the dictates of party expediency, and not in exemplification of the courage of political faith and purpose, on the part of the Democracy of 1856, that James Buchanan was made the party nominee instead of Franklin Pierce.

In this period, Chase, Hale and Greeley had already become recognized as statesmen of presidential proportions. Chase's candidacy for the Republican nomination in 1860 and 1864, and for that of the Democracy in 1868, were, in each instance, so formidable that, though unsuccessful, they were of far-reaching influence in national politics.

The candidacy of Horace Greeley by nomination of the liberal Republicans in 1872, with such a relatively unimportant associate as B. Gratz Brown, may have been impolitic. The ratification of those nominations by the national Democracy was surprising and, of course, temporarily disastrous to the party. It was, however, a change of front in line of battle, and all the chances incident to such a movement were necessarily taken by those party leaders who were convinced that no other course was open to them. It was a shifting of all the alignment absolutely prerequisite to the contest which was opened under the leadership of Mr. Tilden in 1876.

The one opportunity which was presented to General Butler, and by the acceptance of which he might have reached the presidency, was closed to him when he declined to accept the nomination for the vice-presidency, which it was generally conceded was at one time at his disposal, on the Lincoln ticket in 1864. His attempt to obtain a controlling position in the Democratic convention of 1884 and his subsequent flank movement against the party which had nominated Mr. Cleveland, both miscarried, but his attempt to compass by indirection the election of Mr. Blaine through his own candidacy as the nominee of the socalled People's party was too nearly successful to be regarded in any other light than as an important episode in

a most remarkable presidential campaign.

Henry Wilson had fairly entered upon the last stages of a successful progress to the presidency when he was made vice-president at the second Grant election in 1872. This peerless organizer was then the natural, if not the inevitable, heir to the succession. Had he lived it was hardly among the possibilities that he could fail to be nominated and elected to the presidency in 1876 or 1880, or for both the terms to which Mr. Hayes and Mr. Garfield were chosen.

Zachariah Chandler was regarded as an important factor in the disposition of the presidency, and his candidacy, until his death in 1879, was attracting an influential following.

In the cabinets of the war period the treasury portfolio was successively in the hands of John A. Dix, in the last days of the Buchanan administration in 1861, and Salmon P. Chase and William Pitt Fessenden, at the beginning of a Republican régime, until the end of the administration of Mr. Lincoln. The conduct of this department by these three sons of New Hampshire constitutes the most important chapter in the financial history of the American government.

In the second term of President Grant,. Zachariah Chandler held the office of Secretary of the Interior, Amos T. Ackerman that of AttorneyGeneral, and Marshall Jewell that of Postmaster-General. With William E. Chandler's service as Secretary in an important transition period in the history of the American Navy and in connection with the inauguration of far-reaching measures for the development of an adequate American war marine in the term of President Arthur, the past record of New Hampshire men in the cabinet is concluded.

Zachariah Chandler and William E. Chandler are also regarded as the Warwicks of the presidential complications and conditions which obtained in the contest between Mr. Tilden and Mr. Hayes in 1876, and their timely,

skillful and strenuous measures are now generally regarded as being the decisive factors in the course of events which resulted in the inauguration of Mr. Hayes as president.*

With the passing of the old school of statesmen of New Hampshire nativity, of presidential aspirations and presidential measure, twenty years ago, the state has been practically out of presidential politics as it is related to personal candidacies. The latter representatives of the virile stock of the Granite State are evidently attracted from the domain of national and local politics to more important and promising financial, commercial and material opportunities in the world's work. In this field well-informed observers readily recall the forceful and successful personalities of James F. Joy, Edward Tuck,

Austin Corbin, Charles W. Pillsbury, John C. Pillsbury, Thomas W. Pierce, Charles S. Mellen, Frank Jones, Hiram N. Turner, Charles P. Clark, Ezekiel A. Straw, Joseph Stickney, Stilson Hutchins and "Long" John Wentworth.

Some time ago, Senator Hoar, in the Forum, discussed the question whether the United States Senate, in point of average ability, had degenerated, comparing it, as it was constituted at the time of his writing, with its membership fifty or seventy-five years ago. Mr. Charles R. Miller, in a reply in the same magazine, made the remark pertinent then to his purpose and pertinent now to these comments, "That were Webster living in these days he would neither be in the Senate nor in debt."

Exeter, New Hampshire.

After the recent excellent sketches upon old Acworth and its people, it would appear there could be little more of interest to be written. However, a few items gathered by myself during the past thirty-five years may be profitably appended to earlier articles.

The more familiar one becomes with a community, the stronger is he attached to it.

was

As has been stated, the territory of the town of Acworth was granted in 1752 as Burnet, and by the second charter, in 1766, the name changed to Acworth, thereby making it the first town in the state of New Hampshire, alphabetically speaking, and to some of us, because of early memories and associations it is the first town in the state in many ways. Acworth is pretty thoroughly an agricultural town, and as such has some excellent farms.

In the west part of the town there were several good ones, one of which was the old Dea. Zenas Slader farm, now owned by Elmer H. Rugg, one of the selectmen. While in Dover, in 1908, I met Mrs. Ann E. (Slader) Nourse, eldest daughter of Dea. Zenas Slader, from whom I obtained notes of interest about this farm, her early life and people.

Dea. Zenas Slader, son of Thomas and Hannah (Holden) Slader, was born about 1800, near Acworth "Town." When a young man, he built the stone wall around the new (so-called) village cemetery. In later years he became a leading and influential citizen of the town; a selectman several years, moderator of the town meeting, justice of the peace, representative to the state legislature in 1861-62, and on November 17, 1842, he was chosen deacon of the Congregational Church, which office he held. till his removal to Nebraska in 1869.

He died in Fremont, that state, about 1880.

Immediately after his marriage to Melintha Wilson he settled on the farm just west of the one owned by his father-in-law (where Elmer H. Rugg resided ten years ago). Here he remained till January 1, 1829, when he was persuaded to buy, on easy_payments, the large farm owned by Joseph Wilson, his father-in-law, and where he resided for nearly forty years. At that time the buildings were getting old; there were almost no fences upon the place and things were generally "going down." However, by zeal and hard work, this farm, while in his ownership, became one of the best in town.

In 1798, the Wilsons built on this farm the large barn destroyed by lightning July 25, 1881, and, in 1833, Deacon Slader built the present one, next the road. In the summer of 1838 he also built the present substantial stone house, the only one, I think, in town. The stones for this house were all picked up about the farm, except the split ones, which came from the "Osgood ledge.' This house replaced a large, old-fashioned, onestory wooden dwelling that stood on the exact spot. There was at that time a cider-mill (a horse and a sweep were used for grinding the apples), a few feet west of the old house, that was used as a dwelling while the stone house was being built. This was long before either the Crane brook or Langdon roads were built.

The above-mentioned Mrs. Ann E. (Slader) Nourse, now deceased, was born December 27, 1823, in the house where her parents started housekeeping. She always attended school on Derry Hill and there were from sixty to seventy scholars when she was young, say eighty years ago.

Forty years later, in the fall of 1874, this same school was taught by Mrs. Angie M. (Hayward) Livingston, of South Acworth, with the following pupils: Andrew Isham, Harris Isham, Frank Reed, Hattie M. Blanchard, Eddie M. Kingsbury, Lizzie E. Kingsbury, Frank B. Kingsbury, Delia F. Kingsbury, and possibly one or two others; hence, this school, in about forty years, had dwindled to nine or ten scholars.

One hundred rods north of this schoolhouse, is the tiptop of Derry Hill, though comparatively level, where was once the farm of Iddo Church. This is said to have been the old muster field, where there were large gatherings on training day.

With the influx into New Hampshire, during the past two decades, of summer residents, it is not too much to predict that this old Church homestead will some day become a desirable summer home, for the view from the top of Derry Hill is superb. To the west the eye can travel on the back-bone of the Green Mountain range, from near old Mount Greylock in Massachusetts, to many miles north of old Killington, in Vermont. Monadnock, Stratton, Ascutney mountains, and a thousand smaller peaks, are all visible upon a clear day.

Nearby, at the corner of the road east of the Deborah A. Taylor house, is an old cellar hole, where an old oneleg shoemaker lived many years ago. His wife was a Miss Howard. He may have been the man who went about, "whipping the cat," as it was called, in those days.

About one mile southwest of Derry Hill schoolhouse, in a pasture west of the house, on the Henry Heard, Jr. farm, I believe, there is a cave in a ledge, known to but few people, where one may enter, say twenty-five feet. The writer was there about thirty years ago.

New York City has its "Five Points," and so has Acworth, too, one mile north of Derry Hill, but not a building of any sort is within seventy

rods of it. Dea. Thomas Ball at one time lived east of the "Points" and there he had a sawmill on Crane brook. brook. The water-wheel for this mill was a large "over-shot" wooden wheel, the water being conveyed to the same through a long spout which is said to have resembled a sieve when the mill was in operation. A fire destroyed this mill about fifty years ago. In those days one could not speak ill of his neighbor, for he was almost sure to be speaking of his cousin, or a cousin of his cousin-they were pretty much a town of kindred, by birth or marriage.

From old deeds it appears Dea. Zenas Slader sold his farm of 220 acres September 19, 1868, to Paul Cummings, who, after a few months, sold to Edwin F. Hubbard and he in turn sold, on January 24, 1871, to Edward A. Kingsbury.

Mr. Kingsbury was born in Surry, February 14, 1839; was a soldier in the War of the Rebellion; resided in Georgetown, Mich., from 1866 to fall of 1870, and, early in February following, he settled on the Slader farm in Acworth with his wife and four small children; three more were born to them while here, which was their residence till October 25, 1887. During this time he was selectman of the town. In the fall of 1881 he built a large barn to replace the one destroyed by fire a few months previous. The frame was one from the Moses Lancaster farm and was originally built in 1802. After selling the above property to F. L. Wheatley (the father-in-law of E. H. Rugg), Mr. Kingsbury settled in Keene, where he was a member of the school board twelve years, selectman, justice of the peace, a member of the city council, and, in 1905-6, representative to the New Hampshire state legislature. For over twenty-five years he bought wool in Cheshire and Sullivan Counties.

Acworth held several successful town fairs thirty or forty years ago. From an old poster it appears the

"12th Annual Acworth Town Fair" was held Tuesday, September 28, 1880. The officers were: president, George Bailey; vice-president Samuel Slader; treasurer, Charles J. Davis; secretaries, Dr. Carl A. Allen and George W. Buss; marshal, Col. James A. Wood; directors, Judge J. H. Dickey, George W. Potter, J. H. Reed, Samuel Slader, Daniel C. Walker, A. F. Buswell, E. L. Sarsons, Capt. Daniel Nye, George W. Young, Frank M. Metcalf, A. A. Mathewson, A. G.

Graham, J. R. Crossett, Oliver C. Holt and Frank H. McLaughlin.

By looking over the above names and about one hundred others, who were the judges and committeemen of this town fair, as shown on this poster, one finds that they were the leading and influential citizens of the town at that time. But few of them are have moved elsewhere, while many now living in "Old Acworth," some more are resting quietly, in the "city of the dead"-the cemetery. Proctor, Vermont.

Warner, New Hampshire.