The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-07-28
Vain ~Imaginings.

,om;nee FOR Governor Of Pennsylvania,
was offered the nomination for the wee
Presidency in the Chicago Convention OF
1850. after the first place on the ucSet
had heen given 10 Gen. Garfield, The
desire was to placate the stalwart element
Of which Beaver was one OF the most
conspicuous, for the defeat of zen Grant
for the Presidential nomination. Beaver
refused the proffer Of the second place,
and il was given TO ex-Collector Chester
A Arthur. Beaver. by his refusal. delib-
~enately, though Of course unknowingy,
cast aside the glittering prize Of the Pres
idency.
If Hannibal Hamlin had been renofni-
mated for the Nice-Prcsideney on the
t;cke. with Lincoln in 1864, as be had
strong hopes of being, although most 9th
er well-informed persons saw that the Of
flee would 90 10 Andrew johnson, then
military Governor of Tennessee, the ten
dencv Of subsequent events might have
been different. President Lincoln was
anxious TO nave a prominent war Demo
crat on the ticket with him to give it
strength with the masses Of the people,
and he preferred johnson, who was the
most conspicuous representative of that
class then in the country. Had the place
been given TO Hamlin instead Otto john
son the Maine statesman would have
been President for nearly three years and
eleven months, the contest between the
Executive and Congress would have
been averted, reconstruction would have
been brought about a year or two earlier
than il actually wa accomplished, and
the current or recent history might have
been materially changed. However. this
mischance canno; be attributed TO any
word OF act Of Mr.. Hamlin.
Daniel Webster felt SO confident of re-
c~eivingth tie Whignomination for the Pres
/ idency in 1910 that he refused with some
warmth. the acceptance Of the second
place when the matter was suggested to
him by Thurlow Weed, few months be-
fore the nominations were made. Weed,
who Wa one If the most sagacious politi-
cal managers of his day, saw that no
agency save death could prevent the
Wing Presidential nomination going to
William Henry Harrison, the most con-
spicuous American ex-soldier Of the day
except jackson. Webster rightly
thought that he had done more for the
party than Harrison had, and therefore
refused to serve under him on the ticket.
Eight vears later a similar suggestion
was made to Webster by Weed, and was
refused as before. The Mexican war,
which ended a few months before the
Wing National Convention met in ISIS,
made Gen. Taylor the mos conspicuous
man in the country, and as he wasa Wing
in politics he got the Presidential noiai-
nation of that party. Weed foresaw that
he would carry the convention by storm,
but Webster could not believe that the
party would withhold the nomination
from himself, especially ~ the repeated
defeats Of Clay when a candidate ruled
that statesman out of the race.
Webster's refusal of the Nioe-Presiden-
tial nomination in 1870 deprived him of
the Presidency for three yearsand eleven
months on the death of President Harm
son. His refusal of the second place on
the ticket in ls4s lost him the Presidency
during two years and a half after the
death in office of President Taylor. Had
Webster filed the second place ON the
/ ticket in 1910 instead Of Tvlor, thus be-
coming President the attitude Of the Adj
m~inistration toward the National Bank
question would have been different, al
though Webster, as Secretary Of state
under Harrison and Tyler, mildly sup
ported the latter in his wan On the bank
Webster, as President, would, it is proba-
bile, also have strongly opposed the move
ment which ended in lS44 in Il treaty
with Texas, and in War with Mexico on
that account two wears later. The Wings
strongly favored the national bank and
aN NitiIElN VlHt-'i itAhN aAAtNN"AN'A-
Webster, at heart, was in sympathy with
his party on both measures, although his
service in Tyier's Cabinet made him APP
pear to oppose the former. His course
would have made Webster the most pop
ular Wing in the country, have reinvigo-
rated the party, and have given him IN
stead of Clay the nomination IN ISL In
that event he would have been elected,
Texas would not have come into the Tn
ion until years afterward, war with Next
co would not rave taken place, the South
ern desire To acquire new territory in
which slavery could be extended would
have been thwarted, the Kansas border
wars would not have occurred, certainly
not 50 early as they did, and the rebellion
Itself would have been postponed, and
might have been averted altogether.z>.
Louis Globe Democrat.