The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-10-23
HISTORIC STRADDLERs.
Some Light ON Past Politics that VIA }
IlIumine the Present situation.

!
IlIumine the Present Situation.
s. B. Pst,ensn a.. in the Sew YORK suu.
Besides Bryan and Blaine. there have
been two distinguished men. long in pub
lie life. whose overweening ambition was
to become President OF the United States.
These were Webster and Clay. Each lest
the Presidency by making a ''straddle'
on the then great question Of the day.
There is another. and the course OF
events since the Saratoga convention sug-
gests an interesting parallel.
Henry Clay was three times a candi-
date. In ls4i when he made his last cam
paign and lost New York and the election
by the narrow margin of GOO votes, the
issue was the annexation Of Texas. On
this question every candidate had TO de-
clare himself Years before. in a treaty
with Spain, Monroe had given up the ter
ritory and fixed the Western boundary at
the Sabine River In Louisiana. lie might
have had the Rio Grande But the North
saw In the annexation the loss OF the
/ balance Of power to the slave-holfing
States, and though opposed BY Clay the
treaty was ratified. The South, however.
grew more and more insistent, until an
nexation became the one question Of
/ Clays last campaign. He was asked 10
define his position and his first act was TO
write the Raleigh letter" in which ne
declared that We had not the slightest
claim 10 Texas and that the whole issue
az stake was TO strengthen one section
or The country. This. Of course. pleased
/ the North. But under the fire Of South
frffpngFipT \
wrote his famous Alabama letters" in
which he declared that ne was not court
/ ing the Abolitonists. and that personally
ne would be glad 10 see Texas annexed.
without dishonor, without war. with the
| common consent Of the Union" Conf
dence in him was az once destroyed and
l thousands Of Wings left him 10 support
I Birney the candidate OF the Liberty
party. Clay wrote himself out OF the
Presidency. and the mil Boy OF the
Slashes,' the idol Of millions, was de-
feated by Polk, an almost unknown man.
Then came Webster and his speech Of
March !, 1850 He had tried for the
Presidency In 1896 and in Is4S He was
essentially Free Soiler In his early
career he had denounced slavery in the
strongest terms. and as late as 1888 was
/ opposed 10 compromise OF any sort But
! seventeen years later when the South
was baked In It's plan TO spread the
Constitution" over the Territories, talk OF
secession filed the air and Webster was
appealed 20 on all sides 70 save the
Union and the cause OF human freedom.
Clay. as usual. prepared compromise res
OlutlGns. Calhoun replied, and Webster
rose 10 make his great speech Instead
OF attacking slavery. ne apOioglzed for il.
and in particular defended the fugitive
slave law He held the Union go dear
that he defended slavery itself thar Inc
( mon might remain undissOlved The
compromise sealed his fate His friends
deserted him by thousands. Whittier. I'm
verse. mOurned him as one dead SUM
uer declared that ~ ebster has placed
himself IN the dark list Of apostates. 90
Theodore Parker could compare his act 10
nothing save the act Of Benedict Ar
mold Two years later In the Wing con
venti0n he received only tWeuty-nine OF
2s3 votes.
The popular idol to-day Is Roosevelt.
The great popular question Is the tariff
whether or not the administration has
revised the tariff in the letter and spirit
OF its pledges When President, Roose-
Welt made no attempt 10 change the tariff
But on his recent trip through the In
NulEeii " est ne treated the TAM adj
ministration with almost brutal silence.
or spoke in the scanuest terms That he
shared the dissatisfaction OF the West
every one believes He returned 10 New
York, accepted Tafts aid. got command
II the Saratoga convention. beat the op-
position TO q fragile, and accepted a
sweeping Endorsement Of the administra-
ton ard the Aldrich- Payne tariff lie is
now busy explaining himself He tells
his Atlanta and St Louis questioners
that If I had been in complete control
mark the words I would have done
things differentiy-the tariff plank, for
Instance
Clay and Webster both "straddledr the
great questions Of their time and beat
themselves by doing il. VIII history re-
peat !tself2 VIII the insurgent West be
satisfied with Roosevelt's compromise
with the East2