Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1905-08-10
Daniel S. Lamont.

The career of Daniel S. Lamont en-
forces two thoughts how high an
American may climb who has the sense
to seize opportunities and tact to please
people; the astounding number of
our public men who die in what ought
to be the very prime of life. In Jam
uary, 1883, Lamont was a reporter on
the Albany Argus. with no higher. am
bition, perhaps, than to work himself
up to a position on the editorial staff
at salary of $1,000 or $4,000. But
that month Grover Cleveland was in.
Quoted into the gubernatorial Office.
Governor Cleveland had scarcely ever.
been outside of Buffalo He was elect
ed by reason of forces operating inside
the Republican party over which he
had no control whichever. It was fate
His acquaintance with New York pub
lie men was painfully small. He asked
Daniel Manning, subsequently his first
secretary of the treasury, to name him
a sensible. capable young man as his
private secretary. Manning knew La
mont well, because the latter had
for some years been one of his corps of
reporters on the Argus. Consequently
Manning suggested him to Cleveland,
and the governor appointed Lamont.
That was the first step in his rapid pro-
motion. Cleveland found him reliable,
useful active, tactful and close
mouthed So when he became presi-
dent, March 4, 1885, he made Lamont
private secretary That was step No.
in Lamont's ascension Of the golden
ladder. No president ever had a more
thoroughly ideal secretary The chief
function of that office-now secretary
to the president'is to act as buffer
between that eminent official and the
people. Lamont had as much patience
as Job, as much politeness as Chester
field and modicum Of Solomon's wis
dom. 1t was said by Won Moltke's
admirers that he knew how to hold his
tongue in seven languages. With how
many languages Lamont was familiar
/ do not know most probably with
only one but if he had been master of
all spoken by the children of men
since the confusion of tongues at Ba-
bel he would not have blabbed in any.
Discretion was his forte; tact, the quail
ity which led him on to eminent sue
cess in both politics and finance. He
completely gained the confidence of his
exacting chief and rendered him inval-
liable service When Cleveland rubbed
the hair the wrong way of the hide on
his visitors, which he frequently did,
and they left his presence brsqthing
curses not loud. but deep, their ruffied
feathers were smoothed and their
wounded feelings poulticed before they
got out OF Dan Lamonts room So
necessary did he make himself to-
Cleveland that when the latter began
his second term in the White House
he made Lamont secretary Of war.
Step No. 8. In exactly ten years and
two months be had jumped from being
a reporter on the Argus to cabinet
position, and he made tiptop war
secretary, engendered the minimum OF
friction betwixt the war department:
and the army and left the public serv-
Ice with extraordinary popularity.
He was made vice president of the
Northern Pacific and director in many
other great combinations and was
rated multimillionaire The nominal
ton for the governorship Of New York
was pressed upon him more than once,
but he steadfastly declined, bis whole.