The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-03-02

JOSEPH SMITH
Several thousand of the saints
went forth to preach the gospel of
Mormonism and to electioneer for
their leader. But his ambition came
to a tragic end on June IA when
he met martyrs death in the Jail
at Carthage where he and his broth
er, Hyrum, were shot down by a
mob of militia, who were there to
protect them.
At the same time that Joseph
Smith was casting an eye toward
the White House another Smith
was molding new political party
which would in the future nominate
him for the Presidency. He was
Gerritt Smith, a New Yorker des-
tined for future fame as philan-
thropist, but in those days an ardent
abolitionist. He organized the Lib
erty party at Arcade, N. Y, in 1910,
and in 1S4S and again in 1852 was
its candidate for President. He
had three other claims to fame-as
a hacker of John Brown, whom
he supplied with money for Browns
Inflated attempt to free the slaves,
as the man who, with Horace Gree
ley, at the close of the Civil war,
signed the bail bond of Jefferson
Davis, and as the man whose bene-
factions, during his lifetime, totaled
close to $S,0OO,OOO.
The next Smith who aspired to be
a President was one Green Clay
Smith, a native of Kentucky and
the son of a skilled Indian fighter
who had served under Gen. William
Henry Harrison against the great
Tecumseh and his warriors. This
fighting heritage sent his son into
the Mexican war as a volunteer at
the age of fifteen and brought him
back as a second lieutenant In a
cavalry regiment.
Then Green Clay Smith studied
law, served in the Kentucky legis-
lature and at the outbreak of the
Civil war became colonel of the
Fourth Kentucky cavalry in the
Union army. Before the war was
over he was brigadier general but
resigned from the army to take his
seat in congress, to which he had
been elected while in the field. Re-
elected to congress, he resigned to
become the second territorial gov
ernor of Montana where he re-
manned nearly three years assist
ing largely in organizing the terri
tory and promoting its prosperity"
Then in 1869 this soldier-lawyer-
egislator-goyernor resigned to be-
come preacher, entering the min
istry of the Baptist church in Wash
ington, D. c., where he remained
until his death in 1895. But in the
meantime he had made another bid
for fame. In 1876 he was the first
candidate of the Prohibition party
for President of the United States.
Thus half a century before Alfred
u. SlullA was q Wei lOl
the position, Green Clay Smith was
"dry" candidate and both to the
same result-defeat!
The same fate befell the only
Smith who was ever a candidate
for Vice President. He was Will
liam Smith, a native of North Caro-
lima who emigrated to South Caro-
lima at an early age, became law
yer and served in various state Of
fees and in the United States SEN
ate. In 1929 Smith received Geor-
gia's seven electoral votes for Vice
President, which was approximate
ly 100 short of enough to elect him.
Eight years later he tried again.
This time he did little better. He
got % electoral votes but one of
the only slightly less prolific john
sons got the job-Richard NJ. John
son of Kentucky. Twice Smith
was offered the appointment of as
sociate justice of the Supreme
Court of the United States. but
both times he declined, thereby de-
priying the Smith family of its two
known chances of being represented
in that august body.
Although no Smith has ever yet
been President or Vice President,
more than one has been an aid to
Presidents by serving in their cab
inets. They began away back in
1901 when Samuel Smith, a Pennsyl-
vanian. was secretary of the navy
for short time under President
Jefferson, serving without COM
pensation. He was succeeded In
that post by his brother, Robert
Smith, who had a rather remark
able record as cabinet officer in
that he held no less than three port
folios-secretary of the navy from
1902 to 1905 and attorney general
from March to December, 1906.
both under Jefferson, and secretary
of state from 1909 to 1911 unde,
Madison.