Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1888-11-17
MR. SECRETARY eAYARp.
Correspondent Gives Him "a "Charac-
ter''-An Abused Man.

ter''-An Abused Man.
A special correspondent of the Phila-
delphia Record writes as follows from
Washington:
The proposition that black is white
was never more satisfactorily established
than it has been by the critics Of the
present administration of the State De.
partment. BY the sleight of-hand tricks
familiar to ell political jugglers they have
not only succeeded in making the worse
appear the better reason but the better
the worse. BY systematic misrepresenta
ton, by downright lying, by every method
known to meanness or mendacity,
the venemous enemies Of the Secretary
of State have set the public mind against
him and everything he has done. No
Secretary of State was ever so treated
before Other Secretaries of State have
been criticised by their political oppo-
nents; two or three have been criticised
by their political allies. But no Secre
tary Of State was ever the object
of the united and constant attacks of
leading men in both political parties
Now, there is just one Of two explana-
tions: Either Mr. Bayard is very bad
man. or Mr.. Bayard is very good man.
He deserves il all, or he deserves Just the
opposite. He is either the unprincipled
unpatriotic politician, or he is tn ,
American statesman of pure intent and
high independence If he is the former.
his worst enemies will have to admit
that he became so after he entered the
Department of State, for when he was
induced to give up the seat he
had so long honored in the Sen
ate to accept a place in the Cabinet the
whole country bore witness to his probity.
to his ability and TO his patriotism The
leader Of his side in the Senate by force
of ability and attainments, and not of
partisanship, he was distinguished above
any of his colleagues for his fairness and
his Independence. He was to the Senate
what Carlisle is TO the House-iust, lib
eral and patriotic. serving his country by
way Of serving his party best
Now / submit that even those who
have not been in Washington during the
past four years cannot be honestly per
suaded that man of this character
would be transformed by his appointment
to the State Department into any re-
semblance TO the man of straw which the
anti Bayard newspapers have been attack
ing through this administration. The
true explanation is a very sad one The
world does not seem to have
changed much since Aristides was
ostracized. It is still possible
to be too good for this world-"too parti
cular, as the Blainiacs said to -us Mug
wumps in 1884 Mr. Bayard has made
himself obnoxious TO this popular preiu-
dice. Entering public life about the
time that Mr.. Blaine did, giving up to do
so a growing practice yielding him more
income than any public salary, he has
labored continually TO promote the gen
eral welfare without regard to his own
private interest, so that he will
go out of Office in four months
a poor man. This career pre-
sents an offensive contrast to those of
our public men who have lost no oppor.
tunity TO east an anchor to windward. y
Nor was he less persistent in subordi-
mating mere party interest to public pol.
icy. Standing far above all the tricks
and trades Of politics. he was thrice
elected to the Senate by Delaware with
out soliciting a single vote, simply be-
cause he was her foremost citizen. This
current talk about Bayard having had a
bargain with the Saulsburys is simply
laughable.
Bayard never had to make bargain Of
"A uehi--ueNcf even nhu TO go TO Dover tt
come to the United States Senate. If h,
had made alliances they would hardly
have been with the Saulsburys, who are
his antipedcs. Having had such unique
experience in politics. it was perhaps not
remarkable that Bayard should attribute
to other men the motives that actuated
him, and assume that they were serving
their country and not themselves in poll
tics. Now imagine mar
with such antecedents placed a.
the head Of the Department Of State
His chief purpose was to carry out well
defined foreign policy, just, iudicious
patriotic. But some men thought that
his chief purpose ought to be to proyid,
offices for themselves or their friends
while others thought that his chief pur
pose ought to be to see that the newspa
pers get all the news there was going OF
in his department. II was not very Ions
before enough politicians and enough
newspapers in his own party had beer
disappointed to keep the wholesale trad
supplied with ISLANDERS and libels upol
him. After that it mattered not what h