The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-21
SENATOR HOAR
SKETCHES HIS LIFE
Venerable Senator Writes Of His Times and of
His Work

Barere and with Castiline, upon their
merits, and draws from their lives
examples or warnings, without con-
sidering the fact that they are dead.
This especially is a duty to be per-
formed fearlessly, though with due
caution, when it is proposed in some
quarters to erect monuments or statues
to such men for the admiration of the
youth of future generations.
His military career was with the
exception l have stated. Qhe war ad-
mnistration of New Orleans) disgrace
full to himself and unfortunate to the
country. From the beginning of But
ler's recruiting for the war, wherever
he was in command came rumOrs Of
jobs frauds, trading with Confede-
rates through the lines, and the put
ting of unfit persons in responsible
positions"
Mr.. Hoar reviews Gen. Buffers mill
tary career in considerable detail and
with great frankness concluding as
follows:
80 the contribution of Gen. Buffers
military genius to the success of the
United States in the war consisted of
scheme to blow up a powder boat
in the capture of Fort Fisher, some
what after the Chinese fashion of war
fare, which Gen. Grant said hardly
had the effect to excite the curiosity
of the occupants of the fort which it
had been intended to demolish; and
of his scheme of engineering at Dutch
Gap and Bermuda Hundred.
Gen. Grant got tired of him at last,
and ordered him to report at Lowell
SO ended the military career of incom-
petence, boasting and failure"
Gen. Buffers career after the war is
then taken up, and one passage con-
tains this sentence:
Il repeat what l said of Gen. Butler
in his lifetime, when he was at the
light of his power, with a full knowl-
edge of his vindictive character, that
the success of his attempt to use and
consolidate the political forces of Mas
sachusetts would have been the corrup-
ton of her youth, the destruction of
everything valuable in her character
and the establishment at the mouth of
the CHARLES river of another New York
with its frauds, Tweed rings and scan
dals"
Mr.. Hoar discloses the fact that he
was twice offered the English mission.
once by Secretary Evarts and again by
Mr. Mckinley. The chapter relating
to this also disclOses that he suggested
to President Hayes the appointment
of President Elliot of Harvard as Brit
ish minister when Mr.. Welsh resigned.
and Mr.. Lowell, then minister to Spain,
was reluctant to accept the appoint
ment. The following correspondence
which Mr.. Hoar makes public is inter-
esting:
Executive Mansion, Washington.
D. c.,
Sept. 49, 1898.
Hon. George F. Hoar (ConfidentiaD,
Worcester. Massachusetts.
1T would give me much satisfaction
to appoint you Ambassador to Lon
don. Will it be agreeable to you?
William Mckinley.
Sept. A. 1895"
ITO the President, Washington, D. c.
Il am highly honored by your conf
dence, for which l am grateful But
L believe l can better serve my coun-
| try, and better support your admin
istration by continuing to discharge
the legislative duties to which | have
been accustomed for thirty years,
| than by undertaking new responsible
ties at my age, now past seventy-two
| If it We're otherwise ] cannot afford
| to maintain the scale of living which
the social customs of London make
| almost Indispensable to an Ambassa-
| dor, and have no riSht to impose
upon my wife, in her present state
of health, the burden which would fall
upon her. Be assured of my warm
personal regard and of my desire to
stand by you in the difficult and try
ing period which is before you.
Geo. F. Hoar."
Mr.. Hoar reviews the Philippine
| question at length, defending his at
titude and restating his position. He
pays lofty tribute to President Nc
Kinley and expresses his regret that
| in this great matter principle COM
PEELED him to DEPART from the belief
of his party.