THE SCBANTON TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY MORNING, APRIL 22, 1896.
11
GREAT nEN D0.TT WANT IT
. " r
The Vice-Presidency No Longer Re
garded an Honor.
BUT IT WAS NOT ALWAYS THI S
la OIJob Times the Man Who Coulda't
Get the Very Ulghcst Of Nee Was
died to Take the Nest
Uigbest One.
C. M. Harvey. In the Globe-Democrat
The dlfllculty in these days of Renins
men of what may be called presidential
alse, or who think themselves of presi
dential Else, to accept a vice presiden
tial nomination shows that the "sec
ond ofllce" under the government larks
the attraction for great statesman
which it possessed In earlier days. Four
;ir tive men are In the Republican race
for the higher candidacy in IstHI. or Im-
tiglnc they are In, but it is doubtful if
any one of these would take the lower
one if offered, though Hendricks, Demo,
t-rat, and Logan, Republican, who were
presidential figures, and who said they
wanted the first otlice or nothing, ac
ceoted the candidacy to the second,
Yet the vice presidency was held by
many eminent men, Adams, jetterson,
Calhoun and Van Buren among them,
Adams, Jefferson and Van Buren were
subsequently elected presidents. Jef
ferson, when chosen vice presiueni,
Which was in 17!6, was. Ot course, run
ulna? for the nresldencv. Onward un
til the election of 1804 electors voted for
two men without Indicating which was
desired for president, and the ona who
received the highest number or votes,
If a majority of the whole number, was
made president and the next to the
highest became vice president.
This was chansed after the tie vote
between Jefferson and Burr In the
Klectoral college In 1H00, when the
twelfth amendment to the constitution
was adonted. direct ng electors to des
tgnate which of the two men voted for
wns Intended for the higher office and
which for the lower. Adams, however,
knew that he himself was running for
the vlee-nresidency in the two years in
which he was elected to that office, for
Washington was a candidate, and re
reived one of the voteg of all the elect'
ors, and everybody supposed he
would.
In Adams' time In the office, however,
the vice presidency appeared to be a
more exalted station than It subse
quently was known to be. At the out
set he was in very grave doubt as to the
precise scope of his own functions and
prerogatives, as well as of those of the
president. He was In the dark as to
the exact place where Washington's
powers ended and his own began. "Are
we," he asked the senate, "the two
kings of Sparta, the two consuls of
Dnnii or the two suffetes of Carth
age?" (J. C. Hamilton's "History of
the Republic," vol. ill., p. obuj. mis was
called out by a report wnicn n-aint-u
the senate that Wnshlngton. who took
nine later than Adams In 1789. should
be received In the senate chamber Just
before he qualified for the presidency
and should then go to the house of rep
resentatives to be sworn in.
ADAMS' DISTRESS.
A writer who was a member of the
senate at that time, and who kept a
diary, which was published six years
ago, gives a graphic account of Adams
distress at this Juncture. "Gentle
men." said Adams to the senate, "I feel
great difficulty how to act. I am pos
sessed of two separate powers, the one
in esse and the other In posse. I am
vloe-nresldent. In this I am nothing,
but I may be everything. But I am
president also of the senate. When the
president (of the United StateB) comes
Into the senate what snail i oe: i can
not be president then. No, gentlemen,
I can .not, I can not. i wisn, genue-
men. to tninK wnat i snail ue. twin-
lam Maclay'B Journal, p. 3.) Maclay,
who was an ardent enemy or Adams
party, the Federalist, and who was a
prominent Jeftersonlan in pontics oe
fore Jefferson, adds: "Here, as if op
pressed with the sense of his distressed
situation, he threw himself back In his
chair. A solemn silence ensued. God
forgive me, for It was invountary. but
the profane muscles of my face were In
tune ror laugnter in spue ot my inais
position."
In some positive respects the vice
presidency was an office of greater
power in the early days or tne govern
ment than It has since been. The con
stltutlon (article 1. section 3, clause 4)
sets forth that "the vice-president of
the United States shall be president of
the senate," but stipulates that he
"shall have no vote unless they be
equally divided." In this particular,
. as In some others, the vice-president Is
ordinarily a less powerful official than
the speaker, who, being a member of
the body he presides over, is entitled
to a vote the same as other members.
Ties, however, came often in that lit
tle body of twenty-six members over
which Adams presided in the first two
of his eight years In the vice-presi
dency, and which had only thirty-two
members In the latter part of his ser
vice. The casting vote of the vice-president
avails nothing, of -course, except
when given for the measure, for the
question loses unless It receives a ma
jority. Most of the Important meas
ures before congress during the dozen
years following the establishment of
the government under the constitution
In 1789 were Federalist measures. The
Federalist party, to which Adams, as
well as Washington, Hamilton, Madi
son (until 1791) and the Pinckneys be
longed, had many faults, but It was
Stronger In constructive atategmnnshlp
than any other party which ever fig'
ured in American politics. The party
which ranks next to It In this respect
was the Republican party from 1861 to
1879, from the beginning of the war to
the close of reconstruction and the re
establlshment of the nation's currency
on the gold basis. During those dozen
years the Federalist party held the
presidency (through the eight years of
Washington's service and the four
years of Adams'). The party was In a
minority in one or other branch of con
gress during part of this time, but by
Its courage, energy, skill and organiza
tion, and the advantage which a posi
tive policy and aggressive leadership
gave it, placed most of its measures on
the statute book. Equal divisions In
the senate were frequent in the early
years of Federalist sway, and a vice
president In thorough harmony with
the purposes of that party was In a
position to impress himself powerfully
on legislation. Such a man was John
Adams. Indeed, during the four or live
years In which the framework of the
government was being perfected and
the parts of the great legislative and
administrative machine put In smooth
working order the vice-president was a
much more potent personality than the
president. In the First congress, that
of 1789-91, about twenty Important
measures were made law by the cast
ing vote of John Adams.
