The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1903-09-13
DOING HARD DUTY
FOR PURE DUTY'S SAKE
Many Rich Men With Large Private
Incomes Serve Their Country
for a Pittance

In every branch of the Government SER
vice in the departments in Washington,
as well as In the Federal offices of the
various cities, rich men are found working
faithfully and hard because of the inter
est they feel in their duties, writes the
Washington correspondent Of the New
York Sun.
John Hay, Secretary of State, is per-
haps in his present place because of pa
triotic sense of duty. There are many
reasons why he should want to retire
from the cares Of state. He Is rich and
has one of the finest homes in the ma
tional capital, just across Lafayette
square from the White House
His social station could easily be main
tanned were he out of office, and he could
continue to lead in the set that has been
led by him for so long. But he remains
in the public service because he is told
that no one knows the foreign relations
of our Government as well as he, or is
qualified to fill his place just as he has
filed 1t. He serves because of patriotic
sense of duty and because some of the
ambitions which he has had for the ma
ton have not been entirely worked out.
Secretary of War Root is also rich. It
is said that his income at the time when
he went into the Cabinet was in excess
of $4,000 a year from his profession.
Attorney General Knox, too is rich.
One incident is cited to show just how
some of his wealth came to him. He had
planned a trip to Egypt with his family
one winter and made every preparation
for it, Two days before his departure he
was approached by the representative of
one Of the big Western Pennsylvania
companies and asked to take charge of a
suit which would require about a month
of his time.
Mr.. Knox explained that he would be
unable to do so because of his plans for a
foreign tour. Pleadings were in vain until
he was asked how much it would be
worth to him to postpone his trip and
take the suit.
Promptly enough the future Attorney
General said; "It would be worth at least
5000, 900 to me''-not wanting to remain
and believing that the sum would be suf-
ficient to end the matter. He was re-
tanned, and that was his fee for the next
months work.
Mr.. Knox lives in one of the finest
fancy for fast horses. Every day that
the sun shines he may be seen driving
about the capital behind one of his horses,
which cost thousands of dollars
Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock was
rich from the time of his birth and has
been associated with big business enter
prises in the West, which make his
wealth grow with each day The salaries
of any of the Cabinet officers named
would hardly pay their house rent. All
their other expenses for entertaining, for
horses, for the diversions which they seek
in summer and for their households dur
ing the social season must come from
their private fortunes.
They are necessarily losing large sums
Of money by remaining in the public SER
vice. But each of them has some good
excuse for remaining.
Mr.. Root stays in office at sacrifice
because he has yet to work out some of
the army reforms which the legislation
of the last session of Congress provided
for. A year ago he was telling his friends
that he would remain only until he had
secured the legislation
Mr.. Hitchcock stays in the Cabinet be-
cause he wants to put the entire Interior
Department on a business basis before
giving way to a successor. Mr.. Knox
stays not because he wants to, but be-
cause he is interested in the great legal
fight over the interstate commerce law.
So each man can give a special reason
why he retains his Government place at
the sacrifice of his personal interests
New York Commercial