Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-13
PLACE IN HALL OF FAME
Will Grover Cleveland Vote for
Edgar Allen Poe?
FAME A LOCALIZED MATTER
Only George Washington Received a
Unanimous Vote.
CAMPAIGN FOR FAMOUS WOMEN
Different Sections of the Country Dis
agree as to What Constitutes I'M
mortal Recognition.

Special Correspondence Of The Star.
NEW YORK. July II. 1907.
The admirers Of Edgar Allan Poe are al
ready beginning a campaign which will
they hope give him a place IN the Hall OF
Fame OF New York University in 1910
Poe's name failed of election by nlna
votes-a gan Of Tour votes over the first
election.
As an instance of the enthusiasm OF
Poe's admirers. 1t may be cited that before
the last election Richard Watson Glider
visited eX President C.eveiand-one of the
Hall of Fame e.eCtoIs-aHd talked to him
for two hours To induce him to vote for
Poe The dramatic world also has given
indication that 1t will try to secure a place
for the name Of an actor. by working for
Charlotte Cusuan. who lacked but eight
votes. The efficacy of a campaign of edu-
eaton among the electors to secure recog
milton for certain names evidenced by
the success os the women's organizations
which worked for Mary lyon, Emma Will
lard and Maria Mitchell. The women in
terested in the fame of these teachers pre-
pared elaborate accounts of the work they
had done and sent these In printed form
to the iJi electors. As a result the founder
OF Mt. Hoiyoke. the founder of the Emma
Willard seminary, and the astronomer We're
When Pots name failed a second time
to secure a place in the hall of lame
many editOrs-partiCularly of southern
rapers-cr.ticized severely the university
authorities for what they regarded as a
deliberate unw!llingness to place POC's
name on tablet. In reality, however, the
university people had nothing whatever
to do with II. The selection OF PUe's name
rested with the Dinety-five electors VINO
voJed--eghteen from the south; thirty
four from the west; twenty-Une from New
England and twcnty-threc from the mid
die states. And Of these electors. even the
eighteen southern voters failed to vote for
Poe with any Unanin.ty. The south. n
fact. gave him but thirteen votes, wh-ie in
the entire west but ten thought Poes name
worthy of fame. rs a result he received
but foTty-twO votes. whereas ffty-One we've
needed for a choice. New England cast
eight of the votes-only one less than il
gave to its own Oliver Wendell Holmes. who
failed by two votes of hav ng a Ia ulet. Poe'S
gain since 1860 is follows: Two in the
middle states, IAree in the west and a loss
of one in New England, with no gain in the
south. The vote by classes for Poe was ten
out of twcnty-three college pres dents; four
tory and scientists; ten out of twenty-three
chief justices, while the publicists, editors
and authors themselves cast but ten out of
their twenty-five ballots for the poet.
number of other authors also failed of
election. Parkman and -Iotley, the his
tor!ans. got but forty-seven votes,
ntilNcr the south lOr INe west supported
them. strongly. The same was true of Will
liam Cullen Bryant. An Oddity in the voting,
however, was that for James Fen:more
Cooper. strongly supported in New England
and the middle states. whose name got but
five votes in the entire west. Nor did the
west give any strong support to Daniel
Boone or David Crockett OF frontier fame
William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phil
lips received very few votes even In New
England
study Of the analysed voting returns
see...---.- '~aicate that fame Is often a
localized matte lot a single person re-
ceived unanimous vote from any section
or any class OF electors. At the former
election, the name of George Washington
was the only one unanimously chosen, Alb
raham Lincoln received d unanimous vote
from all sections, except the south, which,
however. gave his name nineteen out of
twenty Robert Z. Lee. however, received
only eighteen out of twenty votes in the
south. Grant was chosen unanimously by
New England and the west Benjamin
Franklin received a unanimous vote in
New England and the west. The vote by
classes of electors showed that one chief
justice failed to vote for Lincoln, and that
on Grant. while the college presidents and
professors were unanimous, the publicists
and justices were not.
An instance of localized fame IS Phillips
BroOks-with forty-nine votes. He was
heavily supported in New England, the
middle states and the middle west, but in
The south and far west received but nine
votes Out Oh tDHIN-IWO. Nbiipn Nhlilti
name was voted for by only eight electors,
including but two in Puritan New Eng
and the same number in the south.
No scientist came near election. Joseph
Henry, who experimental with electro
magnetism. got but thirty-four votes. VIII
liam r q. Morton, by many considered
the d'sCoverer of anesthettcs, received hut
twenty-fOur- james Marion Sims, the sur
Seon, WIS strongly supported In the south.
ELIAS Howe, inventor of the sewing ma
chine; cyrus Hall Mccormick, the inventor
OF the reaper, and Richard NJ. Hoe, the IN
Ventor o! the modern printing press, re-
ce.Ved only Twenty-Five, twenty and SIX
teen votes, respectively.
The three leading statesmen, after John
quincy Adams and James Madison, who
were elected, were John c. Calhoun. To
whom both New England and the south
give q. large vote, and Patrick Henry and
Andrew Jackson. supported heavily in the
middle states and the south, with a lar
vote in New England None of these three
men had heavy acceptance In t.-r west and
50 failed OF election James G. Blaine re-
,civcd but twelve votes, the same number
obtained by Alexander H. stephens. Mar
TN Van Buren, did not get It single vote
from any section.
Apr,rently. single famous acts OF deeds
u great poetic recognition DO no{ sW9N me
electors Nathan Hale received 0u; twe.ve
-,tc- or five less than POCaLuntas-
Francis Scott Key. the author OF inc star
SpansIe Banner. had but SIX NG.eH, ana
Miles. StAndish but three. Great hlrtneitrs
md university foundcTs-LeiaEd Stanford
Ind cornelius Vanderbilt-also received a
,.IN low vote.
" .,,,r-StIng. Louisa VI. AlCott, the
..4fl.r Of Little Women, wHs III" choice
90 rrirtv-srg,n electors bat strangely
enough. New England gave 4eF IN" lowest
vote. DtrptHva DIX had thirty seven votes.
Martha W.N-HIugICn got but thiTty-two
votes. and Mar Washington bat nineteen.
Ale. and fnDur cary, the p0o'rss's. re-
,piyrd but fourteen and twelve votes re-
frT L.ta