Evening journal., 1910-02-15
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
"HOW MiIIard Fillmore
TriCked a State"
BY "HoII1ud."

IlODduly no man now liNluE KNEW
Millard Fillmore so well as did Charles
G. Clarke, who. prior to his retirement
from active life some years ago, was
long the treasurer of the New York |
Central railroad.
"Fillmore's was a romantic career"
said L.r. Clarke to me one day. BE
ginning as a wool carder in a town |
near Buffalo, he became president Of
the United States. He had many re-
msrkable adventures, and the story
of his life, IL told in popular style.
would furnish almost as fascinating
reading as does the early life OF
Abraham Lincoln.
1T vas my good fortune to know
Fillmofe we'll. He became comptrol-
Ter of the state of New York in 1S47,
and moi until the following year was
he nominated for vice president on
the Whig ticket with Gen. Taylor.
During that period was deputy treas
urer q, the state, Mr.. Fillmore fire.
quentls dropped into my Office to chat
with ne, and in this manner / came
to know him intimately.
But Of all the things he told me
confidsntially of the great politicians
of the day, and of all the things he did
to my own personal knowledge, moth
ing threw for me so interesting a
light on the mans character as did
his methods of tricking the state
wherever he wanted to be absent
from his Office. It is a story that
illustrates perfectly the crafty side
of his nature. His other and nobler
side was that which any great man
and true patriot possesses.
Soon after he became comptroller,
Fillmore brought to the treasurer's
ofice some blank warrants and asked
me whether, if he signed them in
blank, they could be utilized in case
he were absent from his ONCE, for
he expected to go pretty often to Buff
fab and other points in the state.
answered that this could not be done,
bt added that II he were out Of the
state at any time, then his deputy
would have authority TO sign war
rints, which the treasurer would be
obliged to honor.
we'll Sdlu MI lAlhuoAHt IL
ihould go to New York and take the
Housatonic railroad, which runs
through Connecticut, it would take me
out of the state for a few hours, then
my deputy would be authorized to
sign, and il would not make any diff
ference II 1 got to New York City
that way?
eff you notify us that you are go
ing into Massachusetts and Connecti-
cut I replied, then your deputy
would be authorized TO sign the war
rants until you notified US Of your re-
turn to the state
That was all the assurance that
Mr.. Fillmore wanted, and after that
for several months, whenever he went
to New York City, he took the Housa
tonic railroad instead of going by
steamboat down the Hudson, as al
most everybody else did. But FIRST
he always notified us that he wal
leaving the state and took equal care
not to notify us Of his return to II
until he was back IN Albany.
"But think that without question
the strangest of all his subterfuges tc
trick the state OF his time, and so give
himself more time, he employed al
the time the suspension bridge ovel
the Niagara river was under construc
ton.
There was to be some sort Of cere
mony at Niagara in which he wanted
10 take part, and It was to occur at Z
time when some important warrants
would have to be signed by the comp
troller Nevertheless, he went on tC
Buffalo, had himself taken across the
river in a basket in which the bridge
workmen we're conveyed across the
chasm, and then sent us word tha
he was in Canada, so that we would b.
compelled to recognize this deputy
signature on those important war
rants and all others until such tim'
as be notified us that he had returned
to the state.
Think of 1.-THE man who was Il
be vice president in two years, anC
president in three years and a hal
later, being the party to a subterfug'
like that. For he was actually out o
the state less than an hour. thougl
officially he did not return to if TO
some days.
Copyright. 1909. by f J, Edwards)