The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-06-12

| most fitting for L. NJ
James Monroe, single page letter dated
| Oakhill, Feb. l. 1926 1t refers TO certain
| claims of his against the Government.
There Is something pathetic about It., when
viewed in the light of the fact that the claim
which he refers to, and which would have
made HIN pecuniatily comfortable, was not
allowed until after his death, when his rela-
lives reaped the benefit Of it; while he died
| IN New York, poor man, and was buried
| at the expense of his friends. 1t is not
| many years since thai his remains were re-
claimed by his native State, Virginia, and
they now rest in Hollywood Cemetery, near
Richmond.
| 50 = My claims are founded on my
conduct in public life, and in consequence,
| especially In some incidental circumstances,
/ connected with its early aud latter stages,
have bearing on my character, | cannot
but feel anxious, therefore, that every ex-
| PLANTATION and document in my possession,
which throws light on the subject, should
be submitted to the view of the committee.
John Quincy Adams, dated at Quincy,
Oct. 8, 1925, a letter of one page written
during the first year of his administration
TO Governor Lincoln of Massachusetts, in
which he accepts the Governors hospital
ity during his stay in Worcester.
As am travelling altogether
as private citizen l ask again your indul-
| gence to dispense with all manifestations of
public hoaors whatever y"
Andrew Jackson long letter of four
| pages dated Fort Strother Headquarters,
Dec. 10, 1918, written during the war wi
| the Creek Indians.
"* We must have men to carry
on the campaign. We must have the volun-
teers or others In their room speedily or all
| will be lost, and the boosted patriotism of
the State furnished forever II / had two
thousand men OF a disposable force, with
sufficient guards for the forts and transpor
| tation of provisions, | would in two months
| carry the eagles of our country anywhere
Let me repeat again, men
must have--to retrogade from my present
position is disgrace to the whole State-and
| without men cannot keep my post--retro-
gade never will without the orders of Gen
eral Plekney, and hope am not left here
| with few brave fellows to perish--but
| perish We will before we retrograde or dis
| grace ourselves as others have done. So
i Martin Van Buren,, another long letter of
| four pages, written while in London, acting
| as Minister to the Court of st. James, dated
March IA, 1882:
| ~ If the Republicans of the Unit
ed States think my elevation to the Vice
| Presidency the most etfectual mode of testi-
| flying TO the world their sentiments with
| respect TO the act of the President and the
| vote OF the Senate, can see no justtible
grounds for declining to yield to their wish
! es y ~
| In connection with the above extract it
may be well to say that Van Buren, had been
| appointed by President jackson as Minister
| to England, but his name was rejected by
| the Senate. The act of the Senate caused
| such a storm of Indignation that at the next
| National Convention. held in May 1892, he
| was nominated for Viee-President on the
ticket with jackson, and elected. -Four
| years later he succeeded Jackson as Pres-
| dent of the United States.
| John Tyler, a three page letter, dated
Sherwood Forest, May 7, 1856, in which he
| expresses his ideas freely on politics and as
| pirants for the Presidency:
= Both Law and Vanderbilt are
remarkable men. From nothing they have
made themselves millonaires The idea of
| making either of them President is nothing
more or less than supremely ridiculous.
/ during the last year OF his administration,
| and devoted to public matters, dated Bed
ford Springs, August 30, lS4S:
Though all my sympathes are
| enlisted on behalf of the oppressed and suf-
fering people of Ireland, yet, as President of
the United States, would be bound to en-
| force our neutrality laws, and should do
| nothing which should have the appearance
/ of encouraging their violation. ~
| Franklin Pierce, single page letter. dated
| Hillsboro, April 2, 1889, written while he
| was member of the United States Senate:
| My venerable father was
breathing his last when l arrived here, and
expired about half-past five o'clock this ev-
ening. ~
James Buchanan. three page letter, dated
| Wheatland, April s, 1850.
4
| making one sick of the idea of public life.
| Advancing age ought TO desire peace and
tranquility. What spectacle for contem-
i plation 1t is to witness Clay and Cass as ca
| ger in the pursuit of the Presidency at their
| period OF life as Leander was to meet Hero.
Either Of them would undertake to swim the
| Hellespont, in a dark and tempestuous night
to gain the prize. And yet Clay according
TO bis own account, which is probably short
by two years, would be fourscore at the con-
clusion of his first term and General Cass
would be seventy-fvel -
At the time this letter was written, Bueh-
anan, having served as Secretary of State III
the Cabinet of President Polk, was living in
| retirement at bis home in Wheailand, Penn.
| Henry Clay, against whom he rails in the
| above extract, had been a candidate before
several National Conventions, but was not
| mentioned in the convention of June 10,
1852, General Scott carrying off the honors
| Clay died June IS, few days after the con-
vention, at the age of seyenty-three. Lewis
Cass, also bitterly spoken of in the extract
| given, saw the Presidential nomination to
which he aspired, given the same year, 1852
| 10 franklin Pierce, comparatively I'M
known man. The disappointment to Cass
may have been more bitter, from the fact
that his name led all the rest on the first bal
lot. Buchanan himself, was candidate for
the Presidential nomination at that conven-
ton. Four years later-in 1S56-Buchanan
carried off the honor, and was elected. Cass,
| who was again candidate before the con-
| veDtion, was made his Secretary of State
although too old In 1850 for the Office OF
| President, according to the opinion of Bueh-
i anan expressed in The above letter. lie did
not think him too old six years later to take
| the most responsible place in his Cabinet 1t
| possibly proves the fallacy of the opinions
and predictions of politicians, warped as
they ofttimes are by personal preJudices and
| aspirations. The Inconsistency of man is
found in the fact, that at the age of fifty
nine, Buchanan deplored the unwise aspira-
| lions of Clay, who would be fore-score at
| the end of a presidential term, and Cass,
| seventy five, yet he himself accepted the DO
| sition when he was sixty-five and at the end
| of his presidential term was an older man
| than any other President Of the United
| States before or since, with the single excep-
three months his senior.
Abraham Lincoln, letter of one page dated
| Springfield, ILL.,, Feb. %, 1850.
so As you make no mention of it,
suppose you had not learned that we lost
our little boy. He was sick fifty-two days,
aud died the morning of the first day Of this
| month. 1t was not our first but our second
child. We miss him very much. ~
Letters of other presidents are In the col
lection, but as they contain nothing particu-
larly interesting we will omit giving extracts
from them. A complete set OF letters writ
ten by the Governors of New York from
George Clinton down to the present incum-
bent, form very interesting series, many
on;alnng personal and political matter
which of Itself would entertain one for an
entire evening. We refrain from giving any
extracts from them, as the following from
letters Of distinguished American Statesmen
may prove more entertaining TO the general
reader.
Charles Sumner, a letter dated Boston,
Nov. 5, 1862.
80 | am at a loss to comprehend the
Albany attack on me. Thank God have
kan.. "a -.