Following the Whig victory of Harrison and Tyler in 1840, the Globe ceased to be the organ of the administration, but the Intelligencer was not restored entirely to its old position. A rival had developed in the Madisonian, which originally had been Van Buren's paper, but which, having seen a great light, had gone over to the Whigs.
The proprietor of the Intelligencer was made printer for the House of Representatives and the Senate selected the publisher of the Madisonian as its printer. When Harrison died most of the Whig journals deserted Tyler, but the Madisonian took up his cause, becoming a daily shortly afterward. The South Carolina or Calhoun section of the Democratic party blossomed forth about this time with a new paper, the Spectator. A change was also made in the method of doling out patronage to the papers. Since 18 19 the practice had been to print the laws in newspapers in the different states and territories, whereas now it was directed that they should appear in at least two and not more than four of the principal papers in Washington, preference to be given to those with the largest circulation.
When the Democrats came back into power with James K. Polk in 1844, they returned to the old practice of scattering patronage throughout the Union, instead of giving it to the Washington organs. The wiser men in the party were beginning to see the uselessness of the administration organs, but there were still those who believed in them. "For want of an official organ to explain the principles of action," observed the Boston Advertiser, "the Polk administration has acquired no political character."
Consequently the Globe outfit was purchased,—the left-over organ was always supposed to have "claims"—and the Washington Union was issued in its place by
