Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-16
FITrY YEARS A CLERK.
A State Department. EmplOye Who
know Webster and Calhoun.
From fA4 VTNbj,at,1, posf

!
| knew Webster and Calhoun.
| From hs Washington Post.
Il entered the State Department rs a
messenger in 1885, when Andrew jackson
/ was President of the United states" SAID
/ William J., Faherty, of this city, to q
Post reporter yesterday, sand l have re-
NAMED there ever SINCE" Mr.. Faherty
/ celebrates to-day his SID birthday. lie is
a native of Baltimore, where, as n hoy, he
helped to dig trenches during the war
with England in 1872, but has been a
resident Of Washington siXty-siN years.
/ At 81 be stands as straight as the Wash
! lngton monument and his character is as
| upright as his figure. His eyeslght g nm
! dimmrd, and defect in his hearing Is the
only evidence of his advanced age. He
can recall and relate a number of in
cldents illustrative of the individual pc
/ culiarites Of Webster, Calhoun, Buchan-
an, Cass and other Secretaries OF days
/ gone by. He was on terms OF intimacy
with most OF them, and held by them in
the highest esteem.
II received my first appointment" con-
tinued MIR. FaheTty, "trom JacksOn's
Secretary OF State, John Forsyth. in Fecog-
milton of my service to the Democratic
parry in Montgomery county, Md. it
was not long before | complained that
] had not enough work TO keep me occu-
pied, and on that ground offered my resig-
nation, ut being bluntly informed ny the
Secretary that 1 was Il fool, ] Withdrew
my resignation. When Daniel Webster
became Secretary Of State, be sent mes
senger to me TO tell me that ! was too tall
for him, and that there was a man ready
TO take my place. This is my first recOl-
lection of MIR. Webster; bur it did not
turn out so badly after all, for he found a
place for the other man without remoV-
ing me-"
"What were MIR. Webster's PECULIAR
tiesY'
81 remember him particularly as often
borrowing small sums OF money from me,
which sometimes he repaid and some
times forgot. Calhoun afterward, follow
ing WehsteT's example, used frequently
to borrow small sums OF money from my
self and others, but unlike Webster, Cat
h0un never failed to pay ED. ! recall an
instance OF Secretary Calhoun stopping
his carriage on the way to "A conference at
the Presidents house to pay SOC. which
he had borrowed the day before TO give an
old Dcggar woman. Webster was no
teetotaler, but he knew that | was,
and I have a vivid recollection Of
one night. about forty years ago, when
Webster, after delivering an eloquent
sptbCu III AHb Ottl NtAlbRN lNAt All 10 WI
OF Irish independence, came No TO me
and, Shaping me on the back, cordially
/ invited me to so to bis houSe and drink
some water with him. But the fOndest
memory which | cherish is that nearly
the last writing done by Webster was an
inscription on a printed copy of the great
speech which he delivered before the
Historical Society in New York. Here it
is.V and Mr.. F8herty brought forth an
age stained pamphlet It's Inscription,
''With Daniel Wehster's best wishes to
VIM. +. Faherty" was in the great states
mans own handwriting.
enc" continued Mr.. Faherty, "the re-
movals in the State Department on d
change Of government were never as nu-
merous as in other departments. Mr.
Forsyth used TO say the State Department
has nothing to do with politics. 1 remem-
Der when Marcy was appointed Secretary
Of state a very clever Irish fellow, who
had been in this department for some
time. said 10 me that he was sure 70 20
quick as he had threatened to throw Mar
cy out OF a window when he was Secreta-
ry OF War. But Marcy WAS not vindictive
for, instead Of dismissiDg the young man
who had threatened to throw him out of
the window, that young was the very
person he selected to 90 with him on
holiday be was about 10 take. And ] re-
member another notable instance to show
they that men were not pushed out because
did not belong to the party III power.
During the war | myself was a strong
Union man, but my son was lieutenant
in the Southern army, and complaint was
made to Secretary Seward that | was a
rebel. Well, instead Of kicking me out
Mr.. Seward sent for me and asked me if
could not get somebody to swear I was
not rebel. OF course | got friend who
WIS ready to give The necessary testimony.
And I knew that same Secretary to actU-
ally do the same thing in another case to
enable him to retain the services OF a
messenger who was indeed an Out-and-
out rebel"
s.You were always a Democrat, of.
coursep'
"Well, I had been q Democrat, but after
| had been in the State Department for
some years | WAS dsgusted at a Demo-
cratic meeting that ] attended in Wash
ingtOn one night, and ] determined never
10 20 10 another, and neither / did. But
] must say the Democrats have always
been far more saving and economical than
the Others. They would make "a messen-
ger walk when the other parties would
have hired carriage for him"
you remember Mr.. Gasp"
con, yes he was one Of the finest sec
retaries of the whole lot. lie was very
generous man and TOOK delight in giving
helping hand 10 a young man who
needed and deserved il. He was quick 10
recognize talent and encourage il. /
remember one young fellow whom he
found hOlleTin2 az the door Of travelling
circus and put into q nice situation IN the
State Department. he raised my salary
from 81, 200 ~ $1,000, ana when his term of
office expired he wrote a magnificent
letter 70 Judge Black, his successor, in
my favor"
AN ENGLISH GIRLS DILEMMA.