeting
circulated a paper for subscriptions to
the Extra Free Press
and other Democratic papers for general
distribution in that
county.77
But notwithstanding all this organizing
activity of the
Democracy of the Northwest, it failed to
withstand the opposi-
68Detroit Free Press, Apr. 15, 1840.
69Ibid, Apr. 23, 1840.
70Ibid, May 12 and Sept. 16, 1840.
71Ibid, Oct. 1, 1840, gives itinerary.
72 Niles Intelligencer, Sept. 30, 1840.
73Detroit Free Press, June 13, 1840.
74Ibid, May 14, and June 13, 1840.
75 Ibid, Feb. 22,
1840.
76Ibid, July 24, 1840.
77Ibid, June 8, 1840.
120 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
tion arising from the Panic of 1837 and
the allurements of the
"Log Cabin and hard cider."
The Democracy of the Northwest
had not only learned the lesson of
organization themselves; they
had unintentionally taught this lesson
to their rivals so well that
with its aid and that of the above
forces, the pendulum swung
back and brought victory to the Whigs.
With the exception
of a small majority saved in Illinois,
the Whig reactionary wave
swept everything before it in the
Northwest.78
78 Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan
supported Harrison for president by
good majorities. In the congressional
election of 1840, Ohio elected
Whigs in twelve of its nineteen
districts and Michigan elected a Whig
as her only representative. In Indiana
and Illinois the elections to the
twenty-seventh congress did not occur
until 1841, when Whigs were
elected in six of the seven districts of
Indiana, and in two of the three
districts of Illinois.
OHIO
Archaeological and Historical
PUBLICATIONS.
HISTORY
OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
ORAGNIZATION IN THE
NORTHWEST.
1824-1840.
BY
HOMER J. WEBSTER, PH. D.,
Department of History,
University of Pittsburgh.
NOTE.
In the preparation of this work the
writer has received very
helpful suggestions from Professor
Frederic L. Paxson of the
University of Wisconsin; while in every
part of the work he
has received invaluable assistance from
his wife-Edith Fran-
cisco Webster. To both of these he
desires to express here his
hearty appreciation and gratitude.
PITTSBURG, PA., January, 1915.
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