New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-09-21

SOME HISTORICAL COlJpIRJso,


n history, and estimates the difficulties and re-
!; sponsibilities of the future by those which.
q under similar conditions, it has before encoun
e tered. Tie death of General Harrison, April 4.
q 1871, had in it many of those tragic elements
81 which we might be inclined to regard as peculiar
Slto the demise of Lincoln and of Garfield. I'll
d came only one month after President Harrison's
y inauguration, and before he had found the on
Il portunty OF proving the great and special
g confidence reposed in him by the people to be
!, deserved. His election was decided express
q sion OF the popular feeling which twelve years
8oi Democratic rule had failed to conciliate.
n An Administration without dishonesty and
81 without corruption had been hoped for; and
n when General Harrison died the same conf
= dence was extended to his successor Mr.
81 Tyler disappointed the Wings while at the
q same time he failed to attach to himself the
q Democrats, who used him for their own mr.
poses and then cast him contemptuouslv of.
y lie was not strong man, and after his extra
q ordinary inconsistencies respecting the Different
y Dank acts passed by Congress, and his veto of
n p'iis framed with special reference to his cx-
u pressed preferences and opinions not only the
q Wing party but the whole country lost conf
8 dence in his public acumen if not in his political
z honesty. Before Congress adjourned i'm Sen
y cast him of. After that his Administration
was n haphazard one, without consistency or
good moral character. OF the succession il WAS
soon apparent to all intelligent observers Prosi
I dent Tyler had no chance He had no party
To sustain him, and even if it had been other
wise, he had no valuable opinions and no re-
spectacle policy to be sustained OF his sub
3seqnent career, 1t Is enough TO say that he died
Il member OF the Confederate Congress
convention of his own friends, mostly Office
holders III May, 1914, could not give him a
nomination important enough 10 be seriously
accepted; ana several months before the cleo
ton, Mr.. Tyler Withdrew from the canvass.
4 General Taylor died under circumstances of
political doubt and trouble, lust when il had
become apparent that although himself a slave
holder he was n stern opponent of secession.
ana that his views were not those of the slave
holding leaders in regard to the extension of
slavery. Mr. Fiumores Administration will
stand in history one of unwse cxpedients.
/ and his approval of the Fugitive Slave Law will
not raise HIM in the estimation OF postcritv.
| lie was an able and really a patriotic man. but
I he made great mistakes, and did not escape the
fatal passion for n reelection This depriycJ
1 his retirement of dignity, and he exhibited. a
the candidate of the American or Know Moth :
the vote OF only single State. Most of the
friends upon whom he relied deserted him at t
thc polls. 1t is true that he received the sun i
port of large numbers in all the States, but in
making up the record this historically amounted
10 nothing. s
Andrew Johnson was the next Vice President
who upon succeeding to the Presidency made
IN enormous failure. Beginning we'll. rs his
predecessors had done, like them he ended
badly. His quarrel with Congress was unneces
sary, and as the event proved il-adviscd and
the hostility which he maintained to a majority
iof that body proved his political ruin. Hisk
numerous undlgnlHcd appeals to the people met
with anything but IN approving response; and
his controversy with Mr.. Stanton, culminatinoE
in his own impeachment, put him upon record
by II vote in the Senate of thirty-tiye tn nine
teen, Us guilty Of high crimes and misdo-
mcanOrs, although technically he was nro- +
nounced not guilty. When the Democratic
Convention met III New York in 1868, he failed
to secure its nomination. There were nIpetocn .
ballots, and although he had sixty-fve votes ia
DeSln WIN, upon the nineteenth ballot he had
none ut all. After his retirement he at first
failed to receive a seat in the Senate for Ten n
nessec, and equally failed TO get n seat in fine
House, but ultimately secured his election rs
Senator
1t will be observed that in each of these in
stances the VicePresident, succeeding 10 fine 3
Presidency, was governed in his policy bv his
desire Tor reelection. Mr.. Fillmore was fine
only President holding the high Office through s.
the death OF his predecessor whose abilities
justified the slightest claim to it and he wifi,
all his merits made signal failure. The nro.
tensions Of Mr.. Tyler and of Mr.. Johnson wore
simply farccal. These are examples which are n
full OF warning, if warning be needed now. =
Mr.. Tyler and Mr.. Johnson at least. if not Mr.
Fillmore, never could understand that they had
not been elected to the high Office, and behaved
precisely as if the people, in calling them To the
Vice-Piesidcncy had foreseen the predestinate &
death OF the President. Such contingency has y
been little thought of in the past, however
much, If we be wise, it will be Thought of IN "a
making future nominations But toward q man n
thus suddenly elevated the feeling will and n
ought to be n kindly one. So iu was toward 4
Mr.. Tyler, Mr.. Fillmore and Mr.. johnson nor p
Is there any reason to suppose that il will be y
different upon the present occasion. n
The death of General Harrison. ,vbno :, n
seriously embarrassed the Wing party and dis. n
the hopes of the Nation, had no n
special influence upon the stability of the Gov Y
eriiment. The death of General Tavlor nm n
doubleday made legislation possible which Il
proved III the end detrimental to the public n