Was thinking recently, what if the Jeffersonians split up around the first party system? Republicans vs. "Old" Republicans (Tertium Quids) vs. Federalists. No real POD, just a vague idea. This in turn grew from the idea of having Speaker of the House election boxes (like how Britain has them) when I was thinking of the old AWI (when Thande suggested I propose the Pre-17th Amendment boxes to the Wikipedia gods). So, like, here is something. (Possible story? Maybe.) Also just noticed the numbers are off from OTL reps, uh, assume some states joined in the mean time (it doesn't matter it's just a prototype).
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The "Crime of 1806" between Madison and John Randolph of Roanoke, as he called it, had split the ruling Jeffersonian allies in Congress among intra-party ideological lines. The Federalists, once sinking into a regional party against a national one, could now hold the balance of power between the Republicans and the "Negative Radicals" that were the Quids.
House member John Q. Adams, former son of Jefferson's friend turned bitter and beaten Presidential rival, was closer to Clay then the "
detestable old rat" Randolph. While he could not
officially endorse Clay for Speaker, who's party lacked a majority, he could allow some Representatives to vote for Gallant Henry while Adams was away from Congress.
Some Federalists followed through with the plan and voted for Clay, some voted for Randolph in the hopes that the man would hurt Jefferson worse then Clay for two years, and others were not informed of any sort of dealings and voted for Adams as Speaker.
Randolph railed against the "Federalists and neo-Federalists" who betrayed the Constitution, the people, and liberty for the sake of power and influence for themselves. But Clay was determined to make use of his office and strangle the Quids in their cradle as best he could. It was now Federalists and Republicans against those opposed anything and everything the Government could do for the sake of the country.