The Alaska citizen., 1911-04-17
Twenty Presidents
 of the United States


Nevertheless. the president con 'iuuei. it is a fact In the WhiE convention of 1SiS. the night of the day when Taylor was nominated for president. q conference was held between the friends of Willard Fillmore and Kenneth Rayner, as pirauts for the viCepresidential nomination. Then both had been members of the lower house cf con gross. the one from New York and the other from North Carolina. They We're good friends. Rayner much the more distinguished and bril- liant of the two. After free and friendly interchange of opinions. il vas agreed tO take ballot. and whichever received majority of those present should be given the field On that ballot Fillmore led Rayucr by a single vote. He was next day nominated for viCe-presi- dent The ticket was elected. and r. months later Taylor dying while in the White House Fillmore be came president.
 have in my possession the man uscript of a newspaper editorial in 'he handwriting Cf James K. Polk, urging the nomination of Martin Van Buren for president by the National Democratic convention of 1S44. About the middle of the third page another hand takes up the pen 10 urge Mir Polk for vice president on the Van Buren ticket, Three weeks after this editorial was printed in Mir. PClk's home paper, at Columbia, Tenn, Mir. Polk him self was nominated for president.
 In the summer of 1S55 my father and mothor We're Snjnurning in New York. and Mir Van Buren came ire qucntly 10 visit them. Mir. Tyler presided over what was called the Peace congress in 1861. of whose proceedings I was one of the news paper reporters.
 The Philosopher of kinderhood' was certainly a dear old gentleman. There may have been a bit of the fox about him. but his manners were gentle and suaye to degree. Mir Tyler was a plain Virginia far mer made myself known to him a day or two after congress convened, and he was exceedingly kind and gracious 10 me, asking me many questions and inviting me to come 10 see him as often as l might at his hotel Neither he nor MT. Van Buren. however. had the look of great men. and l was disappoint- ed in both of them.
 For all his obliqueness of vision. his too great height and certain aWkWardness of movement, MT. Buchanan looked every inch of the president He had q winning way ot making himself hateful when he was in a hateful mood; but he could be - especially among ladies quite the courier. His voice had disagrt cable draWl He appeared haJitualy in quasi-full dress black sWallow-tail and white Cravat
 giving to his appearance the east and cut of bishop.
 There was never more consist ent domestic autocrat. Even his ac- cDmplished niece, Miss Harriet Lane. had to walk the chalk line in the White House. The last six months of his incumbency were full of worry and dread He was in reality an able and conscientious man, with vast knowledge of public men and experience of public af- fairs The rising tide of revolution and war was simply beyond him. He had been nominated in 1856 purely on account of his availabili- ". He was self-willed and head strong, rather than firm, yielded himself to the strong Southerners in his cabinet Thompson and Floyd, quarreled with Douglas, and helped to rend his party asunder.
 He was no match for Douglas. In the early days of their quarrel he one day warned the Little Giant against the danger of breaking with the administration.
 Remember, sir" he said, with characteristic asperity, the fate of Talmadge and Riyes." With a mer- ry twinkle ill his eyes as he turned jauntily away. Judge Douglas re- piled: You forget MT. President, that General Jackson is dead
 This brings me to the most dra- matic and tragic chapter of our po-
  A. Gobright. the agent of the assO- ciated Press in the national capi- tai, to assist him and Major Ben Perley Poore, well known news paper spondent Ill those days. with their report of the inaugural ceremonies of March i, 1861. The newly elected president had arriv- ed in Washington ten days before to be exact. the morning of Feb ruary 23. It was Saturday. The same afternoon he came to the capitol escorted by MT. Seward and as I was on the floor of the house at the time-the rules were not so strict then as now I saw Mr. Lincoln for the first time, and was, indeed, presented to him.
 You are not a member" said he, kindly, observing my extreme youth.
 No, sir" I answered, T only hope to be-"
 He said q hope you will not be disappointed" and passed on.
 Early in the morning of March 4th l found thrust into the keyhole of my bedroom door a slip of paper which read. For inaugural address see Colonel Ward H. Lamon."
 Who was "Col. Ward H. Lamon?' I had never heard of him. The city was full of strangers. To find one of them was to look for a needle ill a haystack. l went straight to Willard's Hotel. As l passed through the big corridor of the sec ond floor, spliced with little dark