Studies in American History 
421 
over the boundary question with Ohio and Congress held 
up the admission of the new state for over two years. 
The first campaign between Whigs and Democrats began in 
1834 and continued with hardly a break until the apparent 
victory of the newly organized opposition in 1840. The 
Whigs possessed neither a formidable organization, a coherent 
platform, nor an outstanding available candidate, but the at- 
tempt to bring Van Buren into the presidency presented the 
opening for attack, and after a period of unsuccessful experi- 
menting with candidates the Whigs found a man whose appeal 
to the West struck familiar chords, and beat the Democrats 
at their own game as played in 1828. Among those con- 
sidered in the Northwest as possible candidates for the new 
party were Judge John McLean of Ohio, and Hugh L. 
White of Tennessee, nominated respectively by the Ohio and 
Illinois legislatures. William Henry Harrison, around whose 
name the Whigs and Anti-Van Buren Democrats rallied and 
ultimately marched to victory, did not develop a real boom 
until the appeal of a military record, obscured and belittled 
by too ambitious politicians, had had time to get a hold on 
the people.^^ When the false pretenses of Colonel Johnson’s 
friends were brought to light General Harrison came into his 
own in the Northwest. 
The Harrison movement was represented as coming entirely 
from the people without respect to former political prefer- 
ence. '‘The ostensible as well as real object of the Whig 
party is to check, if possible, the present rapid concentration 
of all power in the person of the President, and restore in 
reality as well as in name the government to its original 
purity and simplicity in management.” Party names were 
hardly used nor were pointedly partisan subjects discussed 
by the speakers at the earlier meetings. The support of the 
church people of the Northwest, which had never been given 
to Clay, was thrown to Harrison. Only in Illinois did Harrison 
fail to unite the opposition, and the followers of White claimed 
still to be members of the Democratic party. The policy 
of the Whigs was to take advantage of the split within the 
Democratic ranks rather than unite upon a candidate of their 
own. 
For the expanding of the military popularity of Colonel Richard M. Johnson for 
political purposes and the vigorous letter of W. H. Harrison see Niles* Register, Novem- 
ber 18, 1834. ' 