Several times, too, though only for
short periods, the vice president was
permitted to appoint the senate com
mittees, thUB giving him an authority
which the speaker of the house has had
during almost the whole of the life of
the government under the constitution.
For a short time the committees were
chosen by the president pro tempore,
but throughout the greater part of the
time they have, as at present, been
elected or appointed by resolution. A
ttce president having this power would
be something more than a fifth wheel
to the governmental coach. -i--. ;---v
X 8TEPPWO &TONE. "
. In the beginning the vice presidency
appeared to be the natural stepping
tone to the presidency. The first and
econd men, Adams and Jefferson, who
held the second office, went to the high
' r on on the retirement of the incum
bent ot tlit Utter. The third vice pres
ident. Aaron Burr, was retired from
the vice presidency after one term and
his whole political future blighted by
the suspicion that he coquetted with
the Federalists for election to the high'
er office when the tie between hlra
and Jefferson In the Electoral college
sent the contest to the house of rep
resentatives, and by killing Hamilton
In the duel In 1S04. The fourth vice
president, George Clinton, who retained
his standing In his party to the end
of his life, thought the Adams and
Jefferson precedent would put him in
the presidency when Jefferson stepped
down at the end of his second term,
but Jefferson's friendship for Madison
the secretary of state, the value of
Madison s own services to the country,
which was much greater than that of
Clinton a together with the Virginia In
fluence, then very powerful In the Jef
ferson Republican party, secured the
nomination In 1MJ8 for Madison in the
congressional caucus, which put up
candidates tor president and vice ores
Ident In those days. Indeed, there was
another Virginia presidential aspirant
in the Held In 1808. James Monroe, who
did notreach the presidency, however,
until eight years later. Clinton was
renominated for the second office In
1SK8, and died in ofllce Just before the
nominations or were made.
When Madison was preferred to Clin
ton in 1S08 a new "line of kui-cpksIiui'
to the presidency, connecting with the
post of secretary of state, was started.
This bond remained Intact for a fifth of
a century, ror Madison, Monroe and the
second Adams stepped from the office
ot secretary of state into the nreslden
cy. This chain was broken In 1832.
when Clay, who had been secretary of
state under Adams In 1825-9, was beat
en by Jackson. No man Dassed dlreetlv
from the office of secretary of state to
that of president after Adams, in 1825.
and nobody who held the former office
nt any time afterward ever reached
the latter except Martin Van Buren.and
James Buchanan.- Both these men were
In other offices between the time thev
held the lower and the higher of these
two. isobouy since Jefferson, except
Van nuren, ever passed directly from
the vice presidency Into the presidency.
Van Buren was the last of the vice
presidents to reach the higher office by
election, although four of them. Tyler,
Fillmore, Johnson and Arthur, did this
through the death of the Incumbent of
the latter.
Though by electing fortune's supreme
favor came to but one vice president
after Jefferson, several of them ardent
ly strove for it, and seriously hoped to
gain It. Calhoun, who was chosen vice
president twice, the last time being In
1828, when Jackson was first elected
president, believed he would be the lat
ter's political heir, but the old Demo
cratic dictator broke with him, and he
was supplanted by Van Buren In that
magnates regard. Richard M. John
son, who had the second place on the
ticket with Van Buren In 1836, who did
not receive the solid support of his par
ty and lacked a majority In the Elect
oral college, but who was chosen by the
senate, was an ardent and powerful
aspirant for the presidency In 1844. With
Van Buren, Cass and Buchanan, John
son created the deadlock In the DemO'
cratlc convention of 1844 which sent the
delegates to Polk, the earliest of the
presidential dark horses. The election
of Johnson to the vice presidency In
1837 was the only instance In American
history In which the senate chose the
Incumbent of that office.
A later vice president than Richard
M. Johnson eagerly sought the presi
dency, and he was Hie only vice presi
dent since Van Buren who secured the
nomination for it. This was Jonn U.
Breckenrldge. When Breckenrldge
got the candidacy, however, which was
In 1860. his party was split. He was the
standard bearer of only one section of
it, and, of course, was aware mat no
would be beaten at the polls.' Since
1860 no man who ever held the second
office was ever seriously mentioned for
the first office until the present penoa,
when Levi P. Morton figures as a
presidential aspirant. Thomas A.
Hendrlck's name, though, was often
coupled conspicuously witn tne presi
dentlal candidacy before he was elect'
ed vice president, In 1884.
NOT IN DEMAND.
The unwillingness sometimes manl
fataA tiv men of what is called pre'
sldentlal stature to accept a vice prest
dentlal nomination Is embarrassing to
parties, and may prove a soupce of
peril to the country through the death
of the president and the promotion of
an Incompetent or perverse man. The
vice presidency has come to oe a son
of consolation prize, tnrown to tne eie.
mpnt beaten In the contest for the preS'
ldentlal nomination, and the candidate
Is often selected without any thought
of his fitness for the higher office to
which he becomes helr-contlngent. A
very serious blunder of this sort was
made by the Whigs In the convention
of 1839, which put up a ticket ror 1840.
