New-York tribune., 1885-07-09
THE lost KELLEY.

THE LOST hEiLEI.
Has anybody seen anything of Kelley; A. NJ.
Kelley. statesman, diplomatist, philosopher ana
reformer: citizen Of the sovereign State OF
yirgeenyer,r but owning q cOndescending ana
casual olIepiance to the Federal Union who
was lately irradiating the society OF Washing
ton with his mild, benignant presence, put now
loosed like Noah's ark bound dove with DIS
matches of the highest Importance tied rounu
his leg. flies all abroad the Lord knows where
Has anybody seen Kelley Kelley, the wii'te-
rinoed district messenger of peace, to whom
Thomas +. Bayard some days ago-alas, how
wearilv they drag-opened the window OF the
ark and said with inherited imprcssiveness,
aShoow? Kelley, who, with faith OF the most
touching character that he wouiu Do aoio ~
get in somewhere, futtered forth upon the
bosom of the deepf Kelley, whose return with
q sx-foot olive branch this pacific Admlnistra-
tion with its elbows on the window Sill an4-
iously awaits Awaits the more anxi0usly be-
cause Higgins reports that Shem, Ham ana
Japhet threaten mutiny unless they can have
foreign appointments, and places must be found
for them somewhere. Moreover, Secretary
Whitney reports the ark unseawOrthy ami says
it ia absolutely necessary for the safety OF the
cargo that some place be found where she car
be hauled up and turned inside out, so that the
barnacles shall all be inside.
Seriously, though, to drop metaphors which
are utterly inadequate to the occasion, the mys-
terious disappearance of Kelley is not only be-
ginning to excite the horror of the civilized
world. but is actually embarrassing the Admin
istration. Were Kelley mere Postmaster or
Internal Revenue Collector sent out by higgins
with commission in blank to hnd an
offensive par Itisan to decapitate and sup
plant the case would have only local and per-
sonal interest. 1t would not arouse the atten-
ton of the civilized world. Nor woald IT en-
barrass either the Administration or Higgins.
With so ample a supply OH hand 1t might be a
relief. But Kelley is unique. Probably the
Administration could NOT in searching the
world over find so fit an instrument to test the
temper of foreign Governments and their dis
position toward us as q people. Not only ht'
but willing For unless we entirely misappre-
hend the facts in the case, Kelley has no obIcc-
tion to being tried on all the Courts OF Europe
in succession in this capacity. provided, OF
cour,e. that he retains Il continuous hold on the
nav roll. In this view Kelley is rather II COM
mand,ng figure in the worlds history at the
present moment. 1t is hardly too much to say
that he is actually somebody in particular. not
withstandng the fact that he was nobody In
particular only so short time ago. No wonder
then that so profound feeling should be eX-
cited by his disappearance. In the midst OF the
general depression, however, IL Is a comfort To
know that Higgins, unmoved-or only slightly
moved-keeps right on in the great work OF
turning the rascils ont. So that we may say
with the poet, Leaves have their tim" to fall,
and Kelley his. 10 disappear from round the
diggins ; but all, thou hast all seasons for
thine own. o, Higgins"
Kelley, at last accounts. had ~taken
header into Continental Europe. The Adj
ministratiol stood by looking on, much "a the
bold Sir Bedivere watched the surface OF the
mere when he flung the brand Excalbnr. IL
was a question whether an arm emerging from
the mere. clothed in white samite, mystic,
wonderful would grasp him by the leg and
make an end OF him, or whether "A little later he
would rise to blow like storm tossed and
weather. beaten whale, and wiping the dew
drops from his brow, shake his gauntlet a. the
towers of some imperial court, and demand
recognition as a citizen of "Nirgccnycr," IN
cidentally connected with the diplomatic SER
vice of the United States. (N. B. This figure
seems little mixed but it can't be helped; we
Ale too much agitated over kcilcy's disappear
ance to be ~ particular as Milton was IN writ
ing Lycdas) And still there stands the Adj
ministration staring vac Intly at the spot on the
edge of Europe at which Kelley went in. He
may come mp at Rome he may come up mt
Vienna; being n little ahead of Cox, IL is not
impossible tnat he may bc heard from next at
Constantinope; perhaps an eruption OF
Vcsuvius may disgorge him; and then again,
perhaps-oh, woful perhaps-hc may never
emerge. In this trying period of suspense, there
is nothing to be done, of course, except to offer
rewards, employ detectives and keep sharp
eye on all the royal and imperial backstlrs in
Europe Should citizen OF "Virgconycr be-
discovered descending any OF them hurrlcdly,
holding himself together from behind, we may
make up our minds that Kelley has been kicked
out and war impcnds.
Meantime, if anybody hears anything of
Kelley, he should at once inform the State
Department. Secretary Bayard is looking for
him with an interest hardly surpassed by the
man who made such diligcnt and protractcd
search for the lost penny, mot because he
cared for the money. but he did want to know
where the darned thing had gone to-"