Year: 1866




John Tyler took his seat as President of the
Senate. On the 18th of the same month
MIR. Harrison issued his proclamation con.
voklng an extra session of Congress He
did not live to meet the Congress which he
thus called upon to assemble. In the last
days OF March he was taken suddenly and
fatally ill, and on the 4th day of April was
dead. There had been no precedent failure
OF health. no loss of strength, nothing what
ever to excite single apprehension that he
would not go through his term in the same
health and vlgor with which he commenced
1t. 80 sudden and fatal was his illness, sus
plcions OF foul play were aroused, and there
are not persons wanting now who believe
that to the subscribing of some secret :. st tie
policy poison as deadly and insidious as
the drugs dispensed by the Borgias was used
to hasten him from the world


The deceased President and the Vice
President were members of the same party.
they were elected by the same vote, and it
had been expected that their administrations
would be of the same character But the
first message of Tyler demonstrated that he
did not agree with his predecessor as to the
necessity for calling an extra session of Con
gress, and that had not Harrison issued his
proclamation to convoke it, the Congress
would not nave met.


While member of the Democratic party.
Mr.. Tyler had been great stickler for the
invioability OF the Constitution and had re-
sisted with great vigilance the most insie-
nifcant things which he imagined could
trench upon the letter or spirit of that in
strument He now suddenly lost his con
cern for the Constitution and suggested so
many things in his message which were
l,a ,al IL,
ton was led to exclaim: What times we
have fallen upon What wonders we wit
ness. How strange are the scenes Of this
day! We have a President who has been
foremost in defense of the Constitution, and
who held his seat in the topmost branches Of
the Democratic tree. He was always on the
observation-disclosures snufing danger, and max
ing anticipated battle against the still in
visible invader Now we see measures
brought forward in the very bud and first
blossom of his administration which leaves
all former unconstitutional measures far in
the rear; which add subterfuge and evasion
to open violence, and aim more deadly
wounds at the Constitution than the fifty
years of its previous existence had brought
upon it"


In the first quarter of his administration,
TYLER, bv the repeal of the Sub Treasury
Act, obtained possession of the sword and
long purse. the alleged union Of which in the
hands of jackson he had vehcmentIy de-
precated in his very first message.


In less than three months. however. he
found the great party which elected him and
the Cabinet which he had appointed, array
cd against him and leading the van in that
assault which was to overwhelm and destr1y
him. His strides towards that fatal ruin
were long and rapid lie instituted secret
inouistions to sit upon the con'luct of officers
Of the Government and to give judgement
against them secretly, thus cowing and
crushing down all subor1inates who were in
any way responsible to himself. and erecting,
for while. a sort of petty tyranny which
he vainlv thought to make permanent.


Shrewd Mr.. Gimer of Virginia, thought
he perceived in Mr.. Tyler fine material for
a consummate traitor. He knew his weak
vanity; his utter want of principle; his in
dolence and lack of business habits and
knew from his former course of conduct that
he could be used. Gilmer praposed tt with
draw Tyler from the Wing party and make
him the head of third party in which the
original movers would be the chiefs and get
control of the Government. Democratic doc
trines were to be made the basis Of the new





from all parties. Tyler fell into the move
ment and made it potent with his veto pow
ers. The Democrats-ev those who hated
the new party and feared its effects upon
the regular organization-dee it proner
to make the best use tbcv could of their
facile toal-patted him on the shoulder and
extolled him to the skies To the Wings.
his base treacherv was most disgusting and
CALLING, and their Indignation at the per.
fdious creature was almost without bounds.
They avowed their belief that it was not a
mere accident by which the traitor had been
made President, but tragedy a murder
the assassination of Harrison.


He gave opportunity for a marked ex-
hibition of the popular scorn and fury when
he labored to get the Bill for Fiscal Cor
poration through Congress- and when it had
passed as he desired, killed it by his veto,-
| when the veto message was read it was
received bv the audience in the Senate with
n storm of Kisses. He was openly, boldly.
and fiercely denounced in both Houses of
Congress. and all the members of his Cab.
met but Webster deserted him. He seemed
| crushed for his assailants were many and
there were but few who would defend him.
The close Of his administration found him
without a party. He had abar med tho
party which elected him and they rccartlcd
him with contempt and bitter hatred. while
the Democratic party refused to receive him.
He tried to push forward the work of form
a Tyler party but made little progress at it.
The few who did join him from the other
parties were fierce for office and with char
acterstic libera ity of deceit. he nominated
them all for official places and flooded the
Senate with the messages of appointment
Nominations and reflections flew backward
and forward like shuttle cocks. The S' nate,
in may instances, rejected the same NOM
ination over and over again in one day and
in the case of Caleb Cushing for Secretary
of the Treasury, the minutes disclose that
on the third denomination, he WAS so angry
and hurried that he merely addressed tie
Senate, ''I nominate Gushing for Secretary
of the Treasury, in place of w. Forward.
resigned" with no signature attached
During the last of his administration, Tyler
had Calhoun for his Secretary of State. who
welded an influence over him which it is the
acknowledged prerogative of genius-thnugh
il may be for evl-to exercise over inferior
minds.


Finally, James X. Polk succeeded TYLER
by election, and the latter became at last
degraded to a hated, abandoned. aud despi,
ed outcast from the circle Of honest men, and
the society of American Statesmen, but it
was not till the war of the rebellion hr Ike
out that he demonstrated that he was entitled
to the full measure of infamy which Justice