Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-07-30
FIFTY YEARS A CLERK.
A State Department Clerk who Knew
Webster and Calhoun.
WaShington Post

webster and Calhoun
Washington Post
''I entered the state department as
a messenger in 1885, when Andrew
Jackson was president of the United
States" said William P. Faherty, to
reporter Monday, land have re-
manned there ever since" Mr.. Fab
erty celebrates to-day his eighty sec
ond birthday. He is native of Balti-
more, where, as boy, he helpet, to
dig trenches during the war with
England In 1912, bat has been resi-
dent of Washington sixty-six years.
At 80 years he stands as straight as
the Washington monument, and his
character is as upright as his figure.
His eyesight is undimmed, and a de-
feet in his hearing is the only evi-
dence of his advanced age. He can
recall and relate number of Incl
dents of the individual peculiarties
of Webster, Calhoun, Buchanan,
Cass, and other secretaries of days
gone by. He was on terms of intl-
macy with the most of them, and
held by them in the highest esteem.
81 received my first appointment, !"
continued Mr.. Faherty, from jack
sons secretary of state, John Forsyth
in recognition of my services to the
democratic party in Montgomery
county, Maryland. It was not long
before / complained that [ had not
enough work to keep me occupied,
and on that ground offered my resig-
nation, but being bluntly informed
by the secretary that l was a fool I
withdrew my resignation. When
Daniel Webster became secretary of
state, he sent a messenger to
me to tell me that [ was to tall for
him, that there was a man ready to
take my place. This is my first rec
ollection of Mr.. Webster, but it did
not turn out so badly after all, for he
found place for the other man with
out removing me"
''What were Mr.. Webster's peculi-
arities?"
II remember him particularly as of
often borrowing small sums of money
from me, which sometimes he repaid
and sometimes partly repaid and some
times forgot. Calhoun afterward fol-
lowing Webster's example, used fire.
quently to borrow small sums of mon
ey from myself and others, but un
like Webster, Calhoun never failed
to pay up. I recall an instance of
Secretary Calhoun stopping his car
riage on the way to conference at
the presidents house to pay SO cents
which he had borrowed the day be-
fore to give an old beggar- woman.
Webster was no teetotaler, but he
knew that I was, and | have vivid
recollection of one night, about forty
years ago, when Webster, after de"
livering an eloquent speech in the
Odd>Fellows' hall, in favor of Irish
independence, came up to me and,
slapping me on the back, cordially
invited me to go to his house and
drink some water with him. Bat the
fondest memory which I 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 Histori-
cal society in New York. Here it is"
and Mr.. Faherty brought forth an
age>stained pamphlet. It's inscrlp~
ton. with Daniel Webster's best
wishes to VIM. P. Faherty," was in
the great statesman's own handwrlt-
ing.
mo" continued MI. Faherty, ''the
removals in the state department on
change of government were never
as numerous as in other departments.
Mr.. Forsyth used to say that the state
department had nothing to do with
politics. | remember when Marcy
was appointed secretary of state a
very clever Irish fellow, who had
been in this department for some time
said to me that he was sure to go
quick, as he had threatened to throw
Marcy out of the window when he
was secretary of war. But Marcy
was not vjndictive, for instead of dis
missing the young man who had
threatened to throw him out of the
| window, that young man was the
very person he selected to go with
him on holiday tour ne was about
| to take. And I remembe another
| notable instance, to show that men
were not pushed outs because they did
not belong to the party IN power.
During the war myself was strong
union man, but my son was a lleuten-
ant in the southern arny, and COM
plant was made to Secretary Seward
that I was a rebel. Well, instead of
kicking me out, Mr. Seward sent for
and me asked me If I could not get
somebody to swear I was not a rebel.
Of course I got a friend who was
ready to give the necessary testimony.
And I knew that same secretary to
actually do the sane thing in another
case to enable him to retain the ser
vices of a messenger who was indeed
an out,and-out rebel"
"You were always democrat OF
course?"
"Wel1, ]. had been democrat, but
after I had been in the state depart
ment for some years I was disgusted
at democratic meeting that attend
ed in Washington one night, and I
determined.never to &C to another, and
neither [ did. But / must say the
democrats have always been far more
| saving and economical than the