The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-09-27
THE DIARY OF
JAMES X. POLK
Valuable Source of Information
Thrown Open to Students
of History

President James Knox POLK. ne
Diary Of James K. Polk edited by
Milo milton Quaife.* will go far to-
ward changing the opinion OF critics
from Roosevelt down to the real po-
sition which Polk Occuples among the
illustriouS men h have lived IN the
White House. The causes Of the under
rating of Polk are two: l. He
had the good fortune 50 tar as ms
party was concerned and he mis-
fortune so far as his reputation was
concerned to defeat the eloquent and
beloved Henry Clay, who dazzled and
thrilled his generation as no one OF
his contemporaries n few OF MS
successors have done He possessed
the heart Of the Wings and the adj
miration for his eloquence Of the
whole country. His admirers thought
it presumption for any man, even the
God-like Daniel Webster, to aspire to
the Presidency while Clay lived. Polk
was not a man who won by scintll-
lating or by flights of %oratory and he
was not a man of commanding per
sOnal magnetism. He was not a genius
Or an orator. His gifts were rather
like those Of Jefferson and Madison,
able to speak clearly and ably but
shining most in his letters, State pa
pers, in the halls Of Legislation and
in party counsel, though from MS
early manhood he was a clear, con-
vincing and strong man on the hust-
lngS who won the confidence ana
votes of his people.
2. The second reason why Polk has
never had his true place is
New England and the Middle States,
whose people controlled the press and
wrote the histories. were generally
furiously opposed to the Mexican wa
and they never could forgive Poll
because it was his far-seeing states
manship that fought that successful
war and added many millions Of acres
to the American domain. They
wrote him down" at first because he
favored the Mexican war, because he
was wiser than Clay showed himself
to be in his letter written from Raj
eigh to which his friends attribute
his defeat for the Presidency. and hay
ing said in the campaign that Polk
was a mall man they refused to
change their opinion. although the
successes of his administration war
ranted a reversal of judgment and the
placing of Polk second only to
Washington. Jefferson and Madison as
an able statesman and wise diplomat.
A few years before he died, the late
William l.. Wilson, chairman Of the
Ways n Means Committee of the
House, was the guest Of a gentleman
in Raleigh, who invited a Of
Raleigh's leading citizens to breakfast
with the distinguished scholar in
politics. One Of the younger lawyers
of the party, referring to a former
President, said that he thought he
was the smallest man who had oc-
cupied the White House. except james
K. Polk" The host who entertained
a very different opinion of President
Polk. turned to Mr.. Wilson and ask
ed him what was his estimate of
ok real place among the Presi-
dents. With a courteous word to the
attorney who had spoken slightingly
OF Polk and his place in history. Mr.
Wilson gave a brief and concise sum
ming up Of the great questions tina
came up in Folks administration and
declared that after Washington, JEFF
fer: on and perhaps two or three
others, Mr.. Polk was the ablest man
and best furnished statesman VIII,
had been Chief Executive, referring By
name to the various State papers writ
ten by Polk, which he said ranked
with those Of Madison and Jchr
Quincy Adams. This opinion of Mr.
Wilson wa no horseback opinion
but was the deliberate Judgment O
the man who as scholar and states
man was then the foremost man il
the American Congress.
President Polk was the most sys
tematic and Industrious of all GU,
Presidents and from the day he enter
ed Of White House until he retiret
every day he wrote in the Diary tn,
incidents Of the day, living some
times the conversation with leader
and sometimes discussing with clear
ness the big questions that he talke,
about to his visitors. It is a perfec
story Of his life and of his admins
tration and throws light upon the DO
sbsion and character of the leadinj
men Of his time. If it had bee
printed earlier, SO that historian
could have had access to it, the read
IL ing Of how he conducted his admins
tration and how he dealt with tn
great and grave problems, they woul
have been forced to give him tn
high place to which his historic ad
ministration entitled him, for it wa
an epoch-making administration an
Polk was the commanding figure !
the important problems which
solved with wisdom for the time an
for the future. His Diary, now print
ed. comprises twenty-five closely writ
ten volumes. together with a mas
CT letters and miscellaneous paper
1rncorIod LIZ lin nnI rapnninaI IN IL