Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-07-27
the event Of a death-vacancy in the presi

dency.
In 1S26-97 Mr.. Gallatin was ambas,a-
dor to England, in the highly important
crisis caused by the accession Of Mr.
Canning and Liberals to the administra-
ton. Returning to this country in De-
cember, 1897, he fixed his abode in New
York. From 1881 to 1889 he was presi-
dent Of the National bank there, and. on
his resignation in the latter year, was
succeeded by his son James. The re-
mainder of his life he devoted to litcra-
ture, occasionally writing on public af-
fairs, particularly on the Oregon question,
in 1916, and the Mexican War, two wears
later. He died in August, 1S49.
Albert Gallatin did not belong to the
order of ''self-made men," modern class
OF citizens whose chief merit appears to
be that they have amassed great wealth.
When minister at Paris, after the Resto-
ration, he successfully conducted with the
great house Of the Barings the negotia-
ton of loan for the French government.
Mr.. Alexander Barring Created Lord Ash
burton in 1880 pressed him to take a
part OF this loan, showing how, without
risk and without trouble, he must easily
realize what to him would be an independ-
ent fortune. Gallatin firmly resisted this
tempting offer, saying, II cannot accept
1t because the man who had the direction
OF the finances of his country as long as
have had, should not die rich In one
OF his letters, Mr.. Gallatin states that dur
ing the twelve years he was secretary of
the treasury he asked for only two ap-
polntments, one of which was to a small
Office.
1t will be apparent, we think, even
from our rapid sketch of Gallatin, that
his correspondence, here given very full
ly, must be Of interest and Importance
He appears to have had "troops IF friends
with whom he held the most confidential
relations. Of all the letters, those of
Thomas Jefferson are the most character
istic. In January 1907, when president,
he wrote: "The appointment of woman
to office is an innovation for which the
public is not prepared, nor am To- It is
curious, now, to read letter from Jeffer-
son, written in 1915, introducing Mr..
George Ticknor, "a young gentleman OF
Boston, who had brought high recon-
'AANnSA"e"Ao 11Ou1 eA-IIcS1QcnE JOnQ
Adams. and is described as s:excellentlv
educated, learned, industrious, eager after
knowledge 'and also ssamiablc, modest and
correct in his department" A little later,
September, 1916, Jefferson wrote that,
Congress in that year, having passed a
law giving themselves $1,000 a year."
had raised against that body
$50 unanimous an opinion of the people,
and that through every State of the
Union, which would so operate at the
election that "the entire mass will 90 out,
not only those wh~ supported the law or
voted for it, or who skulked from the
vote, but those who voted against it or
opposed it actively, if they took, the
money; and the examples Of refusals to
take it were very few" He adds: 'sThe
next Congress, then, Federal as well as
Republican, will be almost wholly of
new members" How far was this pre-
diction fulfilled? 1t is to be regretted
that several letters here, in French, have
not been translated, and the same is to be
said of the copious Gallatin geneology,
which is partly in French and partly in
Latin. With this exception, this work is
worthy of the highest commentator, as
a valuable addition to American history.
Henry Adams Three volumes. octave: M.
20S6. Published by J. B. Lippincott & Co.,
Philadelphia.