Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-07-21
wEBsrER's rwo MIsrAKEs.
TA1FIaz E 81 Tsi Fr..,%s.s

%sfH Sss TsII H F1s.l DEE Twice
Detroit Post and Tribune
ut Is not generally known said
Ihuriow Weed to me, show near Web
ster came to being president
''lt is generally known said l..
that he was candidate for the Wing
nomination five times, and missed Il
every time"
Eyes, he acquiesced, '.but he came
n good deal nearer than that-a good
deal nearer. / had always been among
his most profound admirers, and want
ed to see him president i'm 1910. But
1t became obvious to me during the
winter that he couldn't get the nominal
tion-that Harrison was leading.
went down to Washington early in the
spring and called him into the cloak
room. Il think i shall be the Wing
candidate he said. / expressed my
doubt of il. who will be then?' he
asked. 1t looks to me like Harrison,
/ answered. He almost sneered at the
idea.
"'Why, you don't act as if you be-
lieved it YOURSELF he said, for you
have chosen Scott delegation for your
own state That was to prevent the
appointment of a Clay delegation /
said, 'and Clay cannot be elected if
nominated: But, Mr.. Webster Invent
on, Il have come to Washington to get
you to withdraw your name, and to ask
you to accept the nomination for vice
president in case Harrison shall be
selected for the first place No, he
wouldn't listen to such proposal, and
he refused with quite as much spirit as
the occasion called for. So L came
home, and Harrison was nominated
and John Tyler was made his vice,
and, by the death of Harrison, Tyler
became president month after the
election. Webster saw the fatal mis-
take he had made, and the next time
saw him-he was then Tyler's secre-
tary of state-he confessed it to me.
"Well, curiously enough, that wasn't
the last of his fatal mistakes. In 1913
the very same thing happened right
over again. In 1874 Clay had been de-
feated and taken out of the way, and
now Webster thought he could walk
over the course. During the spring
before the nomination l went over to
Marshfeld We'll, what do you think
of it this time?n asked Mr.. Webster
with a smile of security.
eel think this time, / said, that Gen.
Taylor will be the man.
''He was astounded. 1t didn't look
so at all to him. He thought it very
wild guess. DO YOU seriously think,
he asked, that such man can be NOM
inatedF' / assured him that thought
IL very probable. He remembered his
former mistake and smiled, and said at
last that he would consult his two best
friends, George Ashum, of Massachu-
sets, and Senator Wilson, of New
Hampshire, and do as they said.
"They were summoned and came. |
met them ut Mr.. Webster's and present
ed my figures. They were nonplussed
Mt first, but came finally to my conclu-
sion that Taylor's nomination was prob
able, and they joined me in advising Mr..
Webster to be content with the second
place If the first should be beyond his
reach. He reluctantly agreed to it, and
/ was authorized to see the arrange
ment carried out just at that point
his son Fletcher came home from town,
and he ridiculed the scheme so energet-
ically and bitterly that his father return
ed To his original position. and refused
to have anything to do with my propos-
nj. Well, the vice presidency went beg
ging. The name of Fillmore was sud
denly sprung on the convention and ne
was put OH the ticket Taylor and he
were elected; Taylor died in four
months, and Fillmore became president,
and Webster went down to Washington
and served him rs secretary of state, as
he had similarly served the accidental
Tyler. l think the pair of curious
mishaps did good deal to sour him,
and perhaps helped to make him reck-
less in his personal habits"