The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1923-04-19

n lilS AOIS lin ~ PoSi PiNoidSlllo
secretary of state under Presidenr
Jackson in 1929 and was appointed
minister to England in 1881.
First Democratic Vice-President
He was the first democratic vice.
president under Andrew Jackson, the
first democratic president. In 1886
he was elected president, defeat
ing William H. Harrison, the whie
candidate, by a vote of 762,67S
against the combined whig vote OF
1861. He received 10 out of 294
electoral votes. Even in these days
elections were often too close for
comfort.
Harrison in turn defeated Van
Buren, in 1910, but "Tippecanoe' died
after serving a month. In 1874 Van
Buren, failed to receive the nominal
ton. In 1848 Van Buren, was the
anti-slavery candidate for president
on the Free Soil ticket. He ran more
on a matter of principle, but it should
be remembered hat to Lincoln all
-honors for emancipation are not due.
Van Buren's principles were a decade
ahead of the public's desires.
$50 it happened that in the morn
ing of my life, when / was 16 years
old and Martin Van Buren, "a, was
formed a deep and abiding friend
ship which lasted until l was 16 and
of which my memories are still very
vivid.
Like Colonial Days.
Gone must remember that in the
40s much of the atmosphere of CO.
lonial life still remained. Railroads
were few. We lived 21 miles from a
railroad. The presidents grounds
were 100 acres in extent and his
house one of many rooms. There
were no kerosene lamps at that time.
There were, of course, nc bicycles,
automobiles, flying machines, tele-
phones, typewriters, no postage
stamps, envelopes and many of the
conveniences of today. My father
came to America from Droughadea.
Ireland, in a sailing vessel in 1890.
SO years ago. He vas ~naturalized ar
American citizen at Albany almost
Immediately and his naturalization
papers written altogether by hand are
still in possession of my brother
Frank, who lives in Chicago. He is
IS years old. My father was "a years
old when he died.
1In spite of the absence of cleo
and coal oil lamps the presi-
dent kept his house brilliantly lighted
with whale oil lamps and myriads Of
candles, especially when there was
company. In the summer he enter
tanned lavishly and notable men came
great distances, men who were
famous then but who have
dropped from the public mind.
parties lasted for weeks and
we're often in the nature of political
conferences. Of the names of visitors
[ still remember were the Stuyvey-
SAINTS, Lodges, Van Rensellers and the
Clays. Some men who differed with
him politically were his greatest
friends. I remember Henry Clay best.
He came oftenest and stayed long
est, sometimes a month at a time.
Clay brought his own colored serv-
two of them. when he came.
Knew Henry Clay
"The arrival of guests was usually
leralded several days in advance.
They came by train to Albany. The
residents finest coach and four
lorses would be taken out. He would
rive to Albany to meet them.
though he had his own coachmen
le would often drive it himself with
he coachman sitting behind. Hell
ook a pride in what he called hand
ing the ribbons but the coachman
1ways drove back. He had his own
ish pond a few miles away at the
DOT of the Catskill mountains about
s big as Lake Avoca. Here were
erch, club, sunfish and pickerel in
bundance, also catfish, the most