Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-07
BY JOHN cLAGETT PROCTOR.

TITLE is being said of the vice
presidential candidates, all the
ljnelipht being centered directly
IL on the principal candidates in
the forthcoming election. In
deed. people rarely consider the posi-
bility of the presidential running mate
filling out an unexpired term of Chief
Executive.
Of % Presidents to date, six have
entered the White House as a result OF
the death of the occupant of that ex-
allied ONCE. These have been Tyler.
Fillmore, johnson, Arthur, Roosevelt
and Coolidge.
The first vice President to become
President through the death Of that
William Henry Harrison in Office after
Gen. Harison's death of April 4, 1841,
lust one month to the day after his
inauguration Tyler had been chosen in
1870 on the Wing ticket with Gen. Har-
rison, who was SO years old when he
was inaugurated, and soon thereafter
contracted cold, while going to mar
ket in a truly democratic fashion. Like
many other people, he over estimated
his constitution and physical powers
and even declined to accept friendly
advice.
He was seriously i'll only nine days
and died in the White House. His
death was a great shock to the country
and when the people realized that Mr..
Tyler would succeed to the presidency
the cry went up from all quarters: Who
is this man Tyler?" Practically all
they had known of him before his cleo
ton as Vice President was as "Tyler
too"
Several days before the death of Gen.
Harrison his serious condition was fully
realized, and when the end came a Gov
eminent steamer was sent down the
Potomac to where Tyler was living on
the peninsula, to bring him here. He
Is said to have taken the oath of Office
quietly and privately. 1t was the opin-
ION OF Gen. HariSonS cabinet that Mr.
Tyler should not take the title of Pres
4dent, but rather that of Vice PreSi-
dent, Acting President" However, the
advice Of Chief Justice fancy was re-
lied upon and Mr.. Tyler at once aSSum-
ed the title of President. The Harrison
cabinet was retained. with Daniel Web
ster as Secretary of State, Thomas
Ewing as Secretary of the Treasury,
John Bell as Secretary of War, John j.
Crittenden as Attorney General, George
e. Badger as Secretary of the Navy and
Francis Granger as Postmaster Gen.
eral
The successor to Gen. Harrison was
born in Charles City County, Va, on
March 20, 1890 He was not without
legislative experience, having served in
both branches of Congress. AS Presi-
dent he Immediately proceeded to kick
over the traces and to do things his own
way. BY the end of the nearly four
years Of his administration none of
the original members of his cabinet
were in his official family. AS a matter
of fact. he had four Secretaries of State.
four Secretaries of the Treasury, three
Attorneys General, four Secretaries of
War, I'VE Secretaries of the Navy and
two Postmasters General In all he had
the record number of % cabinet officers.
In Mr.. RooSevelt'S second administra-
ton there were 81 cabinet officers, but
at that time the portfolios of the Inte-
rtor, Agriculture and Commerce had
been added to the cabinet.
X X x
WTFHIN three months after Presi-
dent Tyler was sworn in, he
vetoed two fiscal measures of his party
IN Congress looking to q destruction
Of the Van Buren, subtreasury svs-
TEN and to the re-eStablishment of a
national bank. BY the 18th of Sep
TENDER all members of his cabinet ex-
eept Webster had resigned, and soon
afterward Webster followed their ex-
ample. All the congressional Wings
except Henry A. Wise and Caleb CuSn-
Ing deserted Tyler after the Wing Con-
greSSnAen had issued manifesto, drawn
up by John P. Kennedy of Maryland. |
From then on. Tyler received his main |
support from the Democrats.
1t was during President Tyler's adj
mintstration that young Midshipman
Spencer, son Of John G. Spencer, Secre-
tary of War. and two sailors were
court and hanged for alleged
treason while on o cruise on the
U. s. S. Somers, by direction of Capt.
Mackenzie Of that vessel The execu-
ton seems to have been entirely I'M
justiflable and the verdict founded upon
unsupported evidence. One authority
Gays il was due to "the cowardly and
tyrannical exercise of authority" on the
part Of Capt. Mackenzie.
The Secretary of War was a tender
and devoted father and his grief was
unbounded. President Tyler offered
him the post of Minister to Russia,
feeling that a change of scenery would
alleviate his suffering, but this he de-
chned, declaring that he would remain
in the cabinet for the time being only,
and would soon resign to devote him
self to the vindication of the memory
of his murdered son. and the punish
ment of the cowardly villains who had
taken his life without the color of law
or justice"
Capt. Mackenzie was tried and &C.