The Nome daily nugget., 1935-04-01

adler general. In 1888 he was given the chief command in Florida and two years later he was put in charge of the southern division of the western department of the regular army and transferred his family home from Louisville to Baton Rouge, La.
 Then came the Mexican war and with it Tay- lor's chance for winning the glory that was to make him President of the United States.
 His victories at Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buena Vista made him national hero even though most of the credit for those victories belong to some of his subordnates- West Pointers mostly, who were destined for future fame as generals in the Union and Con- federate armies during the War Between the States. So the nation which had sent Jackson and Harrison to the White House because of their fighting records began talking of another military hero President. At first Taylor would have none of it. When visitor to his camp ven- tured to toast him the next President, the bluff old general exclaimed "Stop your nonsense and drink your whiskey"
 More than that when friend General Young of Newcastle Del, wrote to him urging him to accept the honor If it were offered him. Taylor replied in part:
 "Your remarks in relation to my being a can dldate for the President are very fattering, but think you will know without the necessity of saying to you that am not and shall never be an aspirant for that honor. My opinion has always been against the elevation of military chief to that position. We must choose states. man able to control the people at home and ele. vate the credit of the country abroad The i'll. advised manner in which my name has been used in New York in reference to this matter I fear will do me injury and embarrass me In my military capacity. My best energies shall, however, devote to the prosecution of this cam o,,J I cip hora ,,.in peace."
 But despite this attitude, the talk persisted and Taylor seems to have become receptive to- ward the idea. The Wings anxious to regain power from the Democrats by using the prestige of Taylor's military record nominated him with out knowing where he stood on any political questions and to cap that formulated no plat. form for him. In fact for some time after the nomination they did not know whether or not he would accept By curious mistake he had not received his letter of notification. They had forgotten to prepay the postage the letter and at that time the post office carried letters and collected from the receiver. Taylor, his plan- tation in Louisiana to which he had retired after the Mexican war. not knowing the contents of the letter which came to him, refused to ac cept the letter and pay the postage on it.
 But eventually he learned that he was the nominee and somewhat to the amusement of the country stated that "he was Whig but not an Ultra Whlg." Whether he was or not didn't seem to make much difference and in the election of 1S49 he was the victor over Lewis Cass of Michi gan, the Democratic candidate. He was inaugu rated in March, 1850, but he did not live long to enjoy the highest honor that had been conferred upon him. On the Fourth of July he took part in the ceremonies connected with laying the cor. nerstone of the Washington monument in the Ma. tional Capital. It was hot day and in an effort to cool of the President drank great deal of cold water and iced milk followed by a substan. tial dinner. An hour later he fell violently i'll and five days later, July 9, 1850, he died.
 Oby Western Newspaper Union