The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-14
SOME VIEW o
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Yes Hurer's Messages asa Peppers.
Rather more than half Of the third volume
Of The Messages aud Pdpes Of the Prestdsnts
Washington Government Printing once. the
advance sheets OF which are now before Ne. IL
devoted TO documents emansting from the Ex-
ecutiye during Martin Van purcn's Admins
tration. The Official compiler. the Hon. JAMES
d. RICHARDSON. has prepared an unusually full
sketch Of the eighth President. some features OF
which are worth reproducing, because, with the
exception of tho biography In the American
Statesmen" series. very little has boon pub
lished about Martin Van Buren, during the
present generation.
Tho nr.t six President were mon Of social dis
tinction In their respective States, and. with
the exception Of Washington. all Of them had
boon literally educated. This was not the case
with Jackson or with Van Buren,. The Van"
in the name Of the eighth President conveys an
erroneous impression as to the class Of the Now
York community from which he sprang. Born
In Undertook. Columbia county. N. Y. Dec. b.
1852. he was tho eldest son Of Abraham Van
Buren,. . small farmer. and Of Mary Hoes toriE-
inaliy spelled Goos). whose first husband was
named Van Allen. He studied the rudimsnts OF
English and Latin In the schools of his native
village. but At the age OF IL he began to
read law In tho onioo OF Francis Sylves-
ter, with whom he remained until ho was
20 years old. In 1902 he went to New York
city and studied law for . year with William 7.
Van Moss. n friend OF Aaron Burr. Admitted TO
the bar in 1903. he returned TO Undertook.
aud associated himself In practice with his half
brother, James !. Van Allen. He was . zealous
member of tho Democratic Republican. or JEFF
fsrsonian party. but, Notwithstanding bis tenn
porary association with Van Meas, he had not
belonged to tho Burr wing Of II. On the con-
trary. he Was one Of those adhercnts Of Jefferson
who supported Morgan LOWS for Governor Of
New York In 1908 against Aaron Burr. In
February. 1907, he married Anna Hoos. .
distant kinswoman. In the winter of lS00-o7 he
removed to Hudson. the county seat Of Columbia
county, and In tho same year was admitted to
practice in the Supreme Court 1t 10 . curious
circumstance that, In 1908. no became
Surrogate of Columbia county. displacinr his
half. brother and partner. Van Allen. who be-
longed to tho defeated faction. In 1919, on .
change of party predominancs at Albany. his
half brother was restored to the oflce. In 1912
Van Buren, was elected to the State Senate OF
New York from the Middle district ~ = Clinton
Republican. defeating Edward I. Livingston;
he became thereby = member OF tho Court Of
Errors. As State Senator he strenuously OPP
posed the charter of "the Bank of America"
which was then seeking to establish itself In
Now York and to take the place Of the United
States Bank. tho charter of which had expired.
Strange to say. Van Buren,, with the other
Democratic : Republican members OF the
New York Legislature. revolted against
Madison In 1912. and supported Do Witt
Clinton for the Presidency. Van Buren, quickly
perceived that he had Numbered. and In tho
following year dissolved his political relations
with Clinton and resumed his former entente
cordidle with Madison's administration. In
1916, while still q member Of tho Senate. he was
appointed Attorney General Of the State, and
retained the ONCE until 1919. On Feb. o. 1921,
he was elected United States Senator. and in
the same year vas chosen . member OF the con-
vention to revise the Constitution Of che State.
He was by birth. rs We have seen. . representa-
tive of the humber classes Of the community.
and It was largely owing to his c~Iertions In tho
State Convention that the property qualinca-
tIon for the franchise was abolished. 1t 10 .
noteworthy fact, In Wow Of his subsequent
intimate relations with the seventh Presi-
dent. that In 1924 he supported not
jackson. but william H. Crawford for the
Presidency. Reelected TO the United States
Senate IN 1927. he soon resigned his seat to
accept tho once of Governor Of Now York.
which was then accounted . much higher dig
nifty. In the Presidential election of 1928 he
was an earnest advocate of Andrew Jackson,
and In March OF tho following year no became
premier of the new administration As Score
tary Of State he brought to q favorable close
the long-standinE controversy between the
United States and England with regard 10 the
West India trade. Resisning his secretary
ship In juno. 1881. he went ~ Minister to
England. but tho Senate, when II proceeded
70 act upon his nomination In 1882. re-
fused to confirm him by the casting vote
of John c. Calhoun. then vice-Prosident In
the latter part OF the came year Van Buren, had
his revenge, being himself elected yice-Presi-
dent. and thus enabled to preside over . body
which had rejected him rs Q Minister to q for
eign power. In 1885 he was elected President
by q majority Of afty-sevon electoral votes over
his thrss competitors. William II. Harrison.
Daniel Webster. and Hugh l. White. Ronom-
mated for the Presidency in 1870. ho obtained
but sixty electoral votes, while his opponent,
William Henry Harrison. received 234 and .
popular majority of nearly 140. 900. A
candidate for tho Presidential nomination
for . third time in 1874. he obtained q
majority Of the Democratic National Convsn-
ton. but, owing to the adoption Of the two
thirds rule, he WAS defeated by James X. Polk.
In l84s no was nominated for tho Presidency
by the Barnburner Democratic State Conven-
tion at Utica. N. Y. and also BY the Free Soil
National Convention held At Buffalo. He
received . popular vote OF nearly 800. 900. but
no electoral vote. Subsequently he returned to
tho regular Democracy, supporting Franklin
Pierce for tho Presidency In 1859 and
James Buchanan in 1885. In 1860 no
voted the fusion ticket Of Breokinridss.
Douglas. and Bell in New York against
Lincoln, but, when the civil war began. he gave
che Administrators his Jealous support He
died At Kindorhook In July. 1902. and was
buried there. Reviewing the incidents Of his
career. the reader will observe that Martin Van
Buren, was qualified In fact and in tho popular
estimation for the high ofice of Chief Magistrate
by . long course OF public service In State and
national Affairs. Tho era of Presidential acci-
dents had not yet awned
ii.
One Of the FIRST executive orders signed by
Van Buren, was the following. whereby the ex-
President Andrew Jackson. received an eroep-
tional mark OF honor; Gen. Andrew Jackson.
aw-prsaidant ~ thu ITnitad Qt.t.. h.io, .ha,t