Evening journal., 1911-10-20
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Dress Suit That Kept
Its Owner In Office
By Holland

Il sometimes wish that / had kept
the dress suit which was the first one
j ever put on" said Thurlow Weed. tho
great Whig leader and president
maker to me one evening several
years before his death in 1882. Il don't
think any other dress suit ever played
so queer and influential a part in the
career of any man as did this particu-
lar one.
But in order to explain the Incl
dent l ought to say that at the presi-
Dental election of 1924 l had some IN
fluential part in so arranging mat
ters that the electoral vote of New
York state was divided between An
drew Jackson, Henry Clay and John
Quincy Adams / was able to foil a
plan which had in view the giving Of
the electoral vote OF New York to VIII
liam H. Crawford, of Georgia. The
electoral vote which Mr. Adams re-
ceived in New York state made it
possible for his name to go before the
House Of Representatives. You remem-
ber that there was no election in 1874
by the electoral college. Therefore the
constitutional provision that three can
didates who received the highest cleo
toral vote should be voted for by the
House of Representative became op-
erative. That was what made the cleo
ton of John Quincy Adams as presi-
dent possible. His first appointment as
president was that Of Henry Clay as
Secretary Of State.
Il went to Warrington a few months
after the inauguration of John Quincy
Adams and l was gratified to learn
that the friends of Mr.. Adams In the
National capital greatly appreciated
all that had been able to do at AL
bany in the presidents behalf. One oi
the first evidences OF this was a cor
dial invitation from Henry Clay to dine
with him. The invitation was brought
to me by an employe Of the hotel al
which / was stopping,-John Murphy
whom / had known at Albany
"'John, / said, here is an invitation
from Henry Clay to dine with him
but / shall have to decline it.
No, no, you must not do that, Mr.
Weed Murphy protested. You haven
got any good reason for declining and
II is a great honor to dine with Henry
Clay
"'But I have the best of reasons
John, / replied And before 1 coulC
tell him he said to me that he knew
what the matter was-that my trouble
was that / hadn't brought my dresl
suit along.
"'John,' / replied, 4 never had 4
dress suit 1 don't know how 1 woul'
look in one
"'Well, now, Mr.. Weed said Muir
ply, I have to wear one here at th'
hotel You and I are pretty near tn
same size. iii lend you mine.
"The fine fellow went out of th'
room and within ten minutes was bacl
again with his dress suit, The coat wa
blue frock coat with bras buttons.
put it on and it fitted fairly we'll. An
in John Murphys dress suit l went t
Henry Clay's dinner.
"In 1S41, after the inauguration Q
William Henry Harrison as president
visited Washington and 1 found NJ
old friend, John Murphy. serving as
clerk in the Treasury Department. Fl
was greatly concerned at the chang
from a Democratic to a Whig admir-
istration and he told me he thought
would probably be released.
81 told him he must come with m
to the office of the Secretary of tn
Treasury, Thomas Ewing, of Ohio. Il
didn't quite relish my proposition an
had almost to drag him along. NJ
Ewing received me very kindly an
after a moments chat l introduce
John Murphy and told the Secretai
how John Murphy's dress suit ha
made II possible for me to dine wit
Henry Clay in 1925. Mr. Ewing fair
roared with laughter. It was son
moments before he could compose hin
self At last he said:
Murphy, you are the clerk in Il
Treasury Department and were a
pointed by a Democrat, but / want
say to you in the presnce of Mr.. We
that a man whose dress suit serv'
MIR. Weed in the way yours did Is
good enough man to stay In the Trea
: ury Department. You can go back
{, your desk in the assurance that "
Ir will stay here as long as / am Seer
d tary Of the Treasury
q And the promise was kept"
&. Copyright, 1911. by r. j. Edwards. 4
n rights reserved.)
% Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards Will tell
" eThe AnecdOte that was Thurl'
II Weeds UndOing."