The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-08
II II |l11 3 t|[: /

which he did not exercise his pardonine
power though great influence was brought
to bear upon him to do SO. This case was
that of Benjamin Rathbun, leading busi-
ness man convicted of foTgeries amounting
to more than s3.0O0.000. Seward said in
reply to a petition for the pardon of this
man:
I deem it certain that there is no other Offender
whose pardon would so much impair the public
confidence in the hrmness. impartiality, and en-
erfy OF the administration of Justice. His CON
v:cIion was necessary 10 maintain the sway of the
laws and the rights Of the citizens, and vindleate
the dignity and honor OF the state. reluctantly
add that il TO be case in which the effect
of that conviction must not be impaired by the
exercise Of executive clemency.
This is good reasoning. and might well
! receive the attention of other Governors
addicted to pardoning overmuch.
a chapter on Traits and Characterize
les. inserted little later, affords an
agreeable relief from political discussions,
and contains some pleasant glimpses of the
statesman's private life. His fondness for
pets was an attractive element in his char
acteT. Here is bit of gossip illustrating
| this trait:
To a friend who had just given him hooking
! bird called Bob, this humorous acknowledge
! ment was made:
lie began TO show off his powers as his
| food and water replenished. believe he
mus; have formed his opinion Of from the cur
r~nt conversation OF your great city, for he evi-
! IDENTIFY intended TO commend himself by showing
| that lie. too demagogue. He began wi:h
the noise of the wren, passed rapidly through the
gamut of The robin, the jay, the biuebird, q.ah,
snpe, crow, and woodpecker. and ended with a
serenade OF unknown but exquisite melody.
He is evidently in favor of the Public School So
| ciety's exclusive privileges, for when the Roman
Catholic Lord Bishop of Nantes paid him visit
J Ne WOulQ
1 throat
Later he wrotes that Bob's fame had
! gene abroad, and that he had set up a
/ singing school:
"He has one pupil, who brought here by
frightened boy, and installed at Bob's feet TO
/ lCaIn the ganut. lie has made no effort TO in-
s,ruet his pupil yet.
: OF Stewards method of oratory it is said:
Gaiusha A. Grow, who admired Seward and
! heard him on several great occasions, described
! his as Indifferent and perfunctory, much
! like that OF a schooboy reciting piece, and
I concerned with recalling what he wished to
say than with imprtssin his audience. Charles A
! Dana's Reco.lections says: "He stood up and
. talked though he engaged in conversation,
and the effect always great. 1t gave the i'm
! preston of man deiiberating out loud' with
himself One who heard the 'irrepressible con-
/ fiet'' speech subsequently wrote of Ii:
But the manner of its delivery effective in
| defiance Of every rhetorical rule Nay, may
WAS not so much in spite Of the speakers disre,
gard Of rule as it because he disregarded
rule. 1t was, apparently, 10 a great extent an
effort of memory. The orator slowly paced TO
and fro along the ample rostrum, his hands in
his pockets locked behind him, and elacu:ated
his speech p.ecemeal he succeeded in recalling
it. This was the appearance. Now and then he
would arrest his steps, and stand for moment
while he gave utterance TO series OF his carefully
worded SENTENCES. Altogether, il quite if
self-ahsorhed man, in tense state OF moral and
mental eXcitomoht, had got a couple OF thousand
of eloseted alone with him there, and was
thinking aloud to But those interrupted
CALCULATIONS of thought were electric in their ef-
feet in that highly changed polltico-moral atnios-
phore.''
That Seward who was evidently rot a
typical orator should have become infiu-
entail and prominent al time in our ma
tional development when orator. was one
CT the pre-eminent qualities of a states
man, indicates that he owed his power to
no natural advantages of yoice or manner,
but TO something in himself. the truth l.,
that he was a politician OF the most
shrewd and effective kind-the man who is
all things to all men without being really
insincere The present biographer COM
pares him 10 Mark Twain's parson. who
understood the world and liked a sorts
of men-in fact, he was all sorts of men
himself" He had a strong friendship for
John Quincy Adams, whom he veneratei.
and a close association with Thurlow
Weed, who was hardly subject for any
body's veneraeion though many feared and
admired his ability. Seward had some OF
the lofty levels of the>reformer and tire
statesman, or come down to the bedrock
of practical politics, seemed desirable.
and in neither action was he hypocritical.
character OF this sort Is liable to mis-
construction, but hasty judgment of it,
is not always correct. Such man has
the power to see both sides of a case
with remarkable clearness. and the re ult
is that he sometimes changes his views
rather suddenly. Seward did. There are u
dozen instances of tnis in as many chap
tiers of this biography. But this only proves
that he had the ability to sympahize with
many men of many minds. in quick sue
cession.
In the chapter on 1.-THE Outlook as
United States Senator" there is again q
general survey of the political situation,
which clearly brings out the fact that be-
tween the years 1850 and 1860 there was
a sectional feeling on the subject of siay
cry which it would have been absolutely
impossible to settle peaceably while per-
hitting the preservation of the Union. II
secession had been effected without war;
things would hardly have been improved,
for. with the conditions then existing,
over the question which first awakened
ill-feeling-the return of fugitive slaves
II had come TO the point when one of three
things must happen: the United States
must recognize slavery an essential ele-
ment of its civilization; emancipation
must be effected: or there would have to
be a disruption All this is shown plainly
in the account of the relations between the
two sections. In this chapter. After Web
ster's speech in which he disconnected
himself with the anti-slavery party, Sew
ard stepped into prominence and became
virtually its leader Many extracts from
bis speeches are given in this connection,
showing his views and the reasons given.
He was always the leader of the liberal
and progressive younger element of his
section, and this was not an exception TO
the rule.
The next public movement In which Sew
ard figured was that in favor Of the Magyar
exile, Kossuth. The excitement OF 1851 over
this remarkab BILE man is now almost forgot
ten, but the vivid description of the his
torian brings it back forcibly TO the mind
of the reader. II did not last long, and
was so thoroughly emotional and disasso-
ciated from real American life, that in
spit OF the efforts of Seward, nothing OF
any consequence was done to aid the brave
Hungarian. There was something OF the
demagoguc In Stewards attitude toward
Hungary, Ireland, and other oppressed
countries.
The second volume Is almost entirely
taken up with the events of the civil war |
and the years OF reconstruction. The ac
lions and influence of Seward during these |
eventful years are treated in spirit i'm |