The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-05-06
Men of Letters in Politics.

w HILE America has president VINO mas o eea!
wv an 'assiCuous contributor to literature, few
of the men he has appointed to high office nave
been conspicuous for their literary ability The
late secretary of state, John Hay was an author OIL
note who had enriched the literature OF America
with monumental life of Lincoln, In conjunction
with another and who had written some line verses;
none of the rest of the cabinet of either Mckinley
or Roosevelt has done anything in literature Inc
senate contains few writers, except casual contfou-
tors to magazines The only real author VINO slts
in the senate is Henry Cabot Lodge OF Massachusetts
who has written some important biographical works
and dabbed in other historical studies. But we
have no such flood Of literary men IN pubic HE as
the British may boast The tory cabinet which re-
Gently fell was headed by man who is leader IN
philosophical studies and it is often said that 1t Is
Mr. Balfours philosophical turn Of mind which has
prevented his taking first rank as a politician by
giving him too much of grasp OF the fairness ana
applicability of the other sides argument.
If this be true there is probably hard siege
ahead of the new liberal government which includes
III its membership two phiosophic essaylsts and
number of biographers, besides a Latin poet
Mr.. Birren, the minister Of education, is con-
sidered the most complete man OF letters IN the
cabinet which contains such men John Morley,
the biographer of Cromwell and Gladstone, and
James Bryce. the well-known author of the Amer-
i can Commonwealth the most scholarly study OF our
system of government which has been produced by
an outside observer The cabinet boasts also
secretary of war who has written volumes on phlo-
sophie criticism and who is the translator OF Schop-
enhauer's ''Word as Will and Idea, feat which
is taken by some evidence that he understands
what it
England is better field for literary politicians
+. than America, because Of tendencies IN the
conduct of public affairs which do not apply here
The English campag On is more appeal to the SEN
timent Of the voters than it is with us, where the
sentiment Of loyalty to party is made more Of
Then there is the permission to be returned to par
lament from any constituency. Nearly all the lit
erarv men live in London, but many OF them repre-
sent distant boroughs Having practically no local
political duties to perform the house of commons be-
comes forum for the exploiting of ideas, whereas
our CONGRESS- is a vast machine for turning out work
in committees. @@~si
The literary secretaries of state are not held
down to the actual administration of their offices.
That is done by the highly paid permanent under-sec-
retaries The chief becomes responsible Tor the
policy of his department.. In America Mr.. Root adj
: ministers the state department. and Mr.. Taft &C
tually runs the army. The members of the cabi-
net are superintendent who have thrown upon them
vastly more detail than the corresponding officials in
Great Britain. This works against the appearance
Of the literary man in politics. The public does
not believe he could do such work and he probably
thinks so himself. In England frst-cass poet Of
mystic philosopher has doubt Of his ability t.
direct the army or the foreign affairs