The Portland daily press., 1894-02-15
PORTLAND DAILY PRESS THURSDAY MORNING.

| ing to quietly and perslstently score hin
on account of the prominent part which
he had taken in the accomplishments OF
that portion of the Ashburton treaty
touching the Maine northern frontier.
| This, though at the time formally ac-
quiesced in by the commissioners from
Maine and its responsible authorities,
was Immediately after it's accomplish.
| ment officially condemned by It's gov
ernor as unfortunate and unjust and was
always unsatisfactory to the people OF
| this state, and d continual source OF
| complaint on their part. Mr. Williams,
| his associate in the Senate from Maine,
| voted against the ratification OF the
treaty, opposed it by all honorable
means within his power, and continually
| denounced 1T.
In this weakness OF the Whig party in
| Maine, and in the divisions among its
| leaders, which were followed by some
| local opposition to the candidacy of Mr..
| Evans for the cabinet, carried on in part
secretly and in part openly, party con-
sideration could easily find sufficient
| apology for the refusal of the President
to, confer on him the high honor which
he desired. Yet he had all the qualities
of a model cabinet officer He was COM
panionable without being effusive; he
wa a good listener as well as good
talker; he had business methods and
executive talents, large training IN
national affairs, thorough knowledge
of departmental work, ana, so far as the
financial interests of the country were
entrusted to the Wings, he had stood at
the head in the second rank, putting
Clay and Webster as the only occupants
of the first. He had been a Wing OF
Wings. Although of independent mind
and of rectitude and frmness OF convlc-
tions, he remained continuously within
the lines of his party and it's policy, be-
cause they thoroughly approved them
selves to him. Therefore from the stand
point Of, his own personal merits, which.he
knew as well as any man and this with
out over-appreciating he seemed to
have given bountifully of his fidelity
and friendship, and received ashes in re
turn. He was not revengeful, but the
iron entered his soul. -Four years after
wards he, with others, led the conven-
tion in favor of General Scott AS against
both Webster and Fillmore. The senti-
ment in Maine in favor of General Scott
had been carefully worked up, commenc-
ing the winter prior to the convention.
Evans was chosen the first delegate-at-
large and Mr.. Fessenden the second; and
thus he went at the head of the state
delegation, which on every ballot voted
a unit for General Scott. Beneath the
blows of himself and those associated
with him, there fell, as the result of the
convention, the greatest intellect this
country had known in many generations,
and also, through it's defeat in the fol-
lowing Presidential election, the Wing
party itself This was the dark period
in the life of Mr.. Evans but whether in
the end he himself suffered more from
the blow received than from that which
was given, no one can be assured. After
the campaign of 1852, no bitterness was
expressed, and be did not complain,
unless the sad. but not unkind nor
querelous expression seen in his Won
derful eyes, which accompanied the in
firmities OF his later years, was such
complaint.
"The cabinets of Harrison and Tyler,
of TayIer and Fillmore, aside. from
Webster, found no members who were
the peer of Evans. except Ewing, Critten-
den ,and Reverdy Johnson, men with
whom he was ordinarily classed for
ability, character and craftsmanship. 1t
is striking example of the fragility of
mortal fame, that of all the men who
formed the cabinets spoken of, Webster
alone excepted. none, not even these dis
tinguished gentlemen I have named, nor
Evans himself, are in the public mouth
today outside of the states whose. sons
they were.
MIR. Evans was about five feet and ten
inches in height. He was broad of
shoulders, compactly and strongly built,
erect in his prime, and carried his head
with dignity and firmness. He had no
overhanging brow and no pretence TO the
.god-like, but his head was large and
strong, and it's contour as shown in his
profile was graceful and indicated the
all-round man which he was. He was
ordinarily spoken Of as handsome man,
and he was so in the better sense of the
word, his eyes being a striking and re-
markable feature in that respect. His
hand, although strongly moulded. was
small and peculiarly refined in it's out
lines. The chlrography which flowed
from it was almost lndescrlbable; it was
comparatively small and yet APPEARED
large; it was refined and yet not linical.
His signature, although neat and firm
and peculiar, failed utterly to betray to
me the characteristics of the man or of
his career. On the whole, his hand
writing was that in which Macauley
might well and appropriately have
written his history, of England. HIS
gesticulations and the movements of his
body in addressing the House or the
Senate, popular assemblies or the court,
were for each practically the same, as
also were his pure and simple, but
strong methods of thought and die tion.
III such occasions were for him ap-
parently of equal Importance. The out
ward manifestations of his oratory were
simple, not over-abounding, but very
effective Ordinarily, as describ bed to
me by friend who heard him in his
strongest days which privilege I never
enjoyed, they were for the most part
quiet, but at the crucial points breaking
out with power which seemed to sweep
everything before him like tempest.
He may have had the training in
elocution which was more in fashion in
his day than in ours; but, if SO, it was
not possible to detect it, and the result
was one to which might be applied the
phrase, 'ars est celare artem.
"His personal character and mental
and moral capacities are difficult for me,
a non expert in biography, to describe,
because that there are no peculiar promi-
nences which I can seize, either with
one hand or with both. He was not
eccentric, he was not self-sufficient he
was not overbearng; he was simply well
compounded, of great intellectual
powers, properly refined and lightened
mp by sufficient imagination, and aided
by that moral sense which brings one in
to suitable relations with the best of
mankind and their works. He had been
an industrious man fror: his youth, and
his toll never ceased. He was constantly
Investigating and acquiring in all
directions, law, domestic and foreign
craftsmanship, history, art science,
mathematics, literature. His memory