The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-02-18

OF Mistakes Dy keady WrNers'
KILLED by Letter" Is the significant head
ing OF "A Havana newspaper over an article
telling Iof ex-Minister dc Lome's fall This
legend would be an appropriate epitaph over
the political graves Of many public men. The
rivalry between Hamilton. the leader de facto
Of the Federalist party and Adams, the
leader de iure, melted Hamiltons letter dur
ing the campaign OF 1900. arraigning Adams,
which was one OF the causes of the rupture
and overthrow Of that party and the triumph
OF jefferson and the Democracy. Hamiltons
letters attacking Burr were the cause OF the
duel In which Hamilton lost his life. Jeffer-
sons lotter TO his old neighbor Mszzei, I'm
1895, in which, by pretty plain implication, he
traduced Washington and other men whom
the American people honorcd, kept jefferson
denying and explaining for many years, his
historic letter TO Van Buren ON this subject
having been written shortly before his death
and twenty eight years after the Mazzei epis-
ile was pcnned The Preservation and publ
cation Of Jefferson's "Anas," or diary. which
really Is sort OF letter 10 posterity with its
spitcful assaults on the memory Of Hamilton
ana other eminent men, showed AN amazing
lack OF diseernment on Jefferson's part and
has called out from all his editors and biog-
raphers excuses which accuse.
Never write letter" said Talleyrand,
and never burn one that you receive" II
Nicholas Eddie had observed the first part of
this injunction the fate of the United States
Bank, over which he presided, would probably
have been different, jackson would not have
been able TO perform that second labor Of Her
eules III Staying the bank hydra" and the
politics of the 30s would have lost one of its
most picturesque episodes An interesting and
usually level-Raded parsonage, Biddle had
what: Juyenal called an "incurable itch for
writing, ana this led him and his institution
70 their DOOM defeated Clay and the national
Republican part in 1882, and, as one of the
consequences OF the bank s overthrow, brought
ON the panic Of 1887. The "Rhea letter" pre-.
cipitated the contest in ls9O between jackson
and Calhoun which put Calhoun out of the
line of succession to jackson in the Prcsi-
doncy, made Van Buren, .Iacksons political
hei r, dwarfed Calhoun from national to
local figure, and turned him TO the partisan
meiaph sizes out OF which were evolved nGlli-
tcation ard that orbid ond wire-drawn po.
litical philosophy in defence Of slavery that
brought on the war which destroyed slavery.
There is a fine touch OF poetic irony in the
said he would rather walk forty miles to tell
n person something than to intrust his
thoughts 10 letter, met his doom through
the medium OF letter 1t was letter, how.
ever, which he was absolutely forced to
write and il was called ont in the spring OF
1914 by the necessity OF declaring himself ON
the burning issue Of Texas annexation. The
letter. in which he mildly and tenta lively OPP
posed annexation, defeated him for the nomi-
nation for the Presidency few weeks lat r,
and gave the candidacy to the dark horse,
Polk an outspoken annexationist. Everybody
bers the wreck which letter writing in
hicted on Blaine's fortunes ty defeat in the
conventions Of 1876 and lsS0 and at the polls
in 1884. His fatal readiness with his pen
brought an lllsad of woes to Clay. Il am the
most unfortunate man in American history"
exclaimed Clay after one Of his reverses to
Henry A. Wise, II get the nomination in the
years when no Whig can be elected, and in
the years when any Whig can win the candi-
dacy goes TO somebody else" In the year,
however, in which his sue ess seemed certain,
lsi4, he was defeated by his campaign letters
on the Texaa question. "We are beaten ex-
claimed Joshua Il. Giddngs to Cassius NJ.
Clay, IS somebody put into his hand pnrer
containing one of Ilay's letters, just before
both of them mounted the stand at Clay
mass meeting at which they were to speak.
lie was right. The letter, which made sur
render on the slavery question, sent enough
anti-slavery Wings over to Birney, The Library
party's candidate, in the decisive state Of New
York TO give that State and tue Presidency to
Polk 'Thc chief qualification which shall
require of Wbig Presidential candidate here
alter, said Mereaiih T.. Gentry a few days
after Clay's defeat lis that he shall he ALE
10 neither read nor write. st. Louis Globe
Democrat.