New-York tribune., 1880-01-18
THE RECORD OF FIFTY YEARS
"REMINISCENCES OF A JOURNALIST.
BY CHARLES T. CONGDoN.

THE CAMPAIGN OF lS4O-GBNERAL HARRISON AND
JOHN TYLER-MR. WEBSTER IN THE TYLER CAD
lNET-CALEB CUsHING-FLETCHER WEBSTER
ROBERT c. WINTHROP.
The campaign of 1910 ought not perhaps, to
be dismissed with the brief allusion made to it in
the last chapter. There was anything like it
before in the history of the country. and probably
there will never be anything like it again. It's Gus
tOmary to regard il as an instance OF popular en-
thusiasm artiuly and artifcially stimulated-as
fever created and maintained by song and show-as
delirium of drink mainly hard cider and of dema-
gogical speeches. Though used to think so N.Y.
self, am satisfied that this view of the canvass is
but superficial one. The same methods have since
been resorted to and have failed more or less igno-
mnously. They were tried in a feeble way in be-
half of Henry Clay in 1914, but again there was n
melancholy demonstration that the people were
willing to do anything for that great man but vote
for him. The Whjg success In 1910 is to be attrlD-
uted think to the feeling, whether just or un-
just that the Van Buren, administration had been
utterly corrupt. The people were weary OF perpet-
ual defalcatons. and of government carried on
exclusively for the benefit of party. They hoped,
too that political change would bring financial
ease General Harrison, who was good enough
sort of man. though by no means a brilliant one,
was invested with hundred mythical virtues-he
was as virtuous as Cato great general as Ju-
Illus Cesar and as patriotic as George washington
or John Adams. He the Farmer of the West
He was the Hero of Tippecanoe. He was gloriiied
in song he was enlogized in speeches; his name
was embazoned on thousand banners and his
portrait carved the buttons and breastpins OF a
continually increasing majority. When he was
elected thunderous shout of oxultation and graf
itude went up to the Skies because were to have
a man for President and no longer tricky and
foxy politician Little Van" was sent ignomin-
iously back to the rural shades of Knderhook.
There never such victory, and there never was
a victory of which the fruits were such Dead Sea
apples. The majority was enormous; but nothing
came of it, General Harrison was inaugurated
President March H. 1871, and Just one month from
that time he lay dead in the White House-all hopes
blasted all expectations disappointed, all the fu-
ture of the Wing party uncertain! 1t was terrible
blow to the honest people who had voted for MIN
conscientlousy and hopefully, The PROSTATE DEM
ocratic party again lifted its head with feeling
that there still other trumphs In store for it
that the emoluments of place had not departed from
II forever The South had its usual good fortune
and man was seated in the Presidents chair who
was hereafter to be and to die member of the
Confederate Congress. In 1874, Mr. Calhoun was
Secretary of State and John Y. Mason was Secre-
tary of the Navy. Texas was annexed March 1.
1915; and we then entered upon period OF our
history which the present generation well knows to
have been sngularly eventful.
When Mr.. Tyler began to demonstrate that though
elected as Wing, he was so far as he was any
thing a stiff Virginia abstractionst, the cOnsterna-
ton of those who had voted for him bordered up
on the ludcrous. They began TO nickname him
His Accidency" at once. and the refrain of
"Tyler too came back rcastically from the Dem
cclats in somewhat insufferable way. When the
Bunker Hill monument dedicated in 1S43, on
1he anniversary of the battle saw Mr.. Tyler in a
-. II ,nA ham 1Ofh tgranc
o!ten and recognized HIM by that feature the pro-
portions of which were enormous In the crowd
rhere was much pushing and elbOwing to get
good view of the President. man behind me,
when he had succeeded in dong So exclaimed IN
tone of anguish: GOOD Heavens is that the man
we worked so hard to elect in 1S40"-a remark
which was followed by great guffaw from the
crowd. Mr. Tyler like Mr.. Johnson. in q like pre-
dicament was without any popular strength He
had one or two respectable men near him. but he
could not make his administration respectable. There
was gossip about the White House which
even now 1 should not to repeat.
The President had lost the support of the
Wings who had formally repudiated all response
bility for his acts. The Democrats were willing
enough to take Office under him, but they never
gave him any political assistance and he got along
in a hand to-mouth way and as he could. He
picked UP and appointed to place some very surpIis-
ing characters, never heard of before and never
heard of since Collectors and postmasters dropped
down upon astonished localities which knew them
not, and did not care to know them. There was
sour feeling everywhere during the whole four
years. The haste with which the Texas negOt-
alton was hurried through at the very close
of the Tyler administration was thought TO be
little indecent. But of all the dllemmas there was
none like the dilemma of the Wings of Massa-
chusetts, for Mr.. Webster, in spite of the vetoes
clung to the Office of Secretary of State until the
Spring of 1843. though all his colleagues went out
in the Summer preceding. / not sure that it
was not then that Mr.. Webster began distinctly to
lose his hold upon the affections and the respect of
the State which has honored him. He still held
place while his party definitely in opposition.
In 1912 the Massachusetts Wigs were ill a great
deal of trouble and needed all the help OF their
men of great names and standing. Mr.. Webster
would not help them at all-certanly not by
signing and when they were badly beaten they
were a little out of humor with him, in spite of the
glories of the Ashburton Treaty. He was very stub
born--these is reason to bolieve that he was
little selfish, and did rot care to give up place
which kept him in the line of succession to the
Presidency, OF at any rate in the public eye. Not
long before the State election of 1872 in which the
Wings of Massachusetts were defeated, Mr.. Web
ster made speech in Faneuil Hall, which did not
help them. He then and there avowed. in his large
way after stating his reasons for keeping Office,
that he was 4" a Whg. Massachusetts Whig.
Faneuil Hall Whig." Then almost taking an atti-
tude of defance-morally it was no less than that
he SAID Substantially: If anybody proposes TO put
me out of the Wing party, let him try 1t. and we
will see which goes out fistw This was all very
grand, only it did not alter the facts of
the position. Mr.. Webster knew well that the
Wings were in absolute opposition to the
Tyler Administration, of which he was
the most respectable and important member;