The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-07-25
Now Sncrntarv Of War.

New Secretary Of War.
Mckinley on Saturday announced the
appointment of Elihu Root, Of New
York, to be Secretary Of War. Mr.
Roots acceptance has been received.
The despatch was very brief and wa
not given out for publication.
Secretary Alger sent the foll0win
letter to Mr. Root on Friday:
My Dear Mr. Root All | know i
what the newspapers say, that you ar
TO succeed me as Secretary Of War
Should it come to you. earnestly urg
you to make the acrifice and accept tn
position With your great knowledge o
law and your excellent health you cal
serve the country in way given t.
few men.
The New York journal SAYS:
Elihu Root has never been so distin
guished a statesman or politician tina
his appointment as Secretary Of Wa
Will be received without surprise. II
the West and South he is not generally
known, except TO members Of the Bal
as a corporation lawyer. His name il
not even mentioned in most q the bio
graphies Of prominent Americans
He was born in Oneida, N. Y, Feb
ruary 10, 1919, and is therefore fifty.
four years old. lie came by his intel
lectual capacity by inheritance, for his
father, Oren Root, was professor Of
mathematics in Hamilton College
Young Elihu studied there graduating
creditlbly in 1864
Mr.. Root applied himself to the law
with a logged perseverance, He was a
plodder who burned the midnight oil.
As an "ofiice lawyer, he soon deyel.
oped He was counsel for Judge Hilton
in the matter Of the A Z Stewart
estate, his first great case. Later he
was retained in the IIoyt and Foyer
weather will cases.
During the last campaign, when
Tammany refused TO renominate Just
ices Daily and Cohen, who, it believed
had been in Office long enough, Mr.
Root made a bitter attack on the organ
lzation, claiming that it was using the
judicial nominations too much for part
ian purposes. Richard Croker. in re-
ply, called attention to some facts IN
Mr. Roots own career, which he did
not deny. IL was asserted by Mr..
Croker that Mr. Root was the friend
and adviser of william NJ Tweed, the
l0oter Of New York's treasury, and that
after that PERSONS conviction Tweed
conveyed four city lots to him for q
nominal consideration Mr. Root, he
declared. also received real estate from
August POTTER and his partner, James
II. Ingersoll, the latter OF whom was
convicted as an accessory to the Tweed
thefts The general impression was
that Mr. Root was simply taking a
lawyers fee, but the revival of the
facts Of his association with Tweed did
not help his popularity
4 little later Mr. Root was denounced
for another unfortunate selection OF
clients tina. he made. He appeared as
counsel for the projectors of the un-
savory Astoria Gas grab.
In 1883 Mr.. Root was u. S. District
Attorney for the Southern Section Of
New York, an office which he held un-
I'll 1888.
He was a delegate to the Constitu.
tioral Convention In 1879 he was the
Republican candidate for Judge Of the
Court of Common Pleas in New York
city, but was defeated by a Democrat
In 1886 Mr.. Root was chairman Of
the Republican County Committee Of
New York. Since then he has bobbed
up internationally in local politics gen
orally as kicker q 'silk-stocking
or puritan. according to the partc-
ular title bestowed at the time upon the
members of the reform party.
lie is a trustee Of the American
Surety Company, a director of the Bank
Of New Amsterdam and Of the National
Bank Of North America, and a trustee
of the Spirit of the Times, news
paper