New-York tribune., 1912-02-17
Literary Nee0s dr1C Criticism

makes quotation difficult. A specime"
Of his trenchaEt style may however
he given here. Horatio Seymour was
one Of his pet aversions. Writing OIL
January, 1868. he says:
The great problem which is being soive9
I'm these days seems to be scarcel! Eedi~t," =,
by our public and really great men; L.. ~ 10
sad to witness in this period OF caiaHIt!
when the nation is struggling for existence,
and the cause OF good government anu
liberty is at stake the spirit OF party ooI owl
powering patriotism. The governors IN heN-
eral of the states have presented their mes
sages during the week. Tod, or Onlo' eA'
hbIts a manly, wholesome ana Vls9touS
tone, others also do well. but the Jesulucaff
and heartless insincerity of seymour; oi
New York, is devoid Of true patrlotsin,
weak I'm craftsmanship and a discredit 10
the position he occupies. CnhalloWeo pa
tisan and personal aspirations are noNlhs
springs with him. That such man, Ut
such a time. should have been elected 10
such a place does no credit 70 popular IN
telligence or TO public virtue. When Sewaro'
himself. / think, rightly disposed, acqui-
esced in the debased partisanship of his
friend Weed, who in spite wanted Wads-
worth. the gallant and patriotic cluEen'
defeated. he committed fatal error.
ReapDointed to the Secretaryship OF
The Navy by Lincoln in 1866, Welles was
retained in that Office by Andrew John
son, and served through his administra-
tion. He continued to write down In MS
diary the events of the day and his COM
ment thereon, and his opinions or MS
colleagues and of the political leaders OF
that troubled period. More than ever
does he concern himself with affairs out
side his own department, which, indeed,
was dwarfed to utter insignificance by
the questions of the hour, and it is sig
nif1cant Of the passions Of that time,
when talk wase even more intemperate
than the measures II advocated and OPP
posed, that here Welles lost some of his
mental poise and wrote with an intensity
Of feeling that is not found in his war
diary. This time he had to chronicle an
open split in his own party, 1t is true
and that, no doubt, had much TO do with
his bitterness and darkness of outlook,
but he was also growing older, and he
had a trying term of service behind him.
That age had something to do with his
changed mental attitude would seem TO
be proved by the acerbity Of his ultimate
participation IN public affairs, during the
Hayes-Tild controversy.
Thus the Cabinet Interior" Of Andrew
Johnson is hung beside that of Lincoln.
1t is fully as interesting in its way, and
more revelatory, since the history of this
administration has generally been treat
ed from the outside. There was a GER
tain rapprOchemeRt between Welles and
Seward though they split again on the
question Of negro suffrage. The tale OF
reconstruction and its constitutional
perplexities is told at length. For john
son personally, who had perhaps even
more personal than political enemies
Welles evinces sincere affection, draw
ing a most favorable portrait OF him,
which, by the way, strikingy corrob-
crates the more moderate view taken or
"our only impeached President" by pres
ent day historians, though the older
dark Judgment of him still fingers In
popular opinion. Thaddeus Stevens and
BENJAMIN f. Butler are of necessity
much in the foreground, while Grant the
politician is handled without gloves,
without new light, however, on the later
part of his career, and without detraction
from or addition TO his record as can
didate for the Presidency, or as the
eighteenth President of the United
States in the early days of his admins
tratiOn. The diary ends with the close
of May, 1869. Welles. retired from pub
lie life, died in 1878.
The journal, as a whole, leaves a
strong impression of an honest man, and
an efficient one, a man loyal to country
and trust and leader free from self
seeking. and with an amazingly clear
and correct view of the events of which
he was a part. The standard he set up
for himself he applied to others, with,
undenia bly,, some measure Of Polks and
Adams's non- comprehension and intoler-
ance of the standards of others when
they differed from his, and with an
almost instructive distrust of their mo-
tives. Welles generally proves himself
in the right In these pages, but yet one
cannot help regretting that none Of his
colleagues has left journal Of his own.
with a full-length portrait Of the diarist
himself as he appeared to others The
work is abundantly illustrated, and there
Is a serviceable index.