The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-04-23


When high officer in the public service
deviates from long established usage he
should either give, or enable his friends to
give for him, valid reasons to justify his
course. Reasons founded on his private
convenience will not suffice. They must
rest on grounds of public utility or the
country will not listen to them. The greater
part of our long line of illustrious Secre-
taries of State have been bred to the law.
but until now no one has gone into a court
in his professional capacity while charged
with the responsibility Of directing our
foreign affairs. Precedent has, indeed, but
little force against reason; but an unbroken
line of preccdents, extending through
nearly ninety years, creates presumption
that there is some good reason for the uni
formity. Mr.. Evarts is not the first Secre-
tary Of State who felt, when the place was
rendered him, that he could not maintain
its dignity on the salary OF the Office. In
1871 it was offered to practising lawyer MS
eminent as Mr.. Evarts. But it never oc-
Cured to Mr.. Webster that he might exc out
the inadequate salary by continuing to
render professional services to clients.
While he was hesitating as to whether he
ought to accept his Boston friends raised
by subscription handsome sum to enable
him to take the Office On that singular
and questionable transaction we make no
other comment than this, that it was clear
admiring friends were of the opinion that it
was not proper for him to continue the
practice of the law while filling the Office of
Secretary of State While Mr.. Webster was
Senator of the United States he earned a
large income as q lawyer. Congress is in
session, on an average, not more than half
of the year, and even during the session
SO little depends on any one member that
his occasional absence works no inconven-
fence to public business. Mr.. Webster never
hesitated while he was Senator to argue
cases in the Supreme Court while Congress
was in session. He did not hear the whole
of the Hayne debate, in which he took SO
distinguished a part because an engage
ment in the court room called him away.
But, although he had no scruple about prac-
Using law while serving in the Senate, he
never entertained the idea that he could
reconcile his profession with the duties of
Secretary Of state, and hence the large con-
tribution made by his Boston admirers to
enable him to take the Office. The incom-
patibility which he recognized seems to rest
on sufficient reasons.
A lawyer who has engagements with clients
cannot do them justice unless he appears in
court when their cases come up for argu-
ment. But it may happen, at such time,
that there is an unexpected crisis in the
foreign affairs Of the government In that
event either the clients who had depended
on him must suffer or the public interests
must be sacrificed The two obligations are
incompatible, and no public man has
right even to incur the risk of
becoming so entangled. Moreover, it is
the duty of Minister Of Foreign Affairs
to keep himself thoroughly informed re-
specting the latest developments of policy
in all the governments with which we hold
intercourse, and a statesman who does this
faithfully can have no leisure for outside
duties There have been Presidents, like
jefferson and John Quincy Adams, who,
having been Secretaries of State and ambas-
sailors to foreign countries, needed compar-
atively little assistance from the chief officer
of the Cabinet. But Mr.. Hayes does not be-
long to that class. He is entirely dependent
on his Secretary Of State for information re-
specting foreign governments, and Mr.. Evarts
having no previous experience in the great
Office he holds, there would seem to be en-
ployment enough even for his brilliant
faculties in keeping himself qualified to adj
wise the President and the Committees on
Foreign Affairs in Congress in every ext
gency that may arise. There ought to be
somebody in the government who is thor
oughly equipped in that kind Of knowledge,
and that person should be the Secretary Of
State.
1t is said that the salary of the Office is
inadequate that Mr.. Fish spent fifty thou
sand dollars year in excess of his salary in
maintaining the dignity of the office. This
is q false standard of comparison. Mr.
Fish, gentleman of great wealth, merely
| continued in Washington the same style Of
living to which he had been accustomed in
New York 1t was not the Office Of Secre-
tary which cost him SO much, but his own
previous habits as private gentleman. Mr..
Fish's independent fortune is no reason
why his successors should not, like him,
give their whole time to the duties Of their
Office. II the dignity Of The government
must suffer it had better suffer from less
profusc hospitality than from the spectacle
of Secretary of State going into the courts
as practitioner of law.
What Is Don Quixote Blaine Going
To DO About Itt
When the renowned "Knight Ct tho Sor-