Professor Morse was in Washington, and the first message was dictated by Annie Ellsworth, March 28, 1844, and received by Alfred Vail, forty miles away in Baltimore. It consisted of the words, "What hath God wrought?" and the telegram is now in the possession of the Connecticut Historical Society. It may be said that since then the earth has been girdled by telegraph lines, numbers of which pass under the ocean, uniting all nations and the uttermost extremities of the world. In the preceding pages we have done little more than give the results of the various presidential campaigns. The two leading political parties were the Whigs and the Democrats, and many of the elections were of absorbing interest, not only to the participants, but to the country at large. Several were distinguished by features worthy of permanent record, since they throw valuable light upon the times, now forgotten, and were attended in many instances by far-reaching results. It seems proper, therefore, that a chapter should be devoted to the most important presidential campaigns preceding and including one of the most memorable--that of 1840--often referred to as the "hard cider campaign." [Illustration: CAMPAIGN SPEECHMAKING IN EARLIER DAYS.] [Illustration: OLD GATES AT ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA.] CHAPTER XII. FAMOUS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS PREVIOUS TO 1840. The Origin of the "Caucus"--The Election of 1792--The First Stormy Election--The Constitution Amended--Improvement of the Method of Nominating Presidential Candidates--The First Presidential Convention--Convention in Baltimore in 1832--Exciting Scenes--The Presidential Campaign of 1820--"Old Hickory"--Andrew Jackson's Popularity--Jackson Nominated--"Old Hickory" Defeated--The "Log-Cabin" and "Hard-Cider" Campaign of 1840--"Tippecanoe and Tyler Too"--Peculiar Feature of the Harrison Campaign. The presidential nominating convention is a modern institution. In the early days of the Republic a very different method was pursued in order to place the candidates for the highest office in the land before the people. THE ORIGIN OF THE "CAUCUS." In the first place, as to the origin of the "caucus." In the early part of the eighteenth century a number of caulkers connected with the shipping business in the North End of Boston held a meeting for consultation. That meeting was the germ of the political caucuses which have formed so prominent a feature of our government ever since its organization.