After Clay, the idol of the Whig masses,
had been cheated out of the presidential
candidacy by an elaborate scheme of
chicanery never resorted to before or
since, and W. H. Harrison was nomin
ated Instead, thus giving availability
the first victory over capability which
It ever gained In a national convention,
the chief culprits in the convention
were alarmed at the thought of a pos
sible defection of the Clay element,
nnd offered to give the vice presidency
to any Clay man that faction would
name. They offered the nomination to
Benjamin Watklns Leigh, of Virginia,
to Tallmadge, of New York, and to
Southard, of New Jersey, all Clay men.
all of whom refused it under the cir
cumstances. Then John Tyler, who had, It was
said, shed tears at Clay's- defeat, was
nominated. Tyler's friends,- however,
after the fight between him and the
party which elected him began, denied
this crvlng story. When "Tlppecanoe'I
Harrison died a month after taking of
llce and "Tyler, too," became president.
the Whigs soon discovered their blun
der, for Tyler antagonized their party
on the Issue which Clay forced to the
front, the re-establishment of the
United States bank, and in the feud,
beginning In 1844. However, the blame
for the feud did not altogether be
long to Tyler. Neither the bank nor
any other political question was be
fore the convention which put up Tyler.
The Whigs framed no platform and
made no declaration of principles what
ever at that time. In their twenty years
of existence as a national organiza
tion tney maae a platform only twice
In 1S44 and 18.12. Everybody who
knew anything about Tyler's record
knew he was committed against a bank
like that which Clay Pi-oDOsed after
Tyler became president
ANOTHER MARPLOT.
Another Vlce-nresldent. Andrew
Johnson, whom the death of the president-sent
to the . higher office, made
trouble for the party which elected him
and for himself by his hostility to it on
the leading Issue of its policy. How
ever, Johnson was nominated as a war
Democrat, and not as a Republican.
He never claimed to be a Republican,
and nobody who voted for him did so
on the assumption that he was one or
that he pretended to be one. The as
semblage of 1864 which nominated Lin
coln and Johnson was called a Union
convention, and the call under which
It met was addressed to those who "de
sire unconditional maintenance of the
union, the supremacy of the constitu
tion, and the complete 'suppression of
the existing rebellion, with the cause
thereof, by vigorous war and all act
and efficient means." The platform
which the convention adopted made no
mention of the - Republican party by
name, though probably , three-fourths
of the delegates to the. Convention and
three-fourths ot those who voted for
the ticket were Republicans. The con
tingency of the. death of the first man
on the ticket was never thought of Cv
tho convention when, the second man"
was put. on. , . . v. t
Fillmore and Arthur, tne other vice-
presidents., whom death ' 'promoted.
were, of course, members in good
standing In the, party which nominat
ed them, but the elevation or Fillmore
made a change in the executive policy.
In the contest over the compromise
measures of 1U4 Taylor, the Southern
man and livt.knUu uka mimA ,- k.
fore those measures were passed, was
on uiuniDw 10 tne purposes and pre
tensions ot the slavery section than the
Northern man. Fillmore, who succeeded
blm on his death, turned out to be.
Still Fillmore was in harmony with a
large section of the Whig party, and
made a fairly creditable president un
der the rwculiav r,rt,imn- k
Arthur was the only one of the four
vice-presidents whom death made
iimmeni wno gave entire satisfaction
to his party, and yet he would not
have, been nominated if Garfield's
death could have been foreseen. Op
portunity and responsibility revealed
In Arthur a poise and an ability ot
which even his friends had not dream
ed. The death of a president Is a pos
sibility which the people seldom and
which conventions never take Into ac
count. W. H. Harrison s death, which
occurred a month after his term began,
was as startling to the country as if
a part of the physical machinery of the
unlverso had suddenly come to a halt.
The fact that four of the nineteen men
who have been elected president died
in office should make the vice-presidency
more attractive to men of presi
dential size than it is. and should make
nominating conventions exercise great
er care in choosing candidates for it
than they sometimes show.
SHE IIOOIiKIt Til KM BOTll.
A Pretty Book Agent Who Gathered lathe
Too Sympathetic. Law Partners.
There Is on F street a firm ot promi
nent in the realms of law, so august as
a whole, with members so dignified that
wrongdoers tremble at the sight of
their door-plate.
Last Thursday a little woman, with
nestling golden curls and cheeks too
pink from exposure to cold, sought re
fuge In this office from a biting wind,
and extended numbed Angers to a rud
dy glow. As the senior partner entered
from his den in the rear, the girl looked
up brightly, and then, overcome by
sudden seemingly overpowering ex
haustion, fell prostrate on the couch on
which she was seated.
Judge gazed at her in astonish
ment, as helpless and limp for the mo
ment as the girl before him, then
rushed away for Ice water, wine, bran
dy, a second pillow, everything, any
thing to relieve the tension of tho situ
ation. He returned in an Impossibly
short time with his arms full, looked at
the girl, and then dropped everything
on the floor and became again limp, for
she onened her blue eyes and gated at
him with the expression of a hunted
animal. She then closed them again.
The judge stood llrst on one foot and
then on the other, stuck one hand In
his pocket, and then another, raised his
eyebrows, puckered his lips, and gave
vent to a long, low whistle.
This whistle lifted the white lids, and
they did not close again. The red lips
also opened and sighed, "Oh, I am so
tired, and something seems to be the
matter with my head."
Tho Judge at once began to ply the
Ice, the wine, the brandy, etc. The fair
one smiled listlessly at his activity, but
drained the glass gracefully and sighed
again. "Perhaps, sir, while you are so
kind to me you are thinking of your
own daughter." This little speech made
the judge's eyes misty. He had no
daughter, but there are always possi
bilities. "What can I do for you?" he asked.
