Maryland in national politics

Front matter

MARYLAND IN NATIONAL POLITIC

FRED'K ESSARY

OF THE

Introduction

This book was written with. the idea of recording in some permanent form the splendid achievements of that group of Maryland patriots, statesmen, diplomatists and jurists who have contributed most to the greatness of the Republic, men whose public services established them as national characters, as contradistinguished from purely State figures.

In no sense is this a history of Maryland, nor is it a history of the United States. It is, however, a faithful presentation of the parts played in the nation's history by those distinguished Marylanders of the past century who helped lay the foundation of this government, who have builded upon that foundation, who have made their country's laws and have had a potential influence in shaping its destiny.

In dealing with the careers of these men the hard-and-fast lines of stereotyped biography have, in a measure, been abandoned. The places and dates of birth, the early education, the eccentricities of old schoolmasters, boyhood pastimes and youthful love affairs are, of course, affecting details, but they are not the circumstances in the lives of strong men that arrest attention and sustain the interest of those vi Introduction.

who study success and honor greatness. It is the design of these sketches to comprehend the big vital facts concerning these illustrious Marylanders, facts that give them their true historical setting.

No other work has come to my notice that treats, in this fashion, of Maryland's share in national politics. Biographies of a few of her individual statesmen have been written. Brief reviews of others are extant, but no previous effort has been made, so far as I am aware, to assemble all the members of this famous company in one volume, preserving in it a register of their service to the nation.

I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge my appreciation for the valuable assistance and advice given me in the preparation of these sketches by Judge Ashley M. Gould, Senator William E. Borah, Mr. Gist Blair, Dr. Samuel E. Forman, Mr. Arthur Peter, Mr. Douglas H. Thomas, Mr. William B. Rayner, Mr. Philip Francis Trippe, Mr. F. Julian Bailey, Mr. J. Henry Baker, General Thomas J. Shryock and many others.

I may also add that I have consulted freely the published works of Bernard C. Steiner, J. A. J. Creswell, Frank Richardson Kent, Charles Francis Adams, Louis E. McComas, J.Thomas Scharf, Thomas Jefferson and Mad-

Introduction. vii

ison Davis. The memoirs of Thomas H. Benton, Gideon Welles, James G.Blaine, "Sunset" Cox, Shelby M. Cullom, Ben Perley Poore; the biography of Roger B. Taney, by Samuel Tyler, and that of William Wirt, by John P. Kennedy; the American histories of Henry Cabot Lodge, Woodrow Wilson, John Bach McMaster, James Schouler, Julian Hawthorne, James Ford Rhodes and E. Benjamin Andrews; the Journals of the Continental Congress and the Debates of the Constitutional Convention have been referrd to for the accuracy of many of the historical circumstances outlined in this book.

J. Fred'k Essary.

Washington, 1915.