Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-12
PRESIDENT POLK And j. 0. ADAMS
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and he Chicago Record-Herald

Written for The Star and
John Quincy Adams was a member OF
the House Of Representatives during the
| administration Of Presi-
Strained dent Polk, but there was
p.1,%;o, no friendship, nor were
| there any relations what
ever between the two men. In those days
| political partisanship was so intense that
friendship between members of opposing
factions was not possible. and although
ex-President Adams and President Polk
often expressed confidence in and. respect
for each other. and resided for nearly
four years as neighbors in the same
small city. they never met. In his diary
one day President Polk notes that "a
number of persons. ladies and gentlemen
called Cat the White House,. Among them
was Miss Adams, the granddaughter OF
Mr.. John Quincy Adams, and daughter
OF his son. and private secretary during
his presidency, John Adams. jr. note
the call Of this young lady because it is
| the first that has been made by any OF
| the family of Mr.. John Quincy Adams
during my presidency. except. as l un-
derstand. card left by the female mem
bers of the family some months ago. Mr..
John Quincy Adams has q house In this
city, and resides here during many
| months Of the year. He. with his family,
! is now residing In this city. 1 met the
company In the parlor this evening and
treated Miss Adams with marked respect,
| as it was her first VISIT
President Folks diary shows that sew
eral attempts were made by mutual
friends to- get these two great men to-
gether. but they failed. Among other
conciliators was Mr.. George Bancroft.
the historian, who was an intimate friend
of ex-President Adams, and Secretary OF
the Navy In the cabinet of President
Polk. He was one Of the few exceptions
who could cross the political gulf. a
privilege which was due to his literary
association with the Harvard coterie, OF
which Mr.. Adams was a member. and his
adherence to the democratic party, OF
which Mr.. Polk was the leader. The lat
sations with Mr.. Bancroft in December.
1916, concerning the relations between
the President and the ex-President, and
in his pompous style he says:
Some days ago Mr.. Bancroft, the Sec
rotary of the Navy. and myself held a
conversation. in which I
Invitation expressed willingness to
Extended. Quincy Adams. ex-Presi-
dent Of the United States. an invitation to
dine with me. Though we had always DIFF
fered widely in politics. and there were
many acts Of his public life which disap-
proved. Mr.. Bancroft agreed with me in
opinion that it would be proper for me,
as President of the Uuited States, in con-
sideration of his age and the high sta
tons which he had held. to extend to him
such an invitation, provided It was as
certained that it would be agreeable to
him. After some further conversation
I authorized Mr.. Bancroft to intimate to
him my disposition to invite him to din
ner II 1t should be agreeable to him to
accept.
This morning Mr.. Bancroft was at my
Office and Informed me that he had Just
had q conversation with Mr.. Adams. and
had fntimated to him what I had au-
thorized him to do. Mr.. Adams. he in
formed me. said that a similar communi-
cation had been made to him by Gen.
Jackson while he was President ofs the
United States through a common friend
Col. Richard NJ. Johnson). and that he
had declined it. Mr.. Adams. as Mr.. Ban
croft informed me. said further that his
personal relations with me had always
been good, and while in Congress to-
gether, though we had voted differently
on almost every public question. that yet
our personal relations had never been dis
turbed He expressed his determination
to support my administration on the Ore
gon question, and that he would take an
early occasion to make known his views
in the House.
"Mr Adams. as Mr.. Bancroft Informed
he had had with Gen. Jackson, Mr..
Charles ]. Ingersoll Of Pennsylvania and
Gov. Brown of Tennessee, In relation to
the boundary fixed by the Florida treaty
tempt by these persons to make it appear
that he had accepted a less favorable
boundary for the United States than he
could have obtained. and had thereby
lost Texas to the United States. He said
that I had written letter to the same
effect, and that would know what letter
it was. He said that he had made a
speech in Massachusetts, In which he had
spoken Of that letter. and intimated that
some explanation Of my statements would
be necessary before he could accept an
invitation to dinner. Mr.. Bancroft said
he left him in good humor.
IT told Mr.. Bancroft that 1t was
matter Of no consequence whether he was
invited to dinner or not,
Negotiations and that certainly had
no explanations to make.
fal1eo. At first I was at some
loss to recollect to what letter Of mine
he alluded. Upon little reflection
remarked that he must have alluded to
my letter to committee Of citizens of
Cincinnati in April, 1874. on the subject
of the annexation Of Texas. I told Mr..
Bancroft that my statements in that
letter were correct, and were sustained
by the public records of the country. and
that I had no explanations concerning
it to make. I told him further that
had never read Mr.. Adams speech in
Massachusetts in which Mr.. Adams had
informed him he had referred to 1t.
told Mr. Bancroft to let the matter rest
where it was, and that I would not think
of inviting, him to dinner. and that l.
only thought Of extending that courtesy
his age and the station he had held
seemed to make proper
And so Mr.. Adams never dined at the
White House. 1t has always been Gus
tomary for ex-Presidents to avoid Wash
ington. Mr. Cleveland and Gen. Harri
son were particularly scrupulous on this
moro than once after they retired. RooSe-