"Nothing, nothing, sir. I will rise In
Just one little moment." And rise she
did, in spite of the Judge's remon
strances. She reached the door rather unsteadi
ly, but returned hastily, as If somewhat
dazed. "Oh, yes," she cried; "my
book."
She returned and pulled from beneath
the pillow a bulky volume in a flashy
uimiing.
The judge at once suggested ringing
up a boy to carry it for her, but she
shook her head.
"No, sir," she insisted: "I coutd not
afford that luxury. I don't sell one a
week."
The judge's eyes gleamed.
"The very thing I want," he ex
claimed, and began to extract bills from
his pocket-book, rather flabby from the
ravages which ChrlBtmas and New
Years had made upon It. He crushed
them Into the girl's hand, saying: "I
must Insist upon paying not what you
ask, but what this valuable work is
worth."
The girl left, seemingly much
strengthened.
Yesterday the Judge entered his office
to 11 nd staring him In the face the book
he thought he had taken home on the
day of Its purchase.
His astonishment knew no bounds
when the junior partner picked it up
hastily and tried to force it into a
pocket which was too small to receive
It.
It was too late. The judge had seen
Its title and recognised its all too glar
ing binding.
Slowly the truth forced Itself upon
him.
"Old man." he asked, "did she have
curls, and was she 'so tired,' and did
something get the matter with her head
and make her faint, and did she forget
the book and have to come back for It 7"
"Just so, Just so, judge."
"She played a pair of knaves in this
office and won. Let's see what a bot
tle of champagne can do for our stupid
wits."
An Optical Illusion.
She dressed up In her brother's clothes.
A promenade she took,
And everyone who knew her said:
"How girlish you do look!" -Life.
8. R. CROCKETT, THE NOVELIST. ' '
-From the Chicago Timet Hsiald. By the Courtesy of Q. U. Kohlsaaf
AS EDITOR AND OSATDR
Henry Wnttersot and His Uiitae Pa
sitioi ia Kentucky.
HIS SUCCESS AS A JOURNALIST
Ills Boyhood sad Early Newspaper Work
la Washington-His Kindles of Lis
ola Other Interesting Points
About aa Interest tag Man,
The other day Henry Watterson, who
last winter so charmed the people ot
Scranton with his magnificent lecture
on Lincoln, did the same to the people
of Washington, whereat the Star grew
reminiscent. We quote from It as fol
lows:
The age of man like Mr. Watter
son Is really not to any point. He has
always had a long head, and he will al
ways keep a young heart, and that
settles everything. But to be accurate
nd conventional, it may be stated that
he Is fifty-five. He was born In the little
house No. 235 Pennsylvania avenue, be
tween 2d and :'-d streets northwest.
In the spring of 1841. His father, the
late Henry V. Watterson. was at that
time a member of the national house
from Tennessee, and Washington was
but little advanced beyond the condi
tions ot a straggling village. The so
cial life of the little town was in the
quarter where the Wattersons were so
journing, and there the family re
mained for several years.
The return home of the elder Wat
terson severed the coming youngster's
connection with the capital for a sea
son, but the year 1860, when he was
only nineteen, found Henry Watterson
back In Washington, eager for life's
race, admirably equipped for It both
In temperament and alertness, and with
his choice ot work already made. He
had resolved to ease the scriptural sen
tence as it applied to himself as much
as possible, and to earn his bread In
the sweat of his lead pencil. His first
offering was to the Star. A little boy
had been drowned In the Potomac, and
young Watterson wrote the account ot
it. The article showed both accuracy
and the power of sympathetic expres
sion, and it served to open the columns
of the paper to him for other perform
ances. He worked hard and he pros
pered. He soon established corres
pondence wlthout-of-town newspapers,
and was an aspiring youngster, with
some reputation, when Mr. Lincoln
came on to be Inaugurated. The young
man met the president-elect, stood near
at hand on the platform the day ot the
inauguration, and wrote the story for
the next morning c papers.
DURING THE WAR.
Then came the war, when young
Watterson abandoned his flattering
professional prospects and went south
to cast his lot with the confederacy. He
was assigned to staff duty, and saw
some service In the Held. His talents
as a writer, however, were demanded
in newspaper work, and he became eat
tor of the Rebel, a Journal, as its name
would Indicate, devoted to the cause of
the confederacy. He made that hum.
But double leads proved to be as power
less as bullets to stay the force ot the
Union arms, and the Rebel and Its
slashing young editor were among the
assets turned over by the confederacy
to Uncle Sam at the close of hosltllltles.
After the war young Watterson set'
tied in Nashville as a writer for the
press, and then moved to Cincinnati,
where he had relatives, and where he
wrote dramatic and musical criticisms
for the local newspapers. In i7 he
went to Louisville as managing editor
of the Journal, Gsorje D. Prentice s old
organ, then In decay, and the next year
witnessed the consolidation of the Jour
nal with the Courier, the opposition
paper, and the establishment, with
Mr. Watterson as editor-ln-chlef, ot
what afterward became, ana still re
mains, the most famous of southern
newspapers.
Since that time the Courier-Journal
has been Henry Watterson, and Henry
Watterson has been the Courier-Journal.
They have been twin visitors In
thousands of southern households, and
have played a notable part in the
molding of southern sentiment. Often
In advance of local opinions and those
who held them, and called upon to fight
hard for supremacy, the resourceful
and courageous man with his popular
newspaper never quitted any Held
worth the winning until It was won,
and his own standards of Democracy
had been accepted as the faith of the
party.
THE MAN FOR THE TIME.
