The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1882-06-30
How Near Daniel Webster Came to Being
President,

President
at is not generally known" said
Thurlow Weed to me Monday evening
after rubber at whist-for, though
he can no longer make out the faces of
friends, he can still see cards, when
placed in a good light-"It is not
generally known how near Webster
came to being President
at is generally known" / said, "that
he was candidate for the Whi, nom
ination five times and missed it every
time
"Ycs," he acquiesced, shut he came
good deal nearer than that good
deal nearer. l had always been among
his most profound admirers, and want
ed to see him President in 1910. But
it became obvious to me during the
winter, that he couldn't get the nomi-
nation, that Harrison was leading. j
went down to Washington early in the
spring and called him into the cloak
room. Il think / shall be the Wing
candidate, he said. expressed my
doubt of it. who will be, then?' he
asked. 1T looks to me like Harrison,
| answered He almost sneered at the
idea. He naturally had but little re-
spect for mere military men, and he
lexclaimed, 1T is impossible that a man
so ignorant as he and SO lacking in
every quality of a chief magistrate,
can be nominated for such place. l
told him it WAS simply a question of
who could poll the most votes; then |
got him to sit down and look over my
figures. They didn't convince him, of
course.
"Why, you don't act as if you be-
lieved it yourself, he said, 'for you have
chosen Scott delegation from your
own State That was to prevent the
appointment of Il Clay delegation |
said, 'and Clay cannot be elected il
nominated But Mr.. Webster went
, on, i haven't come to Washington to
: get you TO withdraw your name, but to
} ask you to accept the nomination fol-
Vice, President in case Harrison shal
be selected for the first place. No, be
wouldn't listen to such proposal, and
he refused with quite as much spirit a'
the occasion called for. SO came
! home and Harrison was nominated anC
John Tyler was made his Vice, and b,
the death of Harrison, Tyler becam,
President month after the election
Webster saw the fatal mistake he ha(
made, and the next time l saw HIM
he was then Tylers Secretary of Stat
l he confessed it to me.
"Well curionsly enough, that WASH
the last of his fatal mistakes. In 1S4
, the very same thing happened righ
over again. Ia 1914 Clay had bee
defeated and taken out of the way, an
y now Webster thought he would wal
4 over the course. saw that Gener;
t Taylor was pretty likely to be the maj
1 for after the Mexican War there We
6 great furor over Taylor. Durin
the spring before the nomination
went over to Marshfeld 'Well, VIII,
4 do you think of it this timer aske
II Mr.. Webster, with smile of securit
81 think this time | SAID that GeI
cral Taylor will be the man
l. 'He was astounded. II didn't loo
r so at all to him. He thought it Il yer
y wild guess. DO you seriously think
d he asked, that such man can be nom
/ natedt' | assured him that | thoug
it very probable. Taylor was then de
o ignated by those who did not admin
him as IAN illiterate frontier colonel wi
hasn't voted for forty years, and We
ster seemed to sympathise with tn
view. | then appealed TO him to n
ID cept the nomination for Vice Preside
under Taylor He remembered his fc
mer mistake, and smiled, and said
ly last that he would consult his two be
y. friends, George Ashmun, of Massach
sets, aud Senator Wilson, of Nc
Hampshire, and do as they said
II, ."They were summoned aud came. In
n them at Mr.. Websters and presents
re my figures. They were nonplussed
f. first, but came finally to my conclusi
that Taylor's nomination was probab
and they joined me in advising \
We Webster to be cotent with second pli
7" il the first should prove beyond
reach. He reluctantly agreed to it, n
| was authorized to see the arrangemt
carried out. Just at that point his 81
Fletcher, came home from town aud
ri rediculed the scheme SO energetica
Iy, and so bitterly that HE father return
irt to his original position, and refused
have anything to do with my propo'
no Well, the Vice Presidency went b.
on ging The name of Fillmore was 5
&c denly spr mg on the Convention and
sir, was put on the ticket. Taylor and
~, were elected Taylor died in {
ov months, aud Fillmore became Presid
ion and Webster went down to Washi
we ton and served as Secretary of State
ws he had similarly served the accidel
yer Taylor | think the pair of curl
'ou mishaps did great deal to sour i
ith and perhaps TO make him reckles
too his personal habits, - W. 4. Croft
tell Letter la Detroit Post and IribMI