The Prescott daily news., 1910-01-27
Holu Fillmore Tricked State

reading as does the early life of Abraham Lincoln
 Tt was my good fortune to know Fillmore we'll He became comptrol- Ter of the state of New York in 1S47. and not until the following year was he nominated for vice president on the Whig ticket with Gen. Taylor. During that period I was deputy treas urer of the state, MT. Fillmore fre- quently dropped into my office to chat with me, and in this manner I came to know him intimately.
 But of all the things he told me confidentially of the great politicians of the day, and of all the things he did to my own personal knowledge, noth. ing threw for me so interesting a light on the mans character as did whenever 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 office some blank warrants and asked me whether, if he signed them in blank, they could be utilized in case he were absent from his office, for he expected to go pretty often to Buf- falo and other points in the state. answered that this could not be done. hot ha Of state at any time. then his deputy would have authority to sign war; rants. which the treasurer would be obliged to honor.
 Well said Mir Fillmore, If I should go to New York and take the Housatonic railroad, which runs through Connecticut, 1t would take me out of the state for few hours, then my deputy would be authorized to sign, and it would not make any diff ference if I 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 the Mir. Fillmore wanted, and after tha for several months, whenever he wen. 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 was leaving the state and took equal care not to notify us of his return to 1t until he was back in Albany.
 But I think that without question. the strangest of all his subterfuges to trick the state of his time, and so give himself more time, he employed at the time the suspension bridge over the Niagara river was under construc- tion
 There was to be some sort of cere- mony at Niagara in which he wanted to take part, and it was to occur at a time when some important warrants would have to be signed by the comp troller. Nevertheless, he went on to Buffalo, had himself taken across the river in basket in which the bridge workmen were conveyed across the chasm, and then sent us word that he was in Canada, so that we would be compelled to recognize this deputy's signature on those important war. rants and all others until such time as he notified us that he had returned to the state.
 Think of 1.-the man who was to be vice president in two years, and president in three years and a half later, being the party to a subterfuge like that For he was actually out of the state less than an hour, though officially he did not return to If for some days.
 Copyright. 1909. by E. J. Edwards, |.