Although it is by no means his only
claim to distinction, Mr. Watterson Is
best known, and will longest be remem
bered, as an editor. He was born to
the Journalistic purple, and he has worn
It exceedingly well.
The Kentucky field afforded htm the
fullest opportunity. Everything was
In the transition stage. In business,
in politics, in journalism, the old was
giving place to the new. The war had
left everything depressed, the alder
men all dscouraged. The call, the oc
casion, was for the young men, and, as
they always do, they came forward.
Mr. Watterson, although but Just ar
rived In the state, led the procession in
his line. The old Louisville Journal, for
long so great a power, was now almost
moribund. Mr. Prentice had lost his
favorite son in battle, his wife was
dead, his means were low, and he him
self was. a sadly broken old man. A
younger hand was necessary to guide
the paper and renew Us strength, aad
Mr. Watterson was chosen. He came,
and soon-gave the town such a taste ot
his quality that attention was attract
ed to him. Walter N. Haldeman was
the editor of the opposition paper,
and. being a shrewd man ot business,
saw that a new move on his part would
be necessary. This move took th3
form of negotiations for consolidation
of the two enterprises, and thus the
Courier-Journal the most euphonious
name of all the hyphenated ventures
was agreed upon as the name for the
new paper.
Mr. Watterson's task was difficult
even for him. He had not only to make
a name for himself, but in the very
shadow of Mr. Prentice's name. But he
did It, Their gifts, however, were not
alike. Mr. Prentice was the father,
and remained the master, of the para
graph. He was capable of sustained
effort, but he was not at his best In that
style of deliverance. Mr. Watterson,
on the other hand, cultivated the lead
er, and made It racy with the collo
quialisms of the soil. He studied his
constituency, and finding how best to
appeal to It, did so with conquering ef
fect As the turfmen say, he "struck
nis gait, and he has been keeping It.
and with it keeping the lead at home
ever since.
HIS INFLUENCE IN POLITICS.
The new paper dealt very largely
with national politics, and Mr. Watter
son, while a sturdy Democrat, took a
broad and progressive view of mat
ters, and did not hesitate to put the
complete reunion of the sections above
every other consideration. He advo
cated fair treatment of the new citizen,
the black man, both In the courts and in
politics. Ho swung the paper to the
support of Horace Greeley In 1872, and
brought the Democracy of the state, ns
of the greater pnrt of the south, to his
Bide. He was one of the men who
helped make Samuel J. Tilden the Dem
ocratic nominee for tho presidency in
1878, and In every national campaign
since then he has borne an equally con
spicuous part. Ills pen and voles have
both been at his party's service, and
both have been recognized as among Its
most potent Influences.
It is difficult to convey to those not
familiar with Kentucky life and the
Kentucky people Just the. power Mr.
Watterson exerts at home, and how he
does it. It is not the power simply ot
a writer, although he Is a charming
writer. It is not the power simply of a
man who controls the newspaper with
a wide news service placed first in the
hands of the people In the morning. It
Is a combination power, of brilliant
writer, of controlling editor, of genial
and companionable man, of alert po
litical observer, all rolled Into one. He
Is an autocrat. Indeed, with a writing
pad placed under his fist His people
believe In him, follow him, look out for
him, want to hear from him. William
Dean Howclls, in some delightful recol
lections of early Ohio Journalism has
treated of Horace Greeley's wide Influ
ence at that time; how people, even at
that distance, were Impatient to hear
what "Horace" thought about things
and devoured the Tribune upon Its ar
rival. This picture fits Mr. Watterson
and the Courier-Journal in Kentucky.
The people In all the little towns In
the small stores, at the cross-road?, in
the country court houses all want to
near from "Watterson," and hall his
double-leads as charts for guidance.
And far beyond the borders of Ken
tuckyas far down as the gulf states
his name carries a very great weight
HIS HOME AND WORK.
And for this work which he has been
doing so long, and still does so well, Mr.
Watterson has drawn Inspiration from
a happy fireside, and a devoted wife and
children. He Uvea modestly, but with
every comfort, on Fourth avenue, in
Louisville, and does the greater part
of his writing at home. Morning Is his
time for work and he yields to working
spells. When a spell comes on he al
most monopolizes his editorial page, and
when it posses he gives the "boys" a
chance. He keeps up his "lick" with
surprising freshness and effect. He has
been In the every day harness now for
thirty years without a break, and yet
leaders, magazine articles, lectures and
speeches show that his resources are un
exhausted. It Is not likely. Indeed, that
thirty-five or forty years from, now
when It will not be dangerous to refer
to him as an old man, it may still be
truthfully said that "age cannot wither
him, nor custom stale his infinite
variety."
Mr. Watterson. at the very outset of
his career, renounced the thought of
office for himself. He resolved to keep
himself clear of all such entanglements,
and to hold to the true Independence of
a writer for the dally press. He has, in
the largest measure, kept his faith. But
once has he ever turned out of it. and
on that occasion he yielded to a pressure
wnicn was simply irresistible.
He has, of course, always participated
in political conventions of his party,
state and national. He could not avoid
that service, for it grew out of his lead
ership In the discussion of political
questions. He presided over the nation
al convention which nominated Mr.
Tilden, and he was chairman of the
committee on resolutions In the conven
tion of J888 which renominated Mr.
Cleveland. At Chicago, In 1892, he led In
the debate In the convention which re
sulted In the rejection of the comprom
ise tariff plank reported by the platform
committee and the adoption of the free
trade deliverance on which the party
went to the country. In this way, and
In many other ways, Mr. Watterson
has long been prominently Identified
4Mth-ihe-makiflg-of current political h
tory.
FORCED INTO CONGRESS.
