News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-08-03
DANIEL WEBSTER.
How Near the Great Commoner
Came to Being President.

| CdIiIc W ITcSiuch1s
A New York correspondent says: ST
is not generally known" said Thurlov
Weed to me, ''how near Daniel Webster
came to being President.
set is generally known" I said
/" that he was candidate for the Whie
nomination five times and missed il
every time"
"Yes," he acquiesced, "but he came
a good deal nearer than that-a good
deal nearer. I had always been among
his most profound admirers, and wanted
to see him President in 1910. But it
became obvious to me during the win
ter that he couldn't get the nomination,
that Harrison was leading. went
down to Washington early in the spring
and called him into the cloak-room. Il
think shall be the Wing candidate,
he said. I 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 respect for
mere military men, and he exclaimed :
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. 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.
Why, you don't act as if you be-
lieved it yourself he said, 'for you
have chosen a Scott delegation from
your own State That was to pre-
vent the appointment of Clay delega-
tion,' I said; 'and Clay cannot be
elected if nominated But, Mr.. Web
ster,' I went on, I haven't come to
Washington to get you to withdraw your
name, but to ask you to accept the nomin-
alton for Vice President in case Harrison
shall be selected for the first place. No,
he wouldn't listen to such a proposal.
and he refused with quite as much spirit
as the occasion called for. So I came
home, and Harrison was nominated and
John Tyler was made Vice President.
and by the death of Harrison, TYLER be-
came President month after the cleo
tlon. Webster saw the fatal mistake he
had made, and the next time 1 saw him
Che was then Tyler's Secretary of Safe
he confessed it to me.
Well, curiously enough. that wasn't
the last of the fatal mistakes. In 194S
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 would walk
over the course. saw that Gen. Tay.
lor was pretty likely to be the man, fol
after the Mexican war there was great
furore over Taylor. During the spring
before the nomination 1 went over tc
Marshfeld. well, what do you thinl
of 1t this time p asked Mr.. Webster
with smile of security,
Il think this time, I said, that Gen
Taylor will be the man.
''He was astounded. It didn't lool
so at all to him. He thought it very
wild guess. DO you seriously think,
he asked, that such man can be nom
mated 2 assured him that l thought
it very probable. Taylor was then des
ignated by those who did not admire
him as 'an illiterate frontier colonel who
hasn't voted for forty years, and Web
ster seemed to sympathize with this
view. then appealed to him to accept
the nomination for Vice President un-
der Taylor. He remembered his former
mistake, and smiled, and said at last
| that he would consult his two best
friends, George Ashmun, of Massach
setts, and Senator Wilson, of New
Hampshire, and do as they said.
"They were summoned and came.
met them at Mr.. Webster's and pre-
sented my figures. They were non.
plussed at first, but came finally to my
conclusion that Taylor's nomination
was probable, and they joined me in
advising Mr.. Webster to be content with
second place if the first should prove
beyond his reach. He reluctantly
agreed to it, and I was authorized to
see the arrangement carried 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
he 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 mis-
haps did a good deal to sour him, and
perhaps helped to make him reckless in
his personal habits"
Feeling sure that these important in
cidents in the history of the country
were not widely known, obtained Mr..
Weeds consent to give them publicity.
OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER.