Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-02-06
CALEB GUSHING

old.
CALEB GUSHING
HE share OF the w - az the Asue,a A,h,,,s.
uon-A Piece Or nwrItssn Hissory-Two
Memorable BssskfAsn Mr.. & ushisss wo.-
dessui Consessasionaa Powess--lsis strong
Ansipathy 70 Essfand
Correspondence Sew York Tribune.
London, Jan. 3.-Pray allow me a
word OF regret and respect TO the
memory of Mr.. Gushing, OF whose
death we hear by cable this afterno IN.
| know all that can be said and has
been said against Mr.. Gushing; from
Mr.. Lowell's fierce (and, alas iust)
satire down to the reckless aud igno.
rant abuse OF him in the English press
with respect to his share in the Ge-
neva Arbitration. With the views
that governed his political career |
have small sympathy. With the man
| have great deal Of sympathy. and
for his abilities ! had the most sim
cere admiration. So have | for the
use he made of them at Geneva. The
services he then did his country were
such as to outweigh q long catalogue
OF mistakes in home controversies. In
saying that don't forget the brilliant
contribution of Mr.. Evarts to the tri.
umph there won. nor the solid merits
OF the present Chief Justice, nor even
Mr.. Bancroft Davis's unwearied in
dustry and great-perhaps too great
ingenuity. in respect of indirect
damages. But Mr.. Cushing's position
aud services were in some respects
unique. The tribunal before which
he appeared was a mixed tribunal.
Its members belonged to five different
nationalities and possessed but one
language in common-the French.
which was indeed the language strict
ly belonging to no one Of them, but
was the only one Ineligible to all.
Mr. Cushing was, think, the only
counsel on either side who ventured
to address the arbitrators in the
tongue they all understood. His com
maud OF French gave him q great ad.
vantage, and he used it to the utmost.
His colleagues and opponents spoke
in English Tor American,) and their
arguments were afterwards submitted
in q written translation to the Brazil
ian and Italian arbitrators. M. STAN.
phi had made himself master Of printed
English whether he understood il
as spoken | don't remember. Mr..
Gushing, at any rate, is entitled to
something more than his distributed
share of the compliment paid to the
American counsel by more than one
English authority. It was felt here,
and it was said, that the English
counsel were over matched in the
case. Professional opinion at the
English Bar took the form OF remark
ing that Great Britain would have
come off better had Sir Rounded Pal.
mer been arbitrator, and SIR Alexan-
der Cockburn been counsel. doubt
it. Sir Alexander Cockburn has al
ways shown himself capable, even on
the bench, of taking care of what be
deems the right side in any cause at
issue before him. He was arbitrator
technically; he was in fact the repre-.
sentative and advocate of England.
and so bore himself throughout the
whole debate as to earn the praise
which belongs to q skilled partisan.
And it was because Mr.. Cushing ex
posed, truthfully but mercilessly, the
role which the Lord Chief Justice of
England played in this business that
he was reviled by English writers.
Had his critics known how much OF
the whole truth he withheld they
might have taken, l will not say
more lenient view, for Mr.. Cushing
would have rejected their lenlty with
scorn, but more just view Of his
book on the Treaty of Washington.
l know something of the interior his
tory Of the Geneva proceedings. /
know great deal oft from Mr. Cush-
ing himself. spent day with him
10 Paris on his return, and I heard
from his lips narrative of trsgi com.
ical interest; with respect to which
I can only say / hope the material of
it exists in some reproducible form. /
sought Mr.. Cushing's permission at
the time to publish it, but he refused.
1t was too early, he said. In mis- view,
its publication at that time would
have made matters worse and not
better, and whatever may have been
alleged of his animosity to England.
he had no desire to envenom the hos
tility then existing between the two
countries. His scruple was so strong
that / took no notes of the converse
ton. always meant, nevertheless,
to have asked leave to make record
of it for future use, but that good in
tention has never been fulfilled, and is
recalled when it is too late.
/ must pass from that memorable
interview, therefore, and leave the
story of i. untold, 80 far as il relates
to the main subject. Bat I may say
how clearly l remember the peculiar
quality Of his conversation, and what
an impression it left on me Of the es-
sential kindliness and sincerity of his
nature. / know that in saying this /
run counter to common notion about
lin. lie has been called hard and
cold and dry. / never found him 80.
found him. then and On other occa>
sions when | met him ia private, one
Of the best takers / ever met, and /
think no man 3 good talker in the
hest sense unless bis talk be symps-
thetic as well as intellectual. He YER
iieo-in somewhat unexpected way,
if you like-the genial remark that
there is good deal OF human nature
| in most men. There was much more
IN him than he had credit tor. /
breakfasted with him that day. He
lodged in the Hotel de Calais .
rather old.fashioned French house.
situated in one of the nsrrowest and
drpgiest streets of the most central
quarter OF Paris. His apartment was
large one on the first floor ante
room, salon and bedroom. We sat
! down to table at IL, and from II in