The National tribune., 1904-07-14
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Senior DuPuy DeLOme is dead. yet the
statement does not convey much lnfOrnla-
ton as he who bore that name has beer
so long forgotten by us that it is an effort
to remember why his death in foreign
land should be noted. Senior DeI.ome is
the man who was Spanish Minister here
when Mckinley was trying to avert war
with Spain in Cuba. But for this mans
dastardly deeds that war might have been
averted, too. Senior DeLOmes Kind OF
diplomacy was a survival Of the inquisi-
torial age in Spain. He lied when the
truth would have answered his purpose
far better, and he acknowledged it. He
was in no sense of the word statesman.
yet Spain sent him to this country to rep
resent her, at a time when the very best
that she had should have come.
The DeLomes were queer couple.
Madame DeLome was big and fat and
greasy looking. and had a perceptible
mustache. Yet official society went wild
over her. She was dubbed beauty
and she queened it right royalty. She soon
became the confidante of a number of
prominent politicians, and several states
men"-men who were serving their con-
stituents i'm both Houses of Congress-. and
1t was said that she wOrmed out OF them
the secrets of the President who trusted
them and that she then told these to the
Spanish Government She would go to
debates there and openly fiirt with Sena-
tors from the Diplomatic gallery. This got
30 notorious that certain Senators were
told that the custom of thus cOmmunl-
eating with the distinguished lady must
be discontinued. After that the Senators
went to the DIPLOMATIC Gallery to talk
with Madame DeLOme. and gave her
swell suppers in Senatorial committee
rooms.
The DeLomes entertained magnifcently,
and among the younger cubs who
swarmed at the DeLome receptions were
secretaries to United States Senators
and even the Senators themselyeS-and
the Assistant Secretaries of various De-
partments of the Government. Oh, the
DeLOmes were wise guys all right; they
knew exactly how to get information. but
they were not wise in taking care of it
after it was received. That was how the
DeLOme letter about President Mckinley
got out. He wrote the letter to his friend.
Senor Don Jose Canalejas, in Cuba. and
the Cuban Junta intercepted the letter.
1t was sent back to this country and laid
before the State Department. Secretary
of State Day went Immediately to the
Spanish Legation to ask DeLOme if he
wrote the letter, and the unabashed De-
LONE replied that he had.
simile in all the big newspapers of the
country, spoke in the most disrespectful
manner of President Mckinley, and said,
among other things:
Besides the natural and inevitable
coarseness with which he repeats all that
the press and public opinion of Spain has
said of Weyler, it shows once more that
Mckinley is weak and catering to the rab-
BILE, and, besides, a low politician, who
desires to leave a door open to me and TO
stand well with the jingoes of his party"
While Secretary Day was getting back
to the White House, Senor DeI1Ome, who
resignation on to his Government, and it
was accepted before the United States
Government could demand his recall. The
De Lomes left at once. They undertook
TO loaf round in New York for few days,
but the United States Government in
formed them that they must get out of the
country, so they ''hiked." Senor DeLOme
was handsomely treated by his Govern
ment for what he had done, and at the
time of his death, in Paris. where he was
visiting, he was ambassador to Rome.
DeLome was a fair type of the old in
triguing Spaniard, who believes that di-
plomacy is synonym for duplicity, and
that TO be statesman one must be a
schemer and ''6xer." That Spain seems
to be of that opinion also is proven by
the fact that she continually rewards that
particular brand of her statesmen.
John Sharp Williams must have lost his
head completely, in st. Louis. As MEM
Der Of Congress, DIR" Williams, who IS
the Military University of Frankfort, KY,
and Of Heidelberg, Baden. Germany, to
say nothing of a long course at law, can
always be relied upon to enliven any oc-
casion where oratory is on tap. His COM
mand of language is all-embracing. He
can WOO in French, war in German, and
lull you to rest with the songs of Anacreon.
He will sing you sweet in most any dead
language and charm you with copious quo
tations from any named poet As for the
great burning issues of the day-why, John
Sharp Williams can add fuel to the flames
any old time, although he has a voice
which would drive Circe to drink the fabu-
lous Molly before Hermes could press it
to the lips of Ulysses. Despite his voice,
however, Mr.. Williams can always be
counted on TO say something worth sitting
in the stufy galleries to listen to.
lie went right up into the air at st.
Louis, however. Although he said in an in
terview afterward that the temporary
Chairman of a great" National COnven-
tion had a dead sinch in that he had
usually nine months more or less in which
70 write MS speech, IL look 1bUOU words
or more. much more than less, in which
TO expfess his sentiments in his mother
tongue. He would have said the same thing
in 160 words in Latin, Greek, French or
German had he been on the floor of the
House with the Speakers gavel poised to
rap him down when "the gentleman's time
is up," and he would have said it better.
Think Of it! 10000 words. and not an epi-
gram in the whole layout! Not a single
one! Not an idea that can be segregated
from the mass as a scintillant sentence
which will live. Why, 'your Uncle Joseph
made at least 100 epigrams in less than
1900 words at Chicago, and Uncle Joe's
linguistic qualities are limited to a rough
and-ready command Of the UNITED
States" Sixteen thousand words Shades
of Thomas Jefferson and Billee Bryan.
Why. Baker. of New York, who probably
walked TO st. Louis rather than pay the
railroad corporations a penny of his money
could have done better than that He would
at least have raised a laugh.
Comrade Garrett DePuy and his charm
ing daughter, of Belvidere, ILL.,, have been
in the city on a visit. Comrade DePuy
served in the 93th Ill. throughout its sery
ice. and bad particularly interesting ex
periences July 22. at Atlanta, and at Nash
willie. He Is a farmer by profession.