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��The Harrisburg Convention of Decetnber, l8jg.
��THE HARRISBURG CONVENTION OF DECEMBER, 1839.
By C. S. Si'AUlding.
��It was customary for many years among politicians to charge that Mr. Henry Clay was defrauded of the nomi- nation for the presidency at the Harris- burg convention, by the devices of cer- tain personal opponents, and that his election in the following year would have been as certain as any future event can be that depends upon the contingencies of politics. This was the language of political declaration ; and the quiet, discerning men among the Whigs, who knew better, were generally silenced by the concurring averments of Mr. Clay's adherents. On both these points the opinion of Mr. Clay amounted to con- viction ; and he went to his grave with the sincere conviction and belief that he was defeated at Harrisburg by un- worthy trickery, and that his electoral majority would have fully equalled that of Gen. Harrison. That impression prevailed generally throughout the country for many years ; and I am in- clined to think that it is still entertained by those who are old enough to re- member the circumstances attending the presidential election of 1840, and the political condition of the country during the three or four preceding years.
It is due to the memory of those men who composed the Harrisburg conven- tion, that certain facts and circum- stances, tending to show that the public mind has been greatly abused on this subject, should be recalled, and the considerations which led to the nomina- tion of Gen. Harrison fairly stated ; and as preliminary to this, and in order to a correct understanding of the situation,
��it is necessary to glance hastily at the political condition of the country dur- ing the presidency of Mr. Van Buren. The financial revulsion of 1837 had led to the overthrow of the Democratic party in several large States, where its ascendency had been almost perpetual, and notably in New York, Ohio, In- diana, Maine, and several other States ; and it had come to be generally sup- posed that the Whigs would be able to carry the election in 1840. There seemed to be no doubt that Mr. Clay would be the candidate ; and under that expectation the Democrats had regained the power in Ohio, Indiana, Maine, and several other States, and the party had gained largely in New York ; and then there was the unexpect- edly large vote for Gen. Harrison in 1836, when he was brought forward irregularly and partially, with no effec- tive organization of his supporters, and no hope of his election. These things conspired to direct the attention of sagacious Whigs to the question of the expediency of nominating him as a stronger man with the people than Mr. Clay.
With the exception of some of the adherents of Mr. Webster, the delegates were generally anxious to elect a pres- ident irrespective of any personal con- siderations. The feelings of jealousy and rivalry which had for some time subsisted between Messrs. Clay and Webster, and which culminated in an open rupture in 1841, were shared to some extent by their friends. But Mr. Webster was not a candidate before the convention, and therefore there was no
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