The Osceola times., 1882-08-05
A LUCKLESS LEADER.
How Near Daniel Webster Came To Being
President ON Tive Occasions.

How Near Daniel Webster Came to Being
President on Tive Occasions.
Cor. Detroit Post and Tribune.
at is not generally known" said Thur
low Weed TO me Monony evening after
a rubber at whist-for, though he can no
longer make out the faces of friends he
can still see cards when placed in good
light-"it is not generally known bow
near Webster came to being president"
1T is generally known" l said, that
/ he was a candidate for the whig nomin
alton five times and missed it every
/ time"
"Yes," he acquiesced, hut he came a
good deal nearer than that-a good deal
nearer. | had always been among his
most profound admirers, and wanted TO
see him president in 1910. But it became
/ obvious to me during the winter that he
couldn't get the nomination-that Har.
rison was leading. | went dewn to
Washington early in the spring and call.
ed him into the cloak room. i think |
shall be whig candidate he said. ! ex-
pressed nv doubt of il. Who will be,
! then? he asked. 1T looks TO me like
Harrison, / answered. He almost sneer-
ed at the idea. He naturally had but
| little respect for mere military men, and
he exclaimed, 1T is impossible that a
man 80 ignorant as he and so lacking in
every quality of chief magistrate, can be
nominated for such place told him
it was simply 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"
4 Oh I, halt rAl
| il YOURSELF he said. for you have chosen
a Scott delegation from your own state.
That was to prevent the appointment of
a Clay delegation 1 said, and Clay can
not be elected if nominated. But, Mr..
Webster | went on, Il haven't come to
Washington TO ask you TO Withdraw your
name. but to ask you to accept the nom
ination of president in case Harrison
should be selected for the first place.
No, he couldn't listen to such a proposal,
aud he refused with quite as much spirit
as the occasion called for. So / came
home, and Harrison was nominated and
John TYLER was made hiF vice, and by
the death of Harrison, Tyler became
president a month after the election
Webster saw the mistake he had made,
and the next time | saw him-he was
then Tyler's secretary Of state he con.
tessed it to me.
"Well, curiously enough, that wasn't
the last of his fatal mistakes. In ls4S
the very same thing happened right over
again. In 1914 Clay had been defeated
and taken out of the way, and now Web
ster thought lie would walk over the
course. | saw that Gen. Taylor was pret-
tv likely to be the man, for after the
Mexican war there was great furor over
TAYLOR. During the spring before the
nomination | went over to Marshfeld
We'll. what do YOU think of it this timer,
asked Mr.. Webster, with a smile of se-l
renity.
"f think this time,' / said, that Gen.
Taylor will be the man.
"IIe was astonished. 1t didn't look 80
at all TO him. He thought it very wild
guess. Do you seriously think he ask
ed, that such man can be nominatedp
| assured him that thought it very prob.
able. Taylor was then designated by
those who did not admire him as an IL
literate frontier colonel who hasn't voted
for forty years. and Webster seemed to
sympatbize with this view. l then APP
pealed 10 him to accept the nomination
for vice president under Taylor. He re.
membered his former mistake, and smil-
ed, and said at last that he would consult
his two best friends, George Ashmun, of
Massachu ,etts, and Senator Wilson, of
New Hampshire and do as they said.
"They were summoned and came. |
met them at Mr.. Webster's and present
ed my figures They were nonplussed
at first, but came finally to my conclusion
that Taylor's nomination was probable,
and they Joined me in advising Mr.. Web.
ster to be content with second place if
tie first should prove beyond his reach.
He reluctantly agreed to it, and was
authorized to see the arrangement car.
ried out. Just at that point his son,
Fletcher, came home from town, and he
ridiculed the scheme so energetically and
so bitterly that his father returned to
his original position, and refused to have
anything TO do with my proposal. Well,
the vice presidency went begging. The
name of Fillmore was suddenly sprung
on the convention. and ne was put on
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 as
secretary of state, as he had similarly
served the accidental Tyler think the
pair of curious mishaps did a good deal
to sour him, and perhaps helped to make
him reckless in his personal habits"