New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-05
rapEwE11 WoRbs To sECRETARYBAYARD
REFLECTIONS ON THE COMING oBscURATloN IN
TIE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
.r,,,r p,chuoud in The North American Review
The hlstoiia Of current events WHO sIouu Srcat
that he failed recall another tance Who're eea
,rufation was quickly wasted as yours ma u
could rot safely be accused OF having sn9ra 'o read
If such declaration should be so aeItu o. " ina.
1,rcNlcssly wasted" it would at once become is
curaie and misleading You have not 9eem ratber
In the abstraction of your fame, but cautous ra''T
and circumspcct You seem 10 the dlspassii9na'o Uo
server to have arranged your own eclipse wi Han TO
full attention to every detail OF inc ot, about
have foresecn and indeed, to have plouel en-, "o oyn
with elaborate pains, The of hing
IS deccitnl. You are not a denD ,n 'nn miShi
You have srdcnty longed that your iha "a" Won vii
set, and It cannot De 9ouoleu M Of
retire from public life with bitter rc1
having been unequal lo me 'S Cor yon do not under
stand yourself II Is so many years shco So ~ thc
bbed The idea that yon we1 sS.e iniIsted upon
first rank, and your coui rymoh 80 MI ;tn reale The
that estimate, that you "lll never quiIe rodr"o III"
truth which is now apparent 70 every ov one nary was
under the spel Of the Bayard tradition There I haA
have been Individuals in the halcyon past VINO na d
conceived the startling snsplcon INA nv 81 iarrer
fl.cld Senator from Delaware was hOl nuOh ' o.
the e" ewes of the people without political distinction
you wore a noble and notable figure ING wiiisF s
heard for many successive years with an incrcduious
smile the Incredibly testified 10 an aIcu.S,
degree a reflection upon yourself lhueSu' 80 pa, &c
swaert 81 Your political adverssrcs always
reminded by your alatan win len cnd have been
Spc~ajed mon 10 nominate YOU and II remarkable
selection should have been Iatlned az the tu1s' t
the second time good had come out Of Nazareth and
YOUR comDar.Os would have felt plsasui 'Dlo ar
u pride and satisfaction at the ap0heOSS Oh hereditary
Do not misunderstood to say, Mr. secret Vafh
thu your cOuntrymen have ever regarded you WIZ
a1Tection or with reverence which Implies anecuoh
That is an emotion which you never evoked. N or
snirfd II has been said that Daniel WEBSTER occsr
sonally appeared TO his contemporaries as Moses al
a. c,onds and thick smoke of Sinai his face al
radient with the breath OF dlViny' 1ou Sir ~.
self enrolled were, fortunately, never cansu upon ~
s;snd and deliver reason for the faith that was III
them. You are not yet old ana Is only "a, anOr'
time since yoy were young but Tor al piacucaI pu1
iiquy ard there was not human being so profahe
as to nvaIidaie your nmDds ,
Four years have now elapsed since you e., conuo
seconded 10 be monopOized by portfolio. for 1t was
nj later than January. 1855, when you became aware
that Grover Cleveland had determined to make you ne
instrument OF his own imm0ianty' Ihiee nV V We
later YOU were seated IN the chair Of seward with me
appreciation of the American people, ana rom '1ae
ccign of vantage you forthwith began 10 survey ul'
world, and prepare 70 open your oyster The ma
tions of the earth had schooled themselves against
surprise at the Eruption cf representative unc,Isres
from the United states and had generally avoided AL
manifestations OF alarm but you succeeded In START
ling moro than one out Of the composue wich
bnfits clea, Kings and commonwealth | shall NOT
arouse painful memories. some OF which nave pecn 81
O; the doubt and assume that they are dead by any,
tbing more precise than an alluson 10 the wonderful
diplomatic discoveries that Won made Wnen you ufh,u
yorr double convex lens upon the Democratic cohorS
in search Of patriots who were Wiling 10 loaVe ,ncr
native land for q term Of years. The COLLECTION "dch
you made and subsequently, dispersed over me lace Oh
The earth bore such witness TO the possibilities OF our
SOIL aud climate not even the Parts Exposition haa
been able to furnish. That famous orchid. Kelley
vrginienss, perhaps your most conspicuous nous
flnd' but others were not less skluliy unear'hed
and were more successfully tTansplaned.
And this my dear secretary. comes sufficiently near
10 exhansfing the list OF your diplomatic masterpieces
IT, as dare tO hope you should confer upon me me
distinction OF be-niing agmen' OF me proio ai
Glance al these pages the thought may possibly occur
10 your mind which has occurred to others ana 10
which have already made aliusOn When you have
wealth which Is soon make the rash experiment OF
doubt tina; you will gradually come 10 survey i lns
events the last four years with me clear and I'M
partial vision Of pos.ery on NV, VII 10 yar mora
cation that your tundcrbots have been hurled agains
only weak and helpless members OF the family OF
nations. and that your comfy has been reserved e&
clusivey for the great and powerful ms rcncGtl0h
whether it disturb your tranquility or not, VIII hu
miliate your countrymen. They VIII remember WIN
shame that you helped England 10 all she wanted IN
the North Atlantic, and Germany 70 more man she hah
asked Tor in tic South Pacific and that those acts o.
nlre beneyoence were diversified by ignOble demon
st atoms Of national pride and proves so often as
your contemplation turned upon The struggling soy,
ereignicS OF Mexico ana samoa OF bayu anu
Morocco
The country beheld you rise to greatness with appro
baton blt not with sympathy, and II VIII follow your
retreat into oblivion with glad but not vndictive eyes
You never blessed VIII friendships. AMI you are
doomed 10 make TIE rest OF y2Gr Iignmsge without ,
reverses and, a. seek for some expression f'ly to
discriminate the emotion with which yog are remem
bered my thoughts recur to one OF the final touches
which he great painter Of men and manners put upon
tlc most pathetic picture in modern Literature. Com
parng George the Third TO King Lear, Thackcray
BORROWED these lines from Shakespeare:
"yex not bis ghost oh LET him n, pas pa. he hates him
Stretch him out longer"