He was drafted for his one term in
office, and in circumstances testifying
to the very strong hold he had, and has,
on the admiration and affections of his
neighbors. It was In 1876. The mem
ber of the house from the Louisville
district had died and the vacancy was
to be filled, . A great contest over the
result of the presidential election was
coming on In congress, and the Demo
crats, It was seen, would stand in need
of all the clear heads and stout hearts
they could command. Mr. Tilden, to
whom Mr.Watteraon had already ren
dered great service, and who trusted
him Implicitly, wanted him elected to
the house, and so did the Louisville
Democracy, to a man. The tender of
the place was made In this tone of
semi-command, and Mr. Watterson
yielded, and, of course, was easily
elected.
At that famous session of congrens.
when the electoral commission was or
dered. Mr. Watterson was much In use
ful evidence. He championed Mr. Tll
den'8 cause with great earnestness, In
nlsted that he had been elected, and
that he should be seated. He exerted
himself to the utmost to bring about
Mr. Tllden's inauguration. But when
the decree went against him, he ac
cepted the situation without further
protest, and gave his Influence toward
the peaceable carrying out of the com
mission's decision. The peace of the
country, he said, was to be put above
all partisan disappointment. -
Nesting else engaged his attention
while In office. So Indifferent was he,
Indeed, to minor matters connected
with his place that one of the most
amusing experiences grew out of It. He
got a letter one day from an old ludy
.ving in Tennessee, wno had known
him when he was a lad, asking him to
send her some garden seeds. The let
ter was a puzzle to Mr. Wattorson, and
ho handed It to General Garfield, who
was a near neighbor In the house, for
an explanation.
"Why, certainly." said General Gar
field. . . "You've got garden Becda to
your credit at the agricultural depart
ment, nena a note over there and
they'll attend to It."
t So Mr. Watterson. wroto a note, di
recting that his quota of garden seeds
be sent to the old lady In" Tennessee,
nnose name ana address he Inclosed,
and It was done.
Presently nth a--.,,.-- - hi
ture began pouring In on him from his
va cuiiBiiiuenis, ana these he referred
io uen. uarneid.
"Do as In that other case." explained
LEARNED WHEN TOO LATR.
"But I ordered my share sent to that
Uttl latl ,
Not all of your share," replied Gen
eral narrirlil
"Why. how much am I entitled tor
Inquired Mr. Watterson, in a surprised
tone.
General Garfield threw back his head
and laughed long and loud. "Why.
man, that cli ladv has got seeds
enuugh to plant a county! If she were
vnsiuit-, Blle cuuin come to congress on
i-imiEm aione or your benefac
tlon!"
In a few days Mr. Watterson got an
other letter from the old lady thank
In r- him , Mn,AMi.-A-.A. .
Inff him. that ha hn i
- . - . h v. i , , IWUIIII1UI
she had been able to divide with a large
number of people in the county. But
that didn't help fill the yawning gulf
In the Louisville district, and Mr. Wat
terson was forced to hustle around and
i.ui row irom nis colleagues to save him
self at home.
An event Of tnllr.lt kannlnu. Ik-
-" ua)yiiicoa .u iu
W atterson household occurred at this
wmc. mrs. watterson had accompan
ied her husband to the capital, and in
the snrine- nt 1ST? n.v. ; i. .... .
- " i tv. .... 1 1 , j m t r. 1 1 v -
ea him with a eon. Mr. Watterson him-
t-ii imvins oeen Dorn in Washington
While hl. fflthpr wnn .ifiHni. I
-. HU v- () 111 VUII"
gress, the advent of the young man of
iuc mi fceneruuon in similar circum
stances was a coincidence fraught with
much Inv tr, all th., -,!! irht
j j -" ' "I'll J . A 1119 BUIl,
who was named for his father. Is now
iTumising young man or nineteen,
and will be one of the party to accom
pany Mr. Watterson to Europe, and
under his father's eye take a first view
ui mi- menu or tne oia world.
Nature in Story .
and Anecdote.
CON'CBRNINO FORAKER.
Major Stofer, a well-known Virginia gen
tleman hailing from fulpeper Court
House, and an expert In the science of
i""51! me mew york Sun cor-
i ,pm '8' wa" dl"buUng samples of
"""""' "m imurmtuion around tils
capital the other Uuy when somebody
mentioned MoKlnley and Foraker.
"They seem to be all right, now," said
the Major, "and they are thicker than
three In a bed. but wait till the convention
at St. Louis has develonml all that ,k
conventions usually develop, and then we
Mian bud wnai we snail see, as the ancient
Greeks were wont to remark.' Foraker's
part In It remind mo nf a
while not applying In all particulars, does
fw " ' jMumi i am maxing, it is
the story of Casey and Murphy. Casey
and Murphy were not friendly, though
Casey had married Murphy's sister and
Mrs. Casey had used her best offices In
patching up a peace. She succeeded In
preventing any open outbreak, but peaee
other thsn on a war footing seemed to bo
impossible to the good woman. However,
Providence tlnally took a hand by. sending
iu me iiuuie oi inn vuseys a son to
uh'i u iir;uew lo jiurpny.
"Twins?" SUBO-esteil a Con era a mm
The Major refused to recognize the
member.
"As I was saying," he continued, "a
child was born to the Cnseys, and Mrs.
Casey was glad, for she felt that nnw tho
two men must be friends. A christening
was, of course, a necessity, and Mrs.
