The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-08

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which he did not exercise his pard0nins
power, though great influence was brought
to bear upon him to do SO. This case was
that Of Benjamin Rathbun leading bust
ness man convicted Of foTgeries amounting
to more than So Gee Gee Seward said in
reply TO a petition for the pardon Of this
man:
deem it certain that there is no other offender
whose pardon would so much impair the public
confidence in the fnuness impaUiality, and en-
cJgy Of thC administration Of Justice. His con
v.o,iou WAS necessary TO maintain the sway ct the
laws and the tights o. the citizens, and vlndlcate
the dignity and honor OF the state | reluctantly
add that II seems 10 hC a case in which the effect
az THAT conviction must not be impaired 10y the
tNcrcise ~ executive domency
This is good reasoning. and might well
receive the attention Of other Governors
addicted TO pardoning overmuch.
4 chapter on Traits and Characterize
les" inserted a little later. affords an
agreeable relief from political discussions,
snd contains some pleasant glimpses Of the
statesman's private life. His fondness for
pets was an attractive element in his char
scter Here is Z bit Of gossip illustrating
this trait:
10 a friend who had just given him a mocking
mont was made:
lie began 10 show of his powers as soon as his
food and waller were replcnl>hCd. believe ne
mus, have formed his opinion Of INC from the cur
rent conversation OF your great city, for he eyi-
IDENTIFY intended 10 commend himself 10y showing
that De. too. was q dCmagoEue He began with
the noise Of the wren, passed rapidly through the
eamut Of the robin. the jay. the biuehird, quail.
Snipc. crow. and Woodpecker. and ended with a
scrousde Of unknown but exquisite melody.
he is evidently in favor OF the Public School So
cicty's exclusive privileges, for when the Roman
Catholic Lord Bishop Of Nantes paid him visit
today he would not be prevailed on to open his
throat"
Later ne wrotes that Bobs fame had
gone abroad, and that he had set up
singing school:
He has one pupil vino was brought here by
a lrigut-oyed boy. and installed al BObs feet 10
lruu the gauut. lie has made no effort to in
srucJ bis pupil yet.
OF Stewards method Of oratory it is said:
Calusha A. Grow. who admired Seward and
heard him on several great occasions, described
III manner as Indifferent and pcTfunCtory, much
like that Ct a schoo!hoy reciting piece, and
concerned more with recalling what he wished Il
ray than With imprtssing his sualence. Charles i.
Dars's Keco.lections SAYS: lie stood up and
talked : though he were engaged in conversation.
and tho effect was always great. II gave the i'm
precision Of a man celebrating 'out loud with
himself" enc who heard the 'irrepressible con
hi,t' speech subsequently, wrote Of II:
But the manner Of its delivery was effective IN
defiance OF every rhetorical rule. Nay, ! may
SAY rather that the effectiveness Of the elocution
WAS not so much in spite Of the speakers disre-
gard Of rule as il was because he disregarded
rule. Ii was apparently, 10 great extent an
effort Of memory. The orator slowly paced TO
and fro along the ample TostuIm, his hands In
bis pockets or locked behind him, and calculated
his speech p.cccmtal a. be succeeded in recalling
it. Inns the appearance. Now and then be
ss.HfffF "a md md ~
while be gave utttrauce 60 series of hs carefully
wor3ed Sentences. Altogether. il was quite as If
@ sell absorbed man, in tense state OF moral and
mental Excitement lad got a couple Of thousand
% rs ci0setcL alone with lin there. and Was
thinking aloud TO as But those interrupted
oiae1iati0us q thought were electric in their ef-
feet IN ths, higaiy changed p9litiuo-moral atnios-
ph,re.'
That Seward. who was evidently rot a
typical orator should have become iniiu-
entail and prominent at time in our ma
tional development when orator. was one
Of the eminent qualities Of states
man, indicates that he owed his power TO
no natural advantages Of vol e or manner,
but TO something in himself. The truth l..
that he was a politician OF the most
shrcwd and effective kind-the nan who 10
all things to all men without being really
insincere. The present biographer com
pares him 10 Mark TWain's parsCn. who
the world and liked a. sorts
Of men-in fact ne was all sorts Of men
himself" He had a strong friendship for
John Quincy Adams. whom he yeneratei. /
ard close association with ThurloT
Weed. who was hardly a subject for any
bOdy's veneraeion. though many feared and
admired his ability. Seward had some OF
the qualities Of each He could ascend to /
the loftly levels Of the~reformer and tie
statesman. or come down to the bedrock /
Of practical politics, as seemed desirable I
and in neither action was he hypOcritical |
4 character OF this sort is liable to mis- f.
construction, but a hasty judgment Of il /
is not always correct. Such a man his
the power to see both sides OF a case /
with remarkable ciearness. and the re ult .
is that he sometimes changes his views /
rather suddenly Seward did. There are a
dozen instances OF this in as many chap /
ters Of this biography. But this only Prove 1
that he had the ability to sympahize With 1
many men OF many minds, in quick sue /
cession.
In the chapter on THE Outlook as |
United States Senator there is again a |
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 slav-
cry which il would have been absolutely |
impossible 10 settle peaceably while per
hitting the preservation of the Union. II 1
secession had been effected without war. /
hings would hardly have been improved, /
FOR. with the conditions then existing, |
here would certainly have been a conflict /
over the question which first awakened .
return OF fugitive slaves.
Il had come TO the point when one Of three
things must happen: the United States
must recognize slavery as an essential ele-
nent Of its civilization; emancipation
must be effected. or there would have to
be a disruption. All this is shown plainly
u the account Of the relations between the
.wo sections. In this chapter. After Web
ster's speech in which he disconnected
himself with the ant-slavery party. Sew
ard stepped into prominence and became
rrtually its leader Many extracts from
lis speeches are given in this connection,
showing his views and the reasons given.
He was always the leader Of the liberal
md progressive younger element Of his
1ection. and this was not an exception TO
be rule.
The next public movement In which Sew
.rd figured was that in favor OF the Magyar
,xlle Kossuth. The excitement Of 1851 over
his remarkable man is now almost forgot
en-. but the vivid description Of the his
orian brings it back forcibly to the mind
4 the reader II did not last long, and
vas so thoroughly emotional and disasso-
lated from real American life, that in 4
pit Of the efforts OF Seward, nothing Of
ny consequence was done to aid the brave /
hungarian. There was something OF the
emagoguc in Stewards attitude toward
hungary, Ireland and other oppressed
Countries.
The second volume Is almost entirely
AIKEN up with the events Of the civil war
md the years OF reconstruction. The ac-
ions and influence Of Seward during these
,ventful years are treated in spirit i'm
Partial and fair. no facts on either side