The Farmington times. [volume] (Farmington, Mo.) 1874-1902, 1899-03-02

L-ETTEAS that KILLED.
Notable Instances la Political .itstosp
of Nlatnhen hy READY MrfgsrN

A5tnbts Instances la Political Atsf0Tp
of Mistakes M READY writers.
"kiiied by Letter" II the significant
beading Of u Havana newspaper over an
article telling Of ex-Minister de Lome's
falt This lrEcnd would be an appro.
pirate epituph over the political graves
OF many men. The rivalry between
Hamilton. the lradcF de factu Of iha
federnlist party, and Adams, the leader
dc jure, melted Tlamilton's letter dor.
ing the campaign of is0o. arrai cAlng
Adams, which Wns one 81 c causes OF
the rupture and overthrow OF that party
aud the triumph al Jefferson and the
democracy. llnmHtnn's 'CttwS attack
ing lsurr were the cause - the dnel in
which Hamilton lost his life. J-Gsr.
son, letter to his old ncishbor. AaSyJ.
IN i5gG. In which. by prctt plain i'm
pliCaiinu he truduccd Washing on aud
other men whom the American people
houorrd. kept Jefferson denying and ex-
pluiHinR for many years. his historic
letter 10 Van Buren, on this subject
having been written shortly before his
death aud % years otter he Mnxxci
epistle was pcnned. The prcse. yaticn
and publication OF JefIerson'x "Anas,"
or diary. which is really sort {: latter
20 postcrity, with lis spiteful assaults
ON the memory 81 ilaailton and other
eminent men. showed an amazing Inck
nf disccrnmeut on JcfIerson's part, and
has called out from all his editors and
hloRraphcrH excuses which accuse,
Never write letter" anih Iailey.
rnnd. land never buIp urc that YOU re.
ceite." N Nicholas niddlc had OBJ
served the first part OF this injunction
the fate Of the United States hank. over
which he presided. would probably have
been different, jackson would not have
been able 10 perform that second labor
Of Hercules IN Staying the bank
hydra ana the politics OF the ms
would have lost one OF IFS most pic.
.1-- sGge cT!saslrs IN interesting and
usually lcyel.hcadcd parsonage, Biddlu
had whit Juyrual called an "incurable
itch for writing" and this led him and
his Institution IN their doom defeated
Clay and the national republican party
IN 1882, and as one ~ the consequences
Of the banks overthrow, brought on
the panic Of 1887 The "Bhra letter"
prccipitat"d the contest Ia is11 between
jackson and Calhoun which put Cal
huun out Of the line Of succession 10
jackson In the presidency. made Van
Buren, JacksUn's political heir, dwarfcd
Calhoun from n national to local fig.
ure. and turned him 10 the partisan
metaphysics out OF which were evolved
nullihcntinn and that morbid and wire.
drawn political philosophy in defense
of slavery that brought on the war
which destroyed slavery,
There g. Nnr touch Of poetic irony
IN the circumstance that VIM Burcu,
the man who said he would rather walk
90 miles 20 tell person something than
10 intrus' his thoughts TO a letter. met
his doom through the medium Of q let
ter II was letter. however. which be
YEAS absolutely forced TO write, and u
was called out In the spring Of iSt4
Ivy the necessity oi declaring himself
on the burning issue OF Texas anneya-
tinn. The letter. in which he mildly
and tentatively opposed annexation,
defeated him for the nomination for
the presidency q few weeks later and
gave the candidacy to She dark horyc.
Polk, an outspUken HuneNntiouist.
Everybody remembers the wreck which
letter writing inflicted on Blninc's for,
tunes by defeat Ia the conventions OF
1876 and 1850 and NJ the polls tn 1854.
His fatal readiness with his pen brought
an Had Of W tes to Clay. 81 am the
most unfortunate man In American
history" exclaimed Clay after one OF
his reycrwsa tn Henry 4. Wise II get
the nomination In the years when no
whig can be elected, aud in the years
when any whig can win the candidacy
goes IN somebody else" In the year,
however. in Shich his success seemed
certain, 1854. he was defeated by his
campaign letters on the Texas ques-
iiou. eve are beaten" rxrinimed
Joshun r. GIddings TO Cassius VI Clay,
as somebody put into his hand paper
containing one Of Clay's letters, just
before both NJ them mounted the stand
az a Clay mass meeting at which they
were to speak. lie WIS right. The let
ter. which mnde n surrender on the
slavery question, sent enough anti.
slavery wings over TO nirney, the lih
crty pAriy's candidate In the decisive
state OF New York 20 give that state
and the presidency to Polk. "Tbe chief
qualification which ! shall require Of
n wing presidential candidate here
after" said Meredith +. Gentry n few
days after Clnys defeat, lis that he
shall he able 10 neither read nor write"
z IL. n.