Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-06-14
MAKING PRESIDENTS
Careful Preparation Sometimes
NuIlIHed by Tralns Incidents

sition, therefore, Is also a big Job with
big responsibilities. With few excep
tious our Presidents have measured up
to their positions. But history proves
that 20 far as the selection is concerned
good luck rather than geed mapagement
has often favored the nation Trivial
incidents have frequently affected re-
suits.
There was probably only one man In
the history of the country who refused
t., receive a letter notifying him of his
nomination for the presidency, because
that letter did not have the postage pre-
paid, and allowed the missive to go to
the Dead Letter Office. The candidate
VIII, enjoys this unique distinction was
! General Zachary Taylor, and the incl
dent occurred after the Whig convention
Of 1S4S.
| THE chairman Of the convention,
J. Governor Moerhead. Of North Caro-
| lima. after the convention wrote to
General Taylor at Baton Rouge, La,
apprisng him of his nomination. At
| that time the prepayment Of postage
| was not compulsory and unpaid letters
| were charged from five to ten times the
present rate of postage. No answer
came from ''Old Rough and Ready"
| and as the telegraph was then in its
| infancy very expensive and none too
| reliable as an agency, the governor in
| the course Of two or three weeks. sent
| q trusted emissary TO General Taylor to
| find out why his letter Of acceptance
had not been forthcoming.
Then the truth came out Every po-
litical crank in the country and a good
many other persons as well had written
letters to the general and very few had
prepaid the postage. Infuriatcd beyond
endurance at the tax imposed upon him.
the old warrior had given instructions to
the postmaster that every letter not
prepaid should be sent to the Dead Let
ter Office. and thither Governor Moor
heads letter had gone.
The governor. assuming that a letter
notifying a man of his nomination for
the presidency, which carried with it
almost the certainty Of election, would
be matter Of interest to any man, had
not prepaid the postage. But he had
reckoned without his host. for the gen.
eral refused to accept the letter and
directed that it be sent to the Dead
Letter Office. When the truth came to
light second letter was sent, prepaid
this time. in accordance with the gen.
erals stipulation. General Taylor
promptly responded. accepting the nom
nation. and it was explained to the
public that the original letter had been
lost in the mail"
A TOTALLY unnecessary and indis-
n Greet letter cost General Winfield
Scott the presidency in 1910 by defeat
ing him ! the convention, the one time
when a nomination for him was tanta-
mount to an election. He was nomi-
mated in 1852 by the Wings, but was
defeated at the polls by Franklin
Pierce.
The chief candidates for the Whig
nomination in 1910 were General Scott
and General William Henry Harrison.
Virginia held the balance of power in
the convention, and whichever candi-
date succeeded in getting the vote of the
delegation from that state was assured
of the nomination and Of the election.
Scott, who was perhaps toe fond or
letter writing, had written to Francis
Granger. of New York. letter in
which he plainly attempted to con-
ciliate the anti slavery sentiment of
that state. Granger gave the letter to
Stevens, who called at the headquarters
of the Virginia delegation, which was
the storm center and always crowded.
Before leaving he dropped the letter on
the floor. where it was soon found and
its contents made known to the mem
bers of the delegation, who decided in
stantly to support Harrison. That
letter cost Scott the ambition of his
life. as Van Buren, went down to an
overwhelming defeat.
THE nonexistence Of cables and tele-
l. graphs is generally conceded to have
made Andrew Jackson twice President
and to have given him the opportunity,
which he so ably seized, to become the
first great political dictator of the
country. He would probably never
have been prominent candidate for
the presidency except for the fact that
he won tremendous popular prestige
by defeating the British in the battle
of New Orleans on the Sth of January,
1878, about two weeks after peace had
been declared.
Had the cables and telegraphs been
in existence at that time the battle of
New Orleans would never have been
fought and Jackson could have in no
other way acquired the prestige which
made him the popular candidate of the
Whole country In 1875.
A VERY important matter in the
a succession Of the Vice President to
the presidency was decided when the
first break in the office Of President
came in 1S40 by the death of the then
President, General William Henry Har-
rison He was in feeble health when
he assumed the Office and died a month
later.
John Tyler was Vice President and
he was living quietly on his farm on
the Virginia peninsula. Telegraphs
were unknown and he could not be
reached by railway, Thus he had no
knowledge of the fact that he had be-
come President through the death OF
Harrison until late the next day, when
Webster and another member Of the
cabinet made their way to his distant
home, partly by water and partly by
land
He returned to Washington with
them and found a very heated dispute
among the leaders Of both parties as to
whether he was to become President"
or Acting President. The next day
the matter was brought up in Congress,
and in the midst of the discussion a
letter was received from the White
House signed John Tyler, President. "
The question was thus settled for all
time and the congressional dispute
ended abruptly.
As THE absence Of the telegraph
n made Jackson President, so the
| completion of the Morse instrument
ended the brilliant political career OF
Slas Wright, of New York, in 1910,
|