The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-05-04
SECRETARY DAYS RISE
From Country Lawyer to Head
Of the Cabinet.
CHARACTERISTIC OF OUR SYSTEM.
Foreigners Amazed at the Rapid Advance
ment of Our Public Men They Rarely
Fail 60 succeed-Judge Day Is Unassum-
ing, but Has q Long Head.

-
Fail TO succeed-Judge Day Is Unassum-
ing. but Has Long Head.
WASHINGTON. May s.-[Special Few
Americans make as big a leap forward In
short time as Judge Day of Canton, o. !,
has made In the last year. Though a new
man in public life, unheard of outside his
own immediate neighborhood a year or
two ago, he is now at the head of the
American cabinet. He is the ranking
member Of the government council, occu-
plying post which has been the aim and
ambition Of many veterans In the public
service. 1t is a big Jump from being
country lawyer in Ohio to rank with Sal
isbury, Won Bulow, Sagasta and the great
men Of the worlds governments. But
just such leaps forward are characteristic
of American public life. Our system is
one that brings men TO the front with a
rapidity which amazes foreign observers,
and 1t is fortunately another characteristic
of Americans that when the fates thus
press them onward they rarely fail to meet
all reasonable expectations. This is be-
lieved TO be due TO the wonderful adapta-
bility of the average American. At any
rate, the manner in which our citizens
suddenly called TO high posts in the gov
eminent or the diplomatic service SO con-
duct themselves as TO stand comparison
with the veteran and trained men of other
governments is a source of constant won
der to foreigners.
Able Americans Diplomats.
It does not follow, therefore, that be-
cause an American has had little training
for high office he Is going TO fail in it.
Certainly IL does not fail in the case Of
Judge Day. As secretary of state he n
likely TO gain a very high reputation. Nor
can 1t be said that he lacks experience.
For year or more he has virtually been
secretary of state. He has had full man.
agement of the difficult Cuban question
for the president, and surely that has been
q hard enough school.
1t will be remembered by your readers
that in this correspondence l have several
times in the past made the positive state
ment that Mr.. Sherman was soon to retire
from the state department. At the time
these statements were made In your paper
their truthfulness was questioned, but |
your correspondent knew absolutely what |
he was talking about, and he knew that |
the resignation of Mr.. Sherman only |
awaited favorable opportunity. 1t was |
to the president or to Mr.. Sherman to |
make public in detail the facts upon which |
my statements were based, and IL Is not ]
necessary to give them now.
This Is not by any means the first time |
that an American citizen comparatively |
unknown has leaped TO the highest ranks |
Of public service. Abraham Lincoln was /
little known and had had almost no ex- /
perience at all when he was chosen presi- |
dent Of the United States. Later Mr.. |
Olney OF Massachusetts, was appointed sec
Rotary OF state by Mr.. Cleveland without |
any previous experience in the state de- |
partmsnt or with diplomatic affairs. Yet \
he made one of the ablest secretaries of |
state this country has ever had, and in
tilt of brains and courage with the great /
premier Of England came off first best In |
the Venezuela affair. There have been |
many other such instances-so many that |
IL has become an axiom throue bout the |
diplomatic corps of the world that it is |
impossible to tell how much strength or |
shrewdness an American is going to de- |
yelop in high office by studying his past |
career. 1.-THE Americans-they are full of |
surprises, said an experienced foreigner |
of high rank, with a shrug Of his shout |
ders.
The new secretary of state Is slender |
man of horid complexion. very quiet In |
his manners given but little TO talk about |
anything and then speaking in a low tone, |
never demoDstrative, but always alert and |
quick. His training Is that of a lawyer, |
and as a lawyer he had the reputation out |
In Ohio Of being the quietest and most sue
oessful man in the business He was |
known rs a wise counselor, and it did not |
much matter what the case in hand was.
He was said TO have long head, to be |
not only shrewd, but farseeing, and his |
advice was valued far beyond that OF
many men who were more SNOWY In court |
or public.
Secretary Day . Poor Man.
OF course IL is true that Mr.. Day owes
his rapid advance In public life to the close
friendship which has existed for many
years between him and the president.
While Mr.. Mckinley was a mere congress
man or private citizen or governor Of |
Ohio he still valued Judge Days counsel
very highly. More than any other living
man the new secretary Of state has been
the oonfdapt of the president, both before
and after the Inauguration. Secretary Day
Is not only man with a "long head, as
we Americans express IL, bat he is q close
student. He keeps up his reading Even
Spanish affair. when the state department
was the center OF interest and action, Mr..
Day spent many Of his evenings In read
ing upon all the points OF international
law and precedent involved. In other
words. IL was In this way that he devel-
oped the American Characteristic of quick
ly mastering any field OF activity TO which
he was called.
The new secretary Of state is a poer
man, comparatively speaking. Probably
his whole fortune and that of his wife
could be called only modest competence
In Canton, o., while in Washington IL is
OF course very small sum indeed. Mr..
Day as assistant secretary OF state has
found 1t necessary 90 live modestly in or
der to keep within his income, and as Sec
rotary OF state l doubt IL he makes any |
great departure in the way of taking a
larger house or Of increasing his monthly |
outlay. It will Of course be impossible for |
him to live within his salary. Not more |
than one or two cabinet officers In dozen |
are able to do TINT Rut the late Judge /