Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-04-21
Fiue Minutes A Day
With Our Presidents
second President TO Die in Once"
NV JANIIES MORGAN.

Second President TO Die in Office"
II the election of General Zachary
Taylor IS one more proof that sol
diers are popular, II Is also n
more proof that war is not popular In
this country. In the midst of victory
in the Mexican war the party in power
lost the Congressional elections. and,
on top of q triumphal peace, il was
turned out altogether. War never pays
in American politics.
After boldly denouncing the Mexi-
lean war n tamely voting for IL in
lCongress the Wings nominated for
President one of the military heroes.
once moro Webster and Clay were in
high dudgeon to see IN old soldier
preferred to them. The Massachu-
sets statesman exploded with ange
at the nomination of what he unfairly
described as "a swearing. whisky
drinking, fighting frontier colonel"
The Kentucky statesman sulked in his
tent. where he Rugged to his bosom
the consolation which he had offered
himself for Harrison's first nomina-
ton owe him In 1886: Il would
rather be right than President"
In his belated letter of acceptance
Taylor announced that he was a Wing
but he declared to the amusement OF
the country that he was mot an ultra
Wing" On all the principal questions
of the time he afterward candidly ad-
mitted that he had only crude inn
preSsions."
The Wing candidate being a slave
holder and his opponent, Lewis Cas-
Of Michigan, being the first of the line
of Northern Democrats with South
ern principles" the two old parties
fattered themselves that they had ef-
fecsually shut but the question OF
slavery. But the Free Soil party
sprang Into existence as a protest
against this conspiracy of silence and
Nominated Martin Van Buren,.
Webster said that for the leader OF
the "free soil" party to become the
leader of the Free Soil party was q
joke to shake his sideS and mine
| Many baked at Van Buren's nominal
ton, in doubt of his sincerity. Never
theless he was a disciple of Jackson,
who challenged the slave power at
the outset of its aggressions. and he
himself had always been under suspi-
cion among the extremists at the
South. He had broken with the
Polk Administration long before his
nomination by the Free Sellers, the
regular Democrats d%enouncing him
n his followers as 'barnburners,'
after the legendary Dutch farmer
who burned his barn to rid 1t of rats.
In the election the "Barnburners'
outran the "Hunkers' In New York.
With the same division existing
4 among inc DeHlOCTdlS III inc OlhOi
States, Taylor's success at the polls
was q foregone conclusion.
For the second time the Wings had
| elected a President; for the second
time they had won with an old soldier
who was too old to bear the strain of
the Presidential office; for a second
time they had gained power without
a platform or al agreement among
themselves; for the second-and last
time. they went to wreck on issues
that they tried to dodge.
As Taylor's supposed superiors' In
craftsmanship prepared the Compro-
misc of 1850 this Southern slave hold
er in the White i1ouse showed a
most uncompromising determination
to uphold the Union. Some Southern
ers telling him that they would secede
If California was admitted as a free
! State he bluntly denounced their talk
as reasonable and warned them that
IL they attempted to carry their words
into action he would put down their
rebellion with a strong hand. The
slave interests claiming al of New
Mexico east of the Rio Grande as part
| of the slave State of Texas. they
threatened to drive put the Fedora
troops from the disputed territory.
With Jacksonian vigor, the Presi-
dent replied. Then l will command
THE army in person n hang any
nan taken in treason"
This vigorous stand gave rise to the
fear in Congress that the great COM
promise which Clay, Webster and the
rest were planning might meet with
a veto. Death interviewed. Overcome
by a long exposure to the blazing SUM-.
at the laying of the corner stone of
the Washington Monument on the
Fourth of July. 1850. the President
died our days afterwards, having
served only sixteen months. or just
one-third of his term.
Webster believed that the death of
the second President to die in office
and the latest to die a natural death,
though seventy years ave passed
delivered the country from civil war.
Possibly that catastrophe might have
been averted by Zachary Taylor. as
Jackson averted 1t when he boldly
challenged notification in South Car
DINA I'M nipped disunion in the bud.