Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-19
HOAR AND NORTON CLASH
The Senator and Professor Exchange Shsru
Letters
me Professor Charges the Senator
WIN tniairness In CriticisinR Him
The senator Repeats His Views,

Professor Charles Eliot Norton of Har-
ward has written the following letter to
Senator Hoar in reply to the recent crfti-
cism made upon him by the senator in an
address at the opening of the summer
school of Clark University
AsHFIELD, July To- 1898.
The H N. George f. Hoar Worcester.
Sir: Yon have seen fit. disreearding our
almost lifelong relations of friendIiness
to make a public attack on me of verbal
severity, but of such nature as to relieve
me from all necessity of self-defense HaV-
ing the intention of making an attack of
this sort. it might have been expected that
you would be careful TO make sure of its
grounds. This, however, was not the case
You assail me for words which YOU saw
you have seen quoted addressed by me
to the youth of the university where Won
and l were classmates more than fifty
years ago. If you saw them thus quoted
you were led into error. No such words
Were addressed by me to the youth of the
university. They are garbled sentences
from an account in a western newspaper
of an interview with me dishonorably OBJ
tanned and incorrectly reported. l did say
to the youth of the university that this war
with Spain was 'inglorious''; that for the
accomplishment of the ends which as ma
ton we professed to seek by its means IL
was needless" and consequently "crimi-
paf' that every American had his life at
the service of his country, but that they
should carefully consider whether the best
use they could make of themselves in her
service was to enlist in such war. / see
no reason to change these opinions and
this advice. Your obedient servant,
c. Z. NORTON.
In reply to this letter Senator Hoar sent
the following:
WORCESTER, Mass, July Is. 1895
My Dear Sir: 1 have your letter of July
Is. I am sorry that what you say does not
seem TO impose upon me any necessity for
either apology or regret. The utterances
attributed to you which i quoted were
printed IL. many OF the newspapers of the
country for a long time without being dis
avowed 1t seems impossible that man
who does not entertain such sentiments in
substance should fall to dlsayow them If he
have any care or respect for the opinions
of his countrymen. But whether they were
literally reported or not, they are in gen.
eral accord, / am sorry to say, with the
sentiments i am constantly in the habit of
hearing of as coming from you, both in
public utterance and private speech, and Of
the style with which / used to be not I'M
familiar when / occasionally met you.
All lovers of Harvard and all lovers of
the country have felt for a long time that
your relations to the university made your
influence bad for the college and bad for
the youth of the country. 1t was high time
that somebody should say what l have
said 1 could easily from my own memory,
and from the report of persons who have
met you on social occasions point out
thoiAs 9ANSioASSS UNASS dS 0SSSfNANB u Sc
we're reproof as those to which / have ad-
verted. i am afraid that the habit of Bit
ter and sneering speech about persons and
public affairs has so grown upon you that
you do not yourself know always what you
say Al any rate there are plenty of per-
soEs who will be able to judge of the mat
ter. / should be sorry to do you any in
justice; indeed 1t lie not in anybody's power
to do you injustice but yourself. I am
faithfully yours, GEORGE F. HOAR
To Professor Charles Eliot Norton.