Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-10-02
Capital Sidelights

Coolidge may do when he ceases to be
| President, because he does not
| choose" to be a candidate again
and as to where the presidential
| lightning may strike--prompts sur
vey Of our presidential line. what they
did after quitting the White House.
and how unexpectedly the honor came
lights on our Chief Executives.
| There was John Tyler, who was
| down on one knee playing marbles
with his boys In his driveway In vii.
| liamsburg, Va, when Daniel Web.
ster's son Fletcher rode up to notify
him officially that he was President by
virtue of the death of Benjamin
Harrison. Some short time before
that one OF the towns leading mer-
chants, a money.lender, w. w. Vest.
had refused small loan to the
usually impecunious Tyler. Both
| lived adjacent to the site of the old
Colonial Capital. Webster mistook
Vests house for Tyler's home, and
told Vest the news of Tyler's success.
sion to the presidency. Vest slipped
out the back door to tell Tyler he
could have the loan so recently re-
fused, but Tyler, still smarting under
the humiliation, declined the favor,
and personal friends contributed his
expenses to the Capital.
After his retirement from the
presidency he served as road overseer.
| the lowliest job any exPresident ever
filled. Some of his political enemies
| cooked up the scheme as an affront,
but Tyler accepted it. He died as a
member Of the Confederate Congress
and in revolt against the Union over
which he had presided.
Coolidge's quick jump from a gov
ernor who admonished the world to
have faith in Massachusetts" to the
White House was nowhere near as
sudden as Grover Cleveland's rise
from obscurity. Garfield, when inau
gurated. had never even heard of
this Buffalo attorney who succeeded
him four years later. Cleveland at As
was known only in his home county
and three years later was in the
White House.
n \ X
James A. Garfield was the only
President who was present at his own
nomina ton, as spokesman for the
Half Breeds who followed the
"Plumed Knight" James G. Blaine
of Maine, and pitted against Roscoe
COHkHUS, CNASLldlIl vi LHt CLdlWdTlS,
who sought to override the prejudice
against third term with Grant. He
was struck by presidential lightning.
1t was he who originated the front
porch" style of campaigning. He and
Harding, who revived the front
porch" campaigning, were the only
two to step directly from the Capitol
to the White House. He was a
martyr to the frenzied quarrels of the
party factions over division Of the
"spoils of Office
Rutherford B. Hayes is landmark
for the only disputed election. His
Democratic rival, Tilden, had been
elected on the face Of the returns
with 203 electoral votes against 166
for Hayes and with a plurality of
$50, 900 in the popular vote. In 1884
Cleveland and in 1915 Wilson were
elected on the same basis. but in 1876
two sets Of returns were sent to
Washington from Louisiana, South
Carolina and Florida. After three
months Of uncertainty and following
secret conference with Southern
Democrats in Wormley's Hotel here,
Hayes was declared elected. Robert
G. Ingersoll said he went In by a
ma jority of one and came out unani-
mously. He found the national cur
rency paper and left it gold and sill
yer.
Andrew Johnson, called to the presi-
dency by the bark of Booths pistol.
was the only President who never
went to school even for day, the
only one who was a handcraftsman,
and the only one to undergo impeach-
ment proceedings, with a White;
House eviction imminent. In fact, he
expected to be convicted and was
packed up ready to go. Seven years
later his State of Tennessee sent him
to the United States Senate, where his
only speech was: Let peace and uni
son be restored to the land! May God
bless this people and God save the
Constitution"
Martin Van. Buren, was the first of
our Presidents born under the Ameri-
can flag rather than the British. He
was the first machine-made President.
He was the pioneer campaign man.
ager (for Jackson) and Webster said
he did more toward the election Of "Old
Hickory" than any other 10 men. 1t
was one of his sons. prince john"
who coined the election day slogan
vote early and vote often"'
X u X
Although hailed as "the log cabin
candidate" William Henry Harrison
was an offspring of one of "the first
families of Virginia." born in a manor
house, son Of a sigrler of the Declare
ton of Independence with the blood of
Pocahontas in his veins and progeni-
tor who had signed the death warrant
of king-lineage no other President
could match. After campaigning with
Mad Anthony Wayne, at 81 he was
Governor of the Territory of Indiana.
1t was to him that oliver Hazard
Perry dispatched from the Battle Of
Lake Erie his celebrated message
I'VE have met the enemy and they
are ours"
He was President for one month,
the last of our Chief Executives to
have been born before the Revolution,
and at 68 succumbed before the on
slaught of office seekers in the spoils
system.