The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-06-19


plying Seats ia the UDEcr House.
Though Eleven cN-Scuators Have
Becn Elected Chief Magistrate
While at this early day the Presiden-
tial b0oms of Senator Fairbanks. Senator
Allison. and other members of the Sen
ate are being talked Of" said a clase-ob-
serving politician yesterday. 1t l. inter
osting 10 note that If any member Of that
body on either side of the chamber is
nominated and elected President. it will
he the first time that such a circumstance
has ever occurred in the history Of the
country What / mean to say is that no
man has ever been elected President Of
the United States while he was a member
of the Senate In respect to the two
Senators I have mentioned. their present
terms expire before the next election, but
in case the Legislatures OF their respec-
tive States are Republican they will with
out any doubt be returned
1T is true that eleven Presidents had
been Senators before they entered the
White House, but not one of them was
elected President while serving as Sen
ator Monroe was the first man who had
been a Senator, to succeed to the Presi-
dency. He was a member Of the upper
house previous to 1890, and he was not
iaaugurated President until 1917 John
Quincy Adams was a Senator from Mass
achusetts from 1893 to 1909, but il was six
teen years later that he became PTesl-
dent of the United States Andrew Jack
son represented Tennessee in the Senate
from 1873 to 1926. and then resigned He
was elected President in 1928 Martin
Van Buren, was a Senator from 1921 to
1875 when he resigned He was elected
President in 1896
William Henry Harrison was a Scna-
tor from Ohio from 1925 to 1925 He too,
resigned. and was elected President
twelve years after leaving the Senate
John Tyler was twice elected Senator
from Virginia, serving from 1927 to 1876,
when he resigned He was elected Vice
President in 1910. and became President
upon the death of Harrison in 1871. Frank
liz Pierce was a Senator from 1881 TO 1872
He also resigned and was elected PTesi-
dent ten yeats later James buchanan
was elected Senator in 1884 and served IN
I'll I845, when he followed what ap-
pears to have been the custom in the
early days of the Republic, and resigned
his seat He was elected President elev-
en- years after leaving the Senate
Andrew Johnson was a Senator from
1857 to March. 1863 In 1864 he was elected
L
Presidency on the death of Lincoln, in 1860.
James A Garfield came nearer than any
other resident to stepping from the Sen
ate into the White House In January,
1850. he was elected to the Senate, to sue
coed Allen c. Thurman. the term to be-
gin March / 1881. but subsequent to his
election as Senator he was, in 1850 nomi-
mated and elected President, and couse-
ouentiy never became Senator at all The
latest instance of the sort was in the case
of Benjamin Harrison. who served in the
Senate from 1881 to 1857. and vas elected
President a year and a half after he left
that body
IF the candidates for the Presidency
who now occupy seats on the floor Of the
Senate were at all suspicious they would
be appalled, by these citations from his
tory 1t is certainly d remarkable fact
that in more than 10 years of Govern
ment. not one Senator has been taken
up and elected President Of the United
States. This may be mere coincidence, or
1t may be fate brought on by conditions
which have not been studied The Senate
has throughout our history been COM
posed Of tie greatest, most influential
men of the country. They have been
leaders of their parties, noIders Of pub
lie opinion, and in position not only TO
reach the ears Of the masses, but the
managing men Of the parties, known as
the politicians.
Yet not one Senator. while a Senator,
has been elected President. and. with in
exorabIe pertinacity. history shows that
the only way there is for d Senator 10
reach the summit Of political ambition in
this Republic Is 10 resign or suffer another
10 be elected in his stead. Possibly care
full examination Of the conditions may
disclose the fact that the Senate always
contains men who are ambitious to reach
the Presidency; that the bee may always
be heard buzzing on the Senate floor, and
that rivalry and Jealousy between men
who come in contact with each other ev-
cry day may work TO defeat them all
The strange fatality which hangs over
Senatorial aspirants to the Presidency is
emphasized by the large number of Sena-
tors who have sought, in vain. the great
est Office within the GIT Of the American
people
There was Aaron Burr, the brilliant
relentless and ambitious; Webster and
Calhoun. the giants who were too great
for the Presidency; Henry Clay, of phe-
nomenal public service and great disap,
pointments; Dallas, Nathaniel Macon
Chase. Lewis Cass, Allen G. Thurman
Q. ?. Morton, Simon Cameron, George F
Edmunds, Charles Sumner, Roscoe Conk-
ling, and q dozen others who might be
mentioned, all Of whom in their day were
considered as formidable candidates foI
the Presidency and were mentioned more
frequently than any member of the Sen
ate now In later years there have beer
Thomas F. BayaTd ard John Sherma n
not to have mentioned Stephen A. Doug
las, John A. Logan, and Thomas A Hen,
bricks.
Consequently I say If any one of tn,
Senators who are now beginning to lool
20 the Presidential nomination three year.
hence succeed in gaining their ambition
he viii break all precedents-"