Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-04-28
Fiue Minutes A Day
With Our Presidents
n IaHnS rtopcxN

BY JAMES MORGAN.

a Bachelor President.
James Buchanan was the last Presi-
dent to wrap his neck in a stock, as
Monroe was the last to wear knee
breeches-and he was the last of an
era. An q passed away as he pass
led out of the White House..
After Buchanan's birth in n Penn
s~ylvania log cabin. his father. who
was an Irish immigrant, prospered as
a country storekeeper and was able to
send his son to college. But the COL
lege sem him back as a wild spirit
that 1t could not tame. The pastor of
the scandalized family begged and OBJ
tanned chance for the Maynard youth,
who improved so we'll that he gradu-
ated first In his class. Nevertheless
the still unforgiving faculty denied
him the honors of his rank.
| Buchanan always loyalty credited
his mother with having exerted upon
him the greatest influence for good.
Possibly the severe lesson which he
lreceived from his stern alma mater
may have been somewhat responsible
for the prosy propriety of his life ever
latter.
This would be but a dull story of
law and politics were 1t not for a
single tragic episode which cast a
shadow over the hole after life of
our bachelor President-the only
president to die a bachelor. A young
/ WOHfaH NllOIl blCldldH was tUbdb-
ed in early manhood, a daughter of
the wealthiest family in the county,
wrote him a letter of dismissal under
the spell of "a jealousy which had
been u by gossips. Pride on
both sides kept the two apart until
their separation was made irrevocable
by her sudden death-probably by
suicide. In grief and horror, the young
lover wrote to the father of the dead
girl, begging the privilege of looking
upon her remains and of following
hem to the grave. But the letter was
returned to him unopened.
FOUR and forty years passed, and
ever having k any other woman
to his heart. When his executors
opened the papers, which the aged
lex-president had left in a bank vault,
they found among them a little packet
of treasured owe letters from his
sweetheart of long But in ac-
lcordance with the request written on
the outside. those faded mementoes OF
his only love were burned without
breaking the seal on them.
That old wound was torn open by q
most cruel campaign lie when Blu
was a candidate for president.
In this atrocious attack, he was ac-
Herald, the elder James Gordon Ben
nett. OF having one out and hanged
himself to escape h vengeance of q
brother of his betrothed. Although he
was cut down, according to the ma
licious yarn. in time to save him from
a suicide death, 1t vas only necessary
for Bennett to point the credulous
Ireader to the way in which the candi-
date always carried his head tilted to
one side as proof that his neck had
been permanently twisted in his at
tempt at suicide. Every one could
mot know that this familiar habit was
due to an imperfect vision.
Buchanan was by no means a crab
bed old bachelor. He remained always
most courteously attentive to women,
though with a perfect impartiality.
Nor did he keep bachelors hall. At
Wheatland, his country place near
Lancaster, Penn, he brought up, from
early childhood, the orphaned son of
one of his sisters and the orphaned
daughter of another, who became, as
Miss Harriet Lane. one of the most adj
lmired mistresses of the White House.
IA monument, which will shortly rise
in Washington to the memor of Blu
lchanan, will stand also as a memorial
lof the greatful loyalty of this niece.
who left 100000 for it's erection to a
president who would otherwise go I'M
Ihonored in stone.
After Buchanan had risen to top
rank at the Pennsylvania bar, with
/ practice that brought him as much
las S12. 900 in q year, he entered poll
tics. Starting as a Federalist, he be-
lcame O Democrat only at the death OF
the party of his choice. He was elect
ed to the Legislature and to Congress;
twas thrice elected to the Senate; serv-
ed as Minister to Russia and Great
Britain and was Secretary of State In
Folks Cabinet.
For 20 years an unsuccessful can
ididate for the Presidential nominal
ton. the veteran politician had all u
lgiven up hope when at last it came to
him unsought in 1856 on his return
from a long absence as American Min
lister in London. AS he accepted 1t,
he sighed that the honor had been
denied him until he was too old to
enjoy it, when all the friends l loveo
and wanted to reward are dead and all
1.-The enemies I hated and had marked
for punishment are turned my
friends"