Casey was talking to her brother about
It, and of the beauty of peace. She was no
far successful with Murphy that he agreed
to go to the store and bring home a cradlo
for his nephew's use. Then Mrs. Casey
sought her husband and told him that
when Murphy came back with the cradle
he must shako hands with him and be
friends. Casey shook his head doubtfully,
but agreed to see about It. Not long after
Murphy walked In with the cradle, anj
Mrs. Casey spoke to the two men. They
glowered at each other for a moment and
Murphy put down tho cradle.
" 'Be gorry,' said Murphy, sticking out
his hand, 'Oi'U be friends with yes, Casey.'
" 'Shake hands wld him, Casey,' urged
dirfl. vnsey.
"Casey put out his hand after the as
gresslvely submissive manner of an Irish'
man.
" 'Ol'll shake hands now,' he said to his
wlfo, then In an undertone, 'but OI'U kill
um at -the christening.'
"In my humble opinion," concluded the
Major, as he made a heroic effort to con
ceal his humility, "this Is about the way
It will show up between Foraker and Mo
Klnley when the debris of the convention
has been cleared away and we get at the
true conamon ot mines.
II II II
HE KNEW THE COLOR.
A delightful story from Johannesburg,
which Is peculiarly timely amid the pres
ent Insane worship of Dr. Jameson and nil
freebooters, has just reached London, says
the correspondent of tho New York Sun.
It describes a dispute among a group of
Boers over the color of the English fla-ii.
There was great lgnoranco and much dif
ference of opinion on the subject until an
old patriarch, clad In a blue shirt and
soiled yellow moleskin trousers, arose.
mis ruie was siung over nis right arm, nis
beard was long and white, his face was
yellow with 70 years' exposure to the sun.
ana nis eyes, once Keen, were dull. Ha
knew nothing about the English, was Ig
norant of their language, their ways, and
their grievances: but he was solid on the
color of the flag that the sun always
shines on. When he stood up there was a
murmur or "Uora fief and a respectrul
pause.
"The English flag," he said with an air
of placid certainty, "Is white."
There was a general cry of expostula
tion, which had no sort of effect on the
old warrior.
"Don't I know?" he asked gently. "I
have seen it, seen It three times; once at
Majuba, onco at Bronkerspruit, ana once
at Doornkop. Each time It was hoisted
and each time' It was white."
And that settled It.
II II II -
LI WAS SKEPTICAL.
General John W. FoBter. in a recent
lecture, related a story told him by in
American captain who formerly com
manded one of Li Hung Chang's steam
ers. It appears that while the Viceroy was
making a voyage to Hharighal the captain
explained to him the variations of the
urometer and a few months, afterward
received a summons to the yumen at Tien
Tsln. Expecting that he was to be given
a .reward for faithful service or some
other mark of the Viceroy's favor he put
on his best uniform and taking a sedan
chair passed through the old city and
announced himself at the door of thopul
nce. The Karl received him joyously, con
ducted him to the reception room with,
great ceremony, summoned his attendants
and retainers, and gave directions to the
servants, who brought In a handsome box
containing an expensive barometer that
hud just arrived from London.
Tho captain examined It, expressed his
admiration for the tine quality of the In
strument and declnred that It was the
handsomest he had ever seen. The Vi
ceroy -then asked him to explain to him
self and the attendants how he used the
barometer to foretell eventa and to ascer
tain lucky days. The captain, who, as Is
usual with the members of his profes
sion, had more candor than tact, pro
ceeded to disabuse the Viceroy's mind of
the Idea which possessed It. He told him
that the movements of the needlo Indi
cated dry or damp weather, e:ilm or wind,
and that persons of experience who wero
familiar with tho climatic conditions of
a certain locality miitht be able by ob
serving It o antlclpato the weather for
twenty-four, and, perhaps, for forty-eight
hours. He said that navigators at sea
always consulted a barometer at certain
hours of the dny and noted the Indica
tions In their logbook, but It was entirely
useless In foretelling events, and showed
an unfortunate degree of amusement at
such a suggestion.
Uy this time the Vlcorpy had worked
himself up Into a furious passion. He
denounced the captnin as an Ignoramus
and impostor, and declared -that he had
deceived him nnd should be severely pun
ished. He drove him out of the yamen,
forbade him to enter his presence again,
nnd even ordered his dismissal from tho
service of the company,
II II II
HK WANTED PROTECTION.
The nntto Intnr-Mountaln tells a gooi
gold-dust story ot (U-orge Wilson, who
owned the famous Paris mine In Park
county, Mont. Wilson was visted by somo
E'lKlbihrncn one day, among whom was
an expert of tne Ktixllsh pattern one who
knew nil about mines ami a grout deal
about everything else, in his own opinion.
Thoy wanted to see sume ot Wilson's gold,
and he panned out soma very Cue colors
BACKACHE.
-'v:
A Vary "rlflrs- InJIsstl at Orgaala
The back, u the mainspring' ot wo
man's organism, "auicklT calls atten
tion to trouble VyXaching. It talla
witn other symptomsyAuca as i
oesa, hecd-
acho, psina ia
loins, and
weight in low
cr part of
body.Uues
and "all
goao"feel
ing, that
nature
requires
assist
ance, nd
at
once.
Lvdia
E. Pink
nam s vere - .
table Compound for twenty yean hasf
-i , . T.
uccu mi one ana oniy eaecuvs remedy
in such eases. It speedily removes tha
causa and effectually restores tha
organs to a healthy and normal condi
tion. Mrs. Pinkham cheerfully answers
all letters from ailing women who
require advice, without charge. Thou
sundsof cases like this are recorded.
