Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-11-08
Miseellantuus Rsaains.
MEN OF LETTERS AS STATESMEN
They Make Good in England and Also
in this Country.

They Make Good IN England ana Rise
in this Country.
Lord Morley, in a recent speech In
London, said that authors make good
statesmen, and that many statesmen
are very good writers. Comparison!
between British and American men Of
letters who have held importan
posts in the public service are all ir
favor Of the English; and, We
writer's have played, and are still
playing, conspicuous parts In the
nations affairs.
Before we had a national existence
the leaders Of public thought, the
men who nodded opinion and direct
ed the progress of affairs. were men
Of letters. Jefferson, Hamilton, Frank
lin-these were literary men In the
broadest sense. Coming down to mod
ern times-for after the close Of the
Revolutionary period to and includ-
ing the civil war period the great
national leaders were not men OF let
ters-one waits until he reaches
Roosevelt before he finds a president
Of the United States who Is a literary
man. In this connection, Of course the
name of Woodrow Wilson is brought
to mind. Are we to have anoth-
er man of letters in the White house ?
The question is interesting, and there
are not lacking evidences that 1t can
be answered in the affirmative.
Alexander Hamilton is generally
conceded to be the greatest constitu-
tional political writer we have ever
had. His essays in The Federalists
will serve as a model for all time.
The genius OF Jefferson was shown
along more general lines. Hamilton
left ten or a dozen volumes, Jeffer-
son was volumnious, while George
Washington, who is not generally
thought of in the light Of man OF
letters, has left probably more writ
ings than any other American, con-
sisting principally Of correspondence
and state papers.
John Quincy Adams, who became
president Of the United States. was a
lecturer at Harvard on belles-letters.
Daniel Webster was, perhaps, great
er literary character than any other
of our statesmen, and yet he pro-
duced no formal literary work. HIS
speeches and orations were models OF
literary art, however.
Charles Sumner has left ten vol
umes or more Of his published works,
but they are largely speeches and ad-
dresses. Two great editors, Horace
Greeley, Of the New York Tribune, and
Henry ]. Raymond, of the New YORK
Times, were in sense literary men.
Each served in congress and played a
part in public anairs.
Since their day newspaper editors
have manifested fondness for pub
lie service, and the pages OF the Con-
gressional Record for years past, and
at present, are fairly sparkled with
to the newspaper work OF
the men whose biographies are con-
tanned in that book. Most Of them
are editors Of small papers.
At the present time there are In
both the senate and the house a large
of men who have followed
literature as q vocation and an avo-
cation, and many Of them have been
successful.
Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, OF
is the author OF a
very large number Of published
works. He has been a volumnious
producer, and has written on wide
variety Of topics, such as history, pl-
ograpny, etc. In addition to editing
the life of Alexander Hamilton, ne
af uGnnr0a NQhnf !"
a History of the English Colonies in
the Life of Alexander
Studies in History"
Life of Washington" History Of
Hero Tales From Ameri-
can History" in collaboration with
Theodore Roosevelt: STORY Of the
STORY Of the Spanish
War;. and a large number of essays
SO 1t will be seen that Senator Lodge
has been as active in the field OF lit
erature as in politics since as far
back as 1877.
Nor is Mr.. Lodge alone in the SEN
ate in this respect. Senator Theo-
dore E. Burton, Of Ohio, scholarly
man, is an author. He has written
Financial Crises and Periods of Com.
mercial and Industrial Depression,
published in 1892; the Life Of John
Sherman" published in the Ameri-
can Statesmen series In the same
year. and Corporations and the
State" published in 1911. He Is also
an occasional contributor to the mag
azines. Former Senator Albert j..
Of Indiana, has written
numerous books, and his name often
appears in the periodical press.
Senator Penrose Is the author OF a
volume on the law which Is stand
ard textbook in law schools. Senator
Bristow is editor Of a Kansas news
paper, and Senator La Folette's recent
literary accomplishments, including
the editing Of a weekly political pa
per, are too familiar to require more
than mere mention. Senator Town
send has written on economic subjects
and Senator John Sharp Williams has
been at work for some time on a lie
Of Thomas Jefferson.
Nor is the house of representatives
devoid of men Of letters. OF these
the one who will be more readily re-
called by the general public Is Sam
uel w. Mccall, Of Massachusetts, the
author of the lives of Thaddeus Ste
vens and Daniel Webster, published
in the American Statesmen Series
He is also the author of 1.-The Busi-
ness Congress-" an authoritive work
on the national legislative body, and
Is at present engaged in writing the
life of his former friend and colleague
Thomas B. Reed, of Maine. Mr.. Nc
Call Is a frequent contributor to the
Atlantic Monthly on political and
economic subjects, and to other mag
azines.
Congressman Henry George is the
author of the biography of his dis
father and of THE Menace
Of Privilege"
Congressman E. w. Townsend in
real life is the famous author Of
"Chimmie Fadden."
Probably only the older and more
intimate friends Of the venerable
Isaac Sherwood. of Ohio, know that he
is a writer, and a writer Of poetry at
that. His Army Gray Back" was a
celebrated poem a generation ago.
In former years the house boasted
of other writer's. Congressman Thos
Dunