The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-05-18
TOLD OF J.. STERLING MORTON.
HI> ORIGINALITY SHOW ~
OFFICE ~ WASHfNGTON.
Thinrs He said He wee,dn't DO. bo,
Did >n~r NE Got Into the Cabinet
one Famous Luncheon Bothered
scientists I senator, Dtscsae~rted

~rirntNts asroa'"fI s"sc"herS'eu
w.~siSaIov. Nav II Washington is
III ~ -onn 70 forget the public men who
cro.s the stage Of its political life. hut
occasionally one APPEAR - the scene
VIII leaves an Impression tina fingers long
H. the memory Of those who knew him
Such a man WAS J sterling Morton. Secrr-
tarv II Agriculture during the second
o. niris,raiion Of Grover Crveland. who
d,ed recently AZ the home Of his son at
LAKE Forest. III
ir Morton was original. but not eccen-
srlc Tie vas no, a stranger TO the capital
whom ia 'ame here = day 81 two before
tho ,h Of March. isas, to enter upon III"
du,i.- ~ the ohic~ which he had acc"p'"d
In New York a dav or two before
ON hing that used To worry him long
before he ever df-amed 81 heins n member
nj tha Cabinet was IN" luxury with which
hirt oficrrs surrounded themselves nj the
esy"u-e II the Governnent One ~ ut.
hrhbies was that no man OF ref-resp-ct
would RIDE about the stre~ts IN a Govern
marf vehicle. drawn nv q Government
horse and driven nv q Government driver
No matter what important political ONCE
he might hold.
Rac,u-a Il his belief on this subject Mr..
Morton was VERY mUFl lU1Hf'N~Nt w NH'
sctiop 81 Secretary ~ the Interior lamar.
Attornev-General Garland. and one or
two other memhers ~ the first Cleveland
Cabinet. who. with great ost.ntation ami
show ~ virtue. sold ~ public auction the
puh,ic carriage. provided for their con-
venience hy t'nc,e Sam and thereafter
went about 'hc streets ~ Washington on
foot or IN the horse cars.
Al. N...,p ,rakaItv do MT know that
after a time 'he-e conscientiuus gentlemen
recovered from their attack of economy
and bought the carriages back again. but
wi,hour taking special pains 20 call tho
attention ~ the public to IN" fact. The
S.braska Democrat thought that II he
eyer hrld a public ofice in Washington Ia
would do a. the-, other Democrats had
done. except that when he sold the horses
and carriages they would remain sold
But time works many chang es and when
IN 1894 NJ Morton found himself a member
az the cabinet he came to the conclusion
,hs, after all IL was just as well that he
should ride aud - the old brown horses
that had drawn Uncle Jerry Rusk about
the capital were pressed into service to
draw J. sterling Morton and on the panels
If the tine-worn vehicle which tn. hor-es
drew was painted the Morton motto: PLANT
Trrs.- with a green tree, rampant on a
field Of green. This was the coat Of arms
tina served for hi. SUCCESSOR james wilson.
whsn he bscame Secretary 81 Asriculturc-
q farmer from Ohio in place OF the farmer
from Nebraska.
II was the same about the matter Of din. |
n~er-giying and dtnier-cating In the old
iays Mr.. Morton thou ght that public men
In Wa.hi, zion ate too many dinners A
formal dinner was a waste Of time. he said.
aid q waste Of good digestion and alto
e, her a new tangled habit that failsd to
noee, the appruysl of his simple Western 4,
IDEAS of pronrr living
In the early days OF his membership In
the Cabiuet therefore, MIR. Morton went
10 few n any dinners, but after awhile he
remaine.i away only when he was not In |
,i,ed and v hen ne had tscnme known to the
nsonIs OF Washi xton the nights were very
few when he did not dine With q compary
nj brilliant and distiu guished men and
~ouan
"A. was n much-sought guest AM the more
dinu.rs n. ,te the mor- convi ced he vas
thai they ~.a not 70 bad after all He
liked them not for what he had to eat and
ar, K mt for the company he met, and
M 81 hi. MOS, nLa-.nt lights in Mash.
10 SO, ven. su.,, M the festive boa ri.
He drank H. all the fun that Na- going
and hN, ittL. els. lie preferred water TO I
champayne and when stating this fact TO ,
his friends he would generally give his
re,.n, uhich va, the saue as that % his
oil cla-smata tho g. isl senator Thomas
~ palmer OF NicNlgan. Ths latter alwaye 3
,-.I :, -av 20 nj, Young friends
Row. drink mileral water instead OF
chamn,srs 1, -craIs- your throat Just
the sam- and do.sl' give vou a headache
In tho NOR ing .
Nj Morton was verv simple In all his
taste. ard Was a practical Joker q the mild
80, lie was Very much Interested ~
eya,v,lirg corrected With the Agricultural
Deusrtuert and In s~trolling about tho
grounds ur. dav he discovered a little
Vlp,hr.sm aWny over ia one corner where
en- uI.yc., Vet 10 get a bite at noon.
shortly anetward a party Of di-tin-
grishei mon we're holding a conference a.
The papartmeut. ard the Secretary invited
them All Ia remain to luncheon. A. O'Clock
n. l,d ,hen through the winding path,
To- III. come lInchruom. had a table spread.
s,d then u.iriiry 10 an oilcluth blackboard
which .,.,d M one corner 81 the room and
nu which was Written the hill 81 fare, in
cIrIdt4g ..,rvthing from pigs feet 90 pie
A. the pric, II i've cents a portion. III"
Secretary aid Without a smile
-G,rf,ucu. what do you peter Take
.,,I.,y .p 10 lit IA. MIC, d. all the