New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-05-23

vividly rrnearses the shining record Of A right
ing Frigate" One of the lessons which the Con
stitution taught was not lost on Stratford Can
ming, the great EItchi" Of the Eastern ques-
ton. At almost his first interview with Can
ming, then British Minister at Washington,
John Quincy Adams, Secretary of State, said:
1T took Us last time several years 10 go to war
with England; il would only take several weeks
now" Mr.. Lodge continues:
Nr. Canning accepted the intimaton in good
part. Mr.. Adams has been dead Tor more than
fifty years. and he may safely, therefore. be
called q statesman, and q great one. TOO, whose
opinions 1t is well to need. a little reflection,
moreover, will show that he is entirely right in
his attitude toward England and the best friend
and maintainer Of peace Jefferson and Madison
were hesitating and tinlid- They swallowed in
suit in the interests Of peace and landed US IN
war. 8Ir. Adams took a high, firm tone with
England and maintained peace invlolate- JEFF
erSOn and Madison abandoned shlpbulldlng. pre-
pared defenceS and dTifted, feebly gestic-
ulating. into q conflict with the greatest sea
power Of the world John Quincy Adams and
Andrew Jackson after him took q strong and
self-Tespecting tone with all the world and kept
unbroken peace. England and Europe re-
ceIved valuable instruction from the war of
which this battered old SIT is the sign and
symbol. bu- We Americans we're taught. u great
deal more We had learned tnat weak defence
lessnesS meant war. an strong, armed readiness
meant peace, honor ana quiet. When John
Quincy Adams spoke to NJ Canning he knew
that n VVas backed by q strong navy. for IN
1896, with population of ten millions, had
a large navy than we have to-day Qe9) with
a pol GlatlOr ca seventy millions. One
hears il ofteI Sai6 BY persons who are prone
to mistake for though the repetition of aged
aphorisns that SOM peo1Ie intend 10 have
peace even if they fight COR L They imagine
that they are giving utterance to biting and
conclusive sarcasm when in reality they are
stating d profound and sinp.e truth. All the
peace the world has ever had has been obtained
by fighting. and all the peace that any nation.
which Is neith,r subject nor rival, can ever
nave, IS oy readiness = fight L attacked. In
our cities ard town We maintain large army
of soldiers. We cali them policemen hut they
are drilled and organized. and are in all essen
tails a military body. For what purpose are
they maintained? 70 make war or anyone?
on the contrary. we ne police in order to keep
the public peace - the same way must the
peace Of nations be kept
Senator Lodge delivered an address on John
Marshall before the Bar Associations Of Illinois
and Chicago. February !, 1901, the hundredth
anniversary Of the installation of the great
Chief Justice The statesman rather than the
Jurist was his theme-the way in which the
highest judicial authority was employed to lay
the foundations on which the majestic fabric
OF nationality arose. At the outset Dir. Lodge
recalls the incident, which seems so strange in
this era, Of Marshal's holding simultaneously
for a month tire Offices of Secretary Of State
and Chief Justice, for the sake Of suggesting
these reflections:
II IS quite true that to-day no President would
think of permitting the Chief Justice TO be a
member Of his Ca binet for hour, and no Chief
Justice would allow himself 20 occupy such
position for an instant. Should such a thing
occur, the storm OF adverse criticism which
would heat upon both the President and Chief
Justice can be readily imagined The spectacle
OF a Chief Justice acting the chief Of party
Cabinet and in the spirit % party politics would
now shock every one Then il shocked nobody.
In 1851 we were still very TO England in
manners and habits Of thought We had as Yet
no administrative traditions Of our own. Plu-
ralists were not uncommon in English minis
tries great judicial officers had often served as
ministers Of the crow o.: 10 this day the highest
judicial officer in Great Britain is member of
the Cabinet; his place IS purely political in
nre, and he rises and falls with his party
This is not said with any view Of defending
Marshall John Adams and the Chief Justice,
who remained IL his Cabinet. helping him TO fill
with tried Feoeralists every vacant or newly
honorable men, but absolutely void of offence
in this particular The system under which
they acted is not so good the have
since developed; thar Is al, To accuse them of
Wrongooing would be as absurd the educated
ignorance which, parFot-iike, repeats the con-
VenIiOnal cant Of its own circle about the de-
cline in the character and standard of our pub
lie life at Washington The superior
person who leads q life Of inaction and criticism
judges the present by prejudice and contrasts
ii with a past that never existed. From the
past of which he is ignorant, he eliminates all
that is bad, and from the present, which he
does not understand he excludes all that is
good. In the easy blame which such
critic arguing in his usual fashion, could throw
upon John Marshall for holding political Office
a fter ne became Chief Justice there has seemed
90 an interesting lesson
An excellent example of Senator Lodges his
,ovfral insight ujctoriaI faculty and gift of