The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-22

Jonn Tyler, tenth president of the
United States and the most viciously
underestimated man ever in that STA
ton, was president pro kenmore of the
United States senate during the life of
the Twenty-fourth congress. He was a
| very able, very pure man and a very
considerable statesman; a thorough
patriot. L know it is the fashion for
the ignorant and the malignant to ira
duce John Tyler, but history will do
MN justice. 1t would be a profit and
d pleasure TO any perceptive and can
olu mind TO read Seven Decades" nv
Henry A. Wise. There is an Immense
zeal OF very valuable American history
narrated in that volume, in a style ex-
ceedlngly captivating. 1t deals much
with John Tyler.
Jonn tyler was born when the con-
s stlCulloh OF the United States was less
tnan one year old. He was educated ar
William and Mary. studied and nrac-
tIced law, and the year he attained to
ms majority, in 1911. he was returned
10 lhe virginia house of delegates. He
was elected member of the Four
| teeHth congress to supply a vacancy
! ald took his seat in December. 1915
neIore ne was q years of age. He sat
III several other congresses, and was
'ond 'eu states senator from Virginia
I9zS-ISS6, and resigned sooner than
ooey the instructions of the legislature
OF MS state to vote for somethins or
other "Old Hickory insisted on al
now remember. In those days the state
was sovereignty very generally rec
CsHlZsd. IN SO far as instructine SEN
auors was concerned. Tyler's case of
iieslshlng rather than casting a vote
MS conscience did not approve was NOT
singular, and it was by no means rare
but the election was left to the sem
ator TO obey the legislature of his
state 70 resign, or to defy the man
uale. we nave seen that Tyler re-
signed. Some twelve years later Ste
phen A. Douglas obeyed and voted for
the Wilmot proviso, to which he was
opposed, and was applauded for the act
uy JEFFERSON Davis, who abominated
eiie proVlso, but reVerenced the princf-
PIE mat states rights extended So far
as that the legislature might control
tne vote OF the senator, who was but
the ambassador of the state at the
grand inquest of the republic. viz. the
congress. In 1873, L. Q. G. Lamar in
uelIance OF the instruction of the Mis-
slsSlppl legislature, voted against the
celebrated Stanley Matthews resoI,I-
uons touching the silver question.
Tyler was nominated for vice ,orasi
Geht because he was a Clay man. and
Gay mad Just been Inundated in tba
HARRISBURG convention by the nominal
ton of old William Henry Harrison :
the Wing candidate for president.
william r. King succeeded John Ty-
Ter as president pro tempore of t6a
United States senate and continued in
that once five years-1S36-1S41 He was
me hrst man to hold a seat in the SEN
ate more than thirty years. though
there was a hiatus in his service of two
years Wnen he was minister to Russia
as now recall, King was anti-CaI-
noun, and Dixon H. Lewis was his ri
val Tor political supremacy in Ala
Ddlna. william L. Yancey came ON
the stage Just as these veterans were
seItihs ready TO retire, and Yancey
slded with Lewis, the radical states,
rights man. King was elected vice |
president in 1852. but never presided |
over the senate in that capacity. The
oath OF Office was administered to him
IN CUBA, where he had gone in search |
OF health, and he died at his home i'm |
of 81. 'iie age
Samuel L. Southland came next and
was president pro tempore 1S4T-1SlS |
when ne was succeeded by Willie p |
, = 4iL VI -NOi III CdTOllIld, one of the /
Ieaulng wing statesmen of that epoch, |
wIlen Harry OF the West" was Gap |
IN OF every CROWD he got into" And /
what a fine old party it was-the "sil- /
Ver-Sray Wings" a little given to arts
tocraey, TO coaches and fours and foot
men and outriders and body servants |
gold FOB chain, broadcloth, fine boots |
SILK hats. and all that, but it was a
grand old party in its day, and never
forgot nor did it allow anybody else to
Iorget' that II was a perfect gentle
man. There are very old men nov, =, !
Kentucky who will tell YOU sometime
IKE this: Il am an old-time Henry
Clay Wing, by -. sir
David r. Achison came next. serving
from 1886 to 1S49 when he was enc
ceeded by William r. King, but when
KING was elected vice president, Atch-