The Washington herald., 1914-03-25
HISTORY BUILDERS.
What Might Have Happened to Col.
Henry Watterson.
written Expressly for The Herald.)
By DIR. u. J. EDWARDS.

| tWritten expressly Tor The Herald-D
ny DIR. q. J. EDWARDS.
In the Presidential campaign OF 1884 Col
| Henry Watterson took active part but in
| the very hot weather OF August he spent
week or ten days at a seashore resort
| on the Atlantic Coast a few miles from
Norfolk. He was then asked II he would
speak at a mass meeting which was to
be held upon the public square in Nor
folk, and he replied that he would do that
provided he could speak In the afternoon.
Col Watterson asked me to go with
him TO the Norfolk meeting, and as had
never heard him speak as a campaigner
l gladly accepted the invitation. He said
to me just before he began his speech
that he wanted me to join him imme-
! diately after he had finished.
Il want to talk about something else
than campaign speaking" he said as We
hotel. 81 always feel like talking about
anything but campaign politics for an
hour or two after ! have finished speak
ing"
II occurred to me to ask Col. wstterson
how many terms his father. Harvey NJ.
| WattersOn, had served in the lower House
of Congress and when knew In a
vague way that the senior Watterson had
| served several terms in Congress before
I
II often find myself wondering" said
Col Watterson, how my career would
have shaped itself In case my father han
been willing to accept appointment as
governor of the Territory of Oregon- Had
he promised to accept that appointment
1t would have been gladly made by Presi7
dent Franklin Pierce.
1T is not generally known, think, that
II was due as much to my father as to
nther that Franklin piarca
nominated for President in 1852. Father
was a delegate TO the convention, repre-
! senting one OF the Tennessee districts.
The balloting for the Presidential nomi-
! nation was continued for q long time. The
leading politicians of the South thought
| the better plan would be to nominate n
Northern man who was popular and we'll
| known and who was in sympathy with
| the States rights Democracy.
My father served in Congress when
Franklin Pierce was also a member OF
the lower House. The two men became
! intimate. Father grew very fond OF
Pierce and regarded him as a man OF
! unusual intellectual power. He always
felt that Pierce entertained very cor
dial feeling toward him. They were GER
tainly warm friends. My father earnestly
advocated the nomination of Franklin
Pierce after the convention had become
! two-thirds vote in favor of any Of the
men named as candidates for the nomi-
nation. And there Is no doubt that his
influence was sufficient to persuade many
| of the delegates that the nomination OF
] Gen. Pierce was the most expedient one
which could be made.
Father, however, was unable to sup
port some of the policies with which
! President Pierce was identified. lie
openly and publicly antagonized them.
That did not impair their personal rels-
tions. For that reason President Pierce
offered to nominate my father COVER
| nor of the Territory OF Oregon. intirHat-
| ing that Oregon would soon become n
| State, and that father would he In a po-
sition TO he chosen its frst Senator.
The offer. however. was firmly de-
clned. Had father accepted IL ] undoubt-
ediy should have gone TO Oregon with
him and have grown up in the territory
and the State. ! certainly would have
had a very different career from the one
| which it has been my happy privilege had
father accepted that offer"
Tomorrow Dr. Edwards will tell
.How Westinghouse Came by One of
His Important Inventions."