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Story October 8, 1840

Alexandria Gazette

Alexandria, Alexandria County, District Of Columbia

What is this article about?

At a political meeting, Mr. Techner satirizes the creation of Democrats under Martin Van Buren's influence, describing a process that transforms former Federalists and radicals into party members, comparing them to biblical locusts.

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Full Text

THE RARE DEMOCRAT,—At the meeting on Tuesday evening, after Mr. L. Clayton's one of his usual and very witty speeches, and one of Mr. Webster's fires, Mr. Techner, a renegade Federalist, came forward, and spoke at considerable length. A noted Virginian, indeed, weighed and instructed his artillery by a very graphic picture of a lean democracy. His sketch of this political fungus was capital. His birthplace in Albany Register; where and by whom the nomination was made a few years since, under the auspices of Martin Van Buren, and prepared moderates and nullification democrats and manufactured to order. The modus operandi was fairly described, by which the rawest and roughest materials—a British tory, a bitter Federalist of the last war, a Burr conspirator, a follower of Fanny Wright and Robert Dale Owen—is metamorphosed into a pure democrat on the shortest notice. He showed how this machinery was transferred by Mr. Van Buren from Albany to Washington, where it has been in full operation for about ten years, filling the land with swarms of locusts as beneficial to its prosperity as the locusts were to Egypt in the days of Pharaoh.

What sub-type of article is it?

Deception Fraud Historical Event

What themes does it cover?

Deception Social Manners

What keywords are associated?

Political Satire Democrat Creation Van Buren Machine Federalist Renegade Political Transformation

What entities or persons were involved?

Mr. Techner Martin Van Buren Mr. L. Clayton Mr. Webster Fanny Wright Robert Dale Owen

Where did it happen?

Albany To Washington

Story Details

Key Persons

Mr. Techner Martin Van Buren Mr. L. Clayton Mr. Webster Fanny Wright Robert Dale Owen

Location

Albany To Washington

Event Date

Tuesday Evening

Story Details

Mr. Techner critiques the artificial manufacture of Democrats from unlikely sources like former Federalists and radicals under Van Buren's Albany machine, now operating in Washington, producing political locusts.

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