Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-20
A C.,sas Go the Ce...r,.,.

EDITOR OF SrAR.-StR: When S.lmon
Portland Chase became q dead tnmor-
tsi, everybody az We make . few excep-
tions,) turned and toned his pen or his
fps to eulOgize the great departed. Bat u was
not long tin some persons began 70 take ano.h-
ct tone respecting his iliastrious relation 70 his
country aud his times The Nora zn-rioas
h'rtetc, Tor January, IL q. NAV. however, be re-
gArced a. the printed issue which hss gone the
,-tehssI IN Encouragement Of the late Chief las
ice, morally and intellectually.
That the late Chief Justice was = faaltleSs
character he himself could not have fanciea.
that he was either a saint or a deputy omo,s,i-
eat. That biography OF him. which Sh.lI roo-
cesl his faults and foleles, VIII be vSIniy false
and ioolishiv unfsithfal But. on the other
hand, whoever intimsteS that Secretary Chase
was the creature represented In the January
number OF the NorfA Alerioda Rsricc. dis
ersces, not The famous dead, but some one Who
still lives. The pen that can eive out an into
dalton.
In effect, that article represents tie man
whom Lincoln first made Secretarv al fbs
Treasury, and then appointed the Cher In.
tee OF the Cnion-such. according 20 CHEF
OF his ofice-in effect, say, that article repre-
sents the man 50 hOnored and 80 tras.c1 AZ
financially an ignorsmous and jadicIa.iy a
knaye.
A diary OF the man so cruelty censurei AFTER
his departure ffcm the teld OF battle, kf.own a.
life, contains, under date OF March =, ISL, this
entry:
ii WAS tardy riser this morning. TIE sun
anticipated me by more than an hour When an,
read the scriptures, finished Akenside' poem,
peIused an article In the I'd. Rev. on the
Effects of Machinery and Accumulation, an 4
about tfty pages OF the Hc0ih q Ad'iass, an
about dozen pages OF Say
The January number OF the Nor'l sa.ri-ra
hsrttir for lsS2, contained an article by Mr..
OhAse on the fnfrfs II h0rtinsrn. That article
has been represented by eulOgists as indicating
pracucal and thorough study OF the science
n ni5, y see ms 10 me may well be christened
PUBLIC Economics. IL Is not my purpose 90 eN-
smine whether Mr.. Chase in that eminently
characteristic contribution to the Nortt Enssrf-
can Rertsr ioreshadoSed has financial course
and character. Nor shall I offer here a jndg-
ment as 10 Chase's depth OF want of depth a. a
practical and theoretical economist domestic.
or political. My present purpose is, hrst, 70
three and twentieth year Mr.. Chase had begun
10 study, scientifically. the cOgntions which
relate to public wealth, aud, second, 20 enter
II i can, most respectful caveat 20 censors.
IL il understood that there are in PREPARATION
At least two elaborate accounts OF the public
services and private life Of Salmon Portland
Chase. J am able 20 say that one of them has
nearly reached completion. and that. while Al
Is chiefly made up OF matter drawn from the
diaries, letters and other writings of its hero. Il
Is very tree from conscious Partially. Jntil
that work, or some equally full and equally
methodic, as well as equally impartial showing,
shall have been made of Salmon Portland
Chsse inney life, all censures OF his outer life
must be in hnger OF damaging their authors
more than they can damage that true wOrthy's
memory. without very carefully examining
some such showing, no one can be safe IN trying
10 interpret the enigma In the public life OF the
msn 10 coarsely censured in the Nsrfh AmerioaA
ReristU.
Let censors, then. take care. They have no
occasion TO be 80 cenSOriOus while 80 Imperfect
~ informed. They can afford TO ''wat tor ths
facts" at least as well could Senator Pugh
on well known occasion.
r.,- ,. -. y b. WAEDES.