Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-03-28
sENA ron JACKSON AND The oARINEr.


The following from the Washington
correspondent of the Cincinnati Time
Star is respectfully submitted to tn,
prayerful consideration OF the Clarks
vile Democrat:
Your average statesman never knows
! when he is going TO be struck hy po
liticai lightning. This sage reflection
is suggested by !, little incident which
] happened just after the inaugural GER
! emonies on the 4th OF March. A mum
Der OF statesmen had accompanied the
new President to the White House by
Invitation to drink glass of cham
plgne with him before the review oi
the procession. Among the number
was Senator Jackson, OF Tennessee
who had never met Mr. Cleveland
hefore that day. When he was intro.
duced, President Cleveland held his
hand steadily for moment, and with
great earnestness said Senator, | am
very glad to make your acquaintance
in person. have heard and thought
Il good deal of you in the last few
months, and you don't know how near
you came to being drafted"
"What did the President mean by
his remark to Senator Jackson ?" was
asked Of gentleman who was present
and who knewa good deal OF the inside
of the making up of the Cabinet"
"He means" was the candid reply,
"that he came very near selecting
Jackson for place in his Cabinet.
Neither Jackson nor his friends knew
how near he came 10 being drafted,
as the President puts it. The fact is
that if Jackson had made any effort,
or allowed his friends to make any for
him, he would be in the Cabinet to-
day"
aHow did it happen that he refused
to allow it? Did he prefer his place in
the Senate ?"
"That is part OF the explanation,
but not all of it. Jackson is Il man of
great unselfishness, with high sense
of personal honor, sensitive when it
comes to criticism of his personal
course, yet bold rs a lion when it
comes to matters OF public moment.
When the scramble for Cabinet places
commenced, there was, Is you will re-
member, an effort to get Ex-Governor
Porter, of Tennessee, into the Cabinet.
There were numerous letters forward
ed to jackson in Porter's behalf, and
he indorsed them and forwarded them
to Cleveland. Then by and by Whit
thorne came along as a candidate for
Secretary OF the Navy, and wanted
jackson to Sign for him. Il have al.
ready recommended Governor Porter
for the Cibinet, he said in reply, but
l am willing to sign your papers, too,
with that understanding, to which
Whitthorne assented, SO Jackson's
name went to Albany as one of Whit
thorne's hackers, on condition that
Porter was found to be out of the field.
Well, then the holiday recess came.
Senator Garland went to Albany to
consult with Cleveland, and when he
came back he told Jackson that some
body had been talking to Cleveland
about him (Jackson) and he added,
cleveland is askinga IL good many ques-
tions about you To this jackson
made no reply, and took no action, for
he had already recommended two
men from his own State, and he felt
he could not in honor go to work for
himself as long as either OF them was
likely to be successful In few weeks
of West Virginia, went up to
Albany, and when he came back told
the same sort OF story about Cleve
land and his inquiries about Jackson.
A couple OF weeks later Lamar made
his first pilgrimage to Albany, and on
told Jackson's friends that
if they wanted a Tennessee man in
the Cabinet they had but to get the
delegation to unite on jackson, and he
was pretty sure to get 1t. This excited
Jackson's friends good deal, and they
rushed over TO the Senate To tell him
about his good luck No. said he,
there is no use taking about it.
have recommended Governor Porter
for Cabinet place, and signed for
in case Porter is no longer
in the field, and it would not be the
part OF honor for Inc 10 make any
effort for it, or to consent that my
friends should do So He had hard
work tu restrain his friends from start
ing to work at once in spite of his
and some of thnn did sound
to see ii he could not bs
got off the track IN the race for the
Navy Department, for which they
knew he had no show. But it WAS
useless. He could not be made 10 be-
lieve, up to the last moment. that he
was noI to be selected for the place
Even after Cleveland arrived here
two days before the inauguration, he
still clung to the belief that the state
would sbe recast and he would get
in At least he pretended TO, and by
this course kept Jackson out OF the
field, and his friends silent to the last
moment II he had withdrawn in fa-
vor of Jackson when everybody SAW
there was no show for him, Jackson
and his friends could have made some
effort, and | have no doubt he would
have been in the Cabinet to-day"
"And were there other reasons than
that of his own candidacy that induced
to remain in the field and
thus keep Jackson out? p
"Well, you may draw your own in
Ferences. Jackson and Senator Harris
are not friends. They differed on
some OF the questions that have made
so much trouble among the Tennessee
people, and it is no secret that they do
not pull together. Harris, when he
heard of the fact that Jackson was
being thought OF for the Cabinet set
to work at once to defeat him. There
was no concealment of the fact He
went to Jackson and told him that he
did not think it for the good of the
Democratic party in Tennessee for
him to be in the Cabinet, aud he should
oppose him, and he did so. Well,
Harris and Whitthorne are close, in
innate, lifelong personal and political
friends. You may draw your own in
ferences."
. .
Iap.aa N