New-York tribune., 1909-05-09
London. April 24.

q
7HO-H holiday. and a chance to see some
fhinss The war and the negro question at
fihe At that time Mr. Charles a.
shoT' TO- managing editor of The Tribune,
lano ,,- sydney Howard Gay as his first lieu
VIE pb;llins gave me a letter TO Gay, the
felAH~ which was that Dana asked me TO
Issl'' r-.b Carolina for The Tribune.
g. ehout Dana. He had the reputation
.i-,s of being what the cabman called
-, Forster. who was. among other things
~ ..-5 and biographer Of Dickens,-''a har-
u' .-+ suppose Dana was arbitrary;
= sense that every commanding otfceF
\. .-bi+ra-v. But my relations with hlTn'
in'1. nus. ssrz-i.e under him, lasted some months
. .,a whole OF which period I found hlln
a---a -ssa-ote ana kindly. He liked, I think 10
- man 10 duty and judge him. by the re
u.bicl, meant that the man was left Tree
ont his own salvation; or damnation'
~. case might be.
NJ course. perfectly new to the ousl-
20 journalism and-eduaIly OF course
=. many mistakes But Dana was not the
-. ~ manager who fastened on this mistake
sat es an occasion for chastising the OIL
,sa- He 1udgeG & mans work as Nhoie-
%. o47ce. am told. he sometimes thought
a. ,ssdful 10 speak plainly in order TO ehIoTce
e.ssdv discipline. He had been known 10
,olt into the room of one of the departmental
,s;tars in full view and hearing Of the whole
s,sr and remark: Mr.. Y. you were disgrace
.,uv beaten this morning. in the tone in which
:. ,,srl7t have said it was a fine day. But tie
- ,,o-niac Nfr. X was not beaten; nor the
next.
VERY possibly. between me and Nj Dana's
--sfs II I reused it, stood Mr.. Gay; q man OF
-, manners and heart. I cannot rememper
.ns+ directly or indirectly. any reprimand ever
ems 70 me from Mr. Dana From Mr. Greeley
80 oa77e more than one; all we'll deserved
with the business Of managing the paper MI
nrseJev did not much concern himself WIN
IN, -ss,,lts he sometimes did. and when The
r-5b-ne did not contain what he thought Il
oaeht 10 contain. he was apt 10 make remarks
an The emission. While I was at Port to* al
- South Carolina there was q 'skiTnish at Will
,smston in Georgia q hundred miles or more
,uav Mr. Greeley thought I ought 10 nave
tssp at WiIliamston- Very likely ought. But
1nr5 Curzon had not at that time announced
his rnemora bic definition Of enterprising Jour-
rsisIn-"an intelligent anticipation OF events
chat never occur" That epigram. delivered IN
The House Of Commons may he supplemented
~ sn axiom The business Of p war CORE
spondsut is TO be. not where he is ordered but
where ne is wanted
In the early days of the Civil War-or. for
,bzt matter. in the late days-the Press had lit
lie Of the authority il has since acquired. Ihe
bsass af great departments Of government still
held themselves responsible primarily 10 'he
President Berths on battIeships were not then
at the dispesal Of the first journalist who want
ed one. When ! asked Commodore Steadnlan
4al.e 2 Port RoTal he
politely told me 1t vas against the naval reg1-
ls1ions 10 allow q civilian on board a ship OF
vsr When I asked him who had q dispensing
power in such matters. he said: IF the Secre-
tsry Of the Navy should order me TO receive
sog as a guest I should do so with pleasure
thanked him and with the courage Of which
ignorance Is the mother, telegraphed Mr.
weIes No answer. I telegraphed again, say
ing It was the wish Of MI. Dana that should
So to South Carolina on the Bienville- The
effect Of Mr.. Dana's name was magical. and
this tine an answer came: that Commodore
stsadnan had orders % give me berth.
suppose the journalists Of TO-DAY viii hardly
understand how there could have been a diff
Guilty. But there we're TO be many difficulties
Commodore SJeadman was as good as Lis word.
md better: and a kind host.
Admirel Dupont had captured the Port Royal
forts By the time I arrived A finer example Of
The od type Of naval officer than Admiral Du-
pont our naval service never had. Captain Ray
inoDd Rodgers was his flag captain; another
example not less fine. General T. W Sherman
wss IN command Of the land forces The winter
passed slowly away. There was not much 10
GO except study the negro question; which was
rerhaps more attractive when studied at a dis
tance. General Butler. bringing the mind Of
iaHyer 70 5ear on the problems OF war, and de-
NFIng legal excuse Tor annexing the personal
property o. the enemy. had announced that the
negroes were "Contraband Of war" For him,
ne maxim that laws are silent amid arms did
rot hold good. He liked to make laws the ser
Fsnt Of arms. The negroes naturally came
soon 70 be known as contrabands. There we're
some months during which thoy were called
hardly anything else I called them 50 in ms
stisrs L was characteristic of Phillips that.
SIler time he wrote TO me to suggest that
Buffers phrase had done its work and that the
negro was q negro: a man entitled to freedom
On ether grounds
But i was long before the word passed out
use Butler had chosen the psychological
moment The "contrabands''-wi Mr.. Phil
'pe permission-whO crowded the camps were
mostly from the cotton and rice plantations Of
seu;h Carolina and Georgia. IF you were not
t''esoy q convinced Abolitionist. they were not
Hseiy TO convert you. But II was becoming daily
D=sFer that the negro had q military value
"a al Port Royal however. where he was only
burden
vas not an eventful winter at Port Royal
.asfe were expeditions by land and sea. and
usfe vas the taking Of Fort Pulaski which
Ky but I was glad to return 20 New York in
N spring; and then TO Join General Fremont
Il ne Shenandoah Valley. The name of that
eflEanoer was still one Of promise. Except
nSine, there was not much else. for the pur-
uses Of war. but he had a charm OF manner
''4 touch Of romance and a staff on which
eae Or two fureis-, advept1irere had r,Iacps and