" I have taken one-half docen bottles
of Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Com
pound, and it has relieved me from all
pain. I cannot tell you tho S(jony I
undured for years ; pains in my back
(Oh, the backache was dreadful I) and
bearing-down pains in the abdomen
extending down into my limbs ;, head
ache and nausea, and very painful
monstruatlons, I had grown very thin,
a mere sliadow of my former self.
Now I am without a single pain and
am gaining in flesh rapidly." Matto
Glenn, 15U1 Dudley 8k, Cincinnati,
v III 11 v
for their edification. "But that isn't .
gold," pronounced the youthful expert,
after a critical examination. "Me dean
fellah, I am a graduate of the English '
School of Mines, and I know gold when I
see It, you know. That is Iron." Wilson
didn't say much. He just leaned over and
took the alleged expert confidingly by the
shoulder. Mebbe It Isn't," he said, "but
den't go and give It away to those fellows
down at the Denver mint, for I have been
selling the stuff to them for gold all ,
along."
II II II
A SHORT SUPPLY OF INK.
At a banquet In Cleveland last week
Billy Kounts told the following story la
his quick characteristic way. He said:
"Arriving In Pittsburg the other night on 1
a late train I dropped Into Newell's for a
bite to eat. While waiting for my order .
I hoard two waiters conversing In barely
audible undertones. The first speaker
said, 'Sandow came In last night after the '
theater and had some blue points and a
bottle of Bass. On getting his check he
laid a hundred dollar bill on the table,
took out a Btylographlo pea and wrote .
Sandow across the face of the note. I
asked, 'Why did you do that, Mr. San
dow? 'Oh,' replied the strong man, 'I
always write my name on every hundred "
dollar bill I break.' Then up spoke the
other waiter, who hadn't said a word yet,
'Do you know, I used to do that, too; but
I ran out of ink.' "
II II II
HIS LAMENTED MAGNITUDE.
IMall pours In on Speaker Reed these
days, and It Is of the most varied charao
ter. Very unique things some of his let -tera
contain.
For Instance, says the Washington
Times, tho other day he received a letter
containing a check for $1, "to pay," as the
writer put It, "for his time and trouble In
reading the communication." Of the dis
position of the check It Is needless to say-'
anything.
Another admirer wrote to him the other -day
In this strain:
"Ton are the greatest man In the United
States, and will bo the next President.
You have a big brain, and you are a mar
of lamented magnitude."
No ono enjoyed this more than Mr, Reed
himself.
II II II
OUGHT TO BE KNOWN.
An old colored man who wheels rubbiih'
out of alleys In a Southslde residence dls
trict, according to the Chicago News, con
siders himself pretty well known among
tho people away from whose -toack doors
he pushes ashes. Yesterday morning one
of tha gentlemen who employs the Africsn
wanted out in nis eacx yara ana spoxe
familiarly to the ash wheeler.
"What Is your name?" he asked, In ad
dressing the colored man. ,
-ueorge wasnington," was tne repiy. ,
"Washington Washington." repeated
the gentleman. "It seems to me I have
heard that name before."
'Guess you have." rejoined the African. .
"I have been wheeling ashes out of these
alleys for "bout 10 years."
II II II
BUT ONE OP THAT CLASS.
German Dollcemen aimreclata this lese "
majesty business about as thoroughly as
anvbodv. One of them arrested an Eng- '.
jlshman the other day for publicly declar- ...
Ing the emperor was several kinds of a
blank blanked fool. "That's all right," .
protested John Bull: "It wasn't your Em
peror, but the emneror of China, I was
talking about!" "That won't go," replied
the policeman: "there's only one emperor
who Is what you said!" And he had the
Britisher tinsel 1.25 for describing the em- '
peror In a way that a fool, though a way -
raring man, mignt unaerstana. .
II II II
THE NEAREST STEPS.
When the use of the automatlo vacuum
brake was first made compulsory on our
railroads, savs London Answers, great ..
pal nt- wers 'talcen-by the foremen ef-en-
gine sneus to see mat tne arivers war
fully alive to the proper working ot it.
In one of our northern towns a fore- '
man was examining a driver on this sub
ject and, after questioning him for soma
time, put the following query o him:
"If you were In charge of an engine and ,,
the brake failed and you saw a collision
wns unavoidable what steps would you
take?"
The answer. If totally unexpected, was "
not devoid of genuine wit. The driver
looked his questioner up and down, and
then, with a look of contempt, blurted
out:
The tender steps, sir: ana pretty Ban
dy, too!"
II II II
SOLACE FOR A SCOLDINO,
We are told that nothing atros us so
fast as sneer. Once an actress got In a
rage with Perrln, the Paris manager, and .
gave him a fifteen minutes tongue-Mum
ing.
"My dear j'orrin, saia reovre, wnen,
told of It, "what did you do?" ' ;
"Nothlnsr." renlied Perrln. "I said noth- . .
Ing and watched her grow old."
When you think of the Nickel Plata
Road It brings to mind that delicious
meal you had in the Dining Car, and
the fine service and Low Rates, and '
you wonder why people will travel via
any other line.
The St. Denis
Broadway and Eleventh St., New York. ;
Opp. Uracs Church. -Europtes tlsa. ,
Rooms li.oo a. Day and Upwards. "' i,
nu nnooirnsiva way laereare
few bettor conducUd hotels la the metrepells
thsn tlufcit, Denis. .. T ;
The great popularity it has equlreieaa ,
readily be traced to its nnique loaatlon, its '
Bnmellk stmosnhera the pecallsr astollsnoe
ut ltM etiifiliia tnd utvIiu Bnrl - hU. nuwl.a
- ,IIW. ( J
WILLIAM TAYLOR AND SON.
I