106 MATTHEW FONTAINE MAURY 



which was popular at that day, as one who "has by his 

 genius and his talents made himself the peer of earth's 

 great men, and who by his wooing of the stars has made 

 them to give forth speech and by his control of the winds 

 of the sea has compelled their obedience to man and made 

 them to become ministers of his happiness". 



All of this speaking and writing made Maury's name 

 known very widely all over the United States, and it 

 was but natural for some of his friends to think of him 

 in connection with the Presidency. They believed that, 

 if his adopted state, Tennessee, would heartily nominate 

 him, not as a party man but as a broad-minded, public- 

 spirited citizen, he could be easily elected, for his popu- 

 larity was great with all who did not aspire to the 

 leadership of some particular clique. But Maury did 

 not like politics, and besides Fate had in store for him 

 an entirely different future. However, in the light of 

 his attitude toward slavery and the preservation of the 

 Union it is interesting to speculate on how different the 

 history of the United States might have been, had he 

 been elevated to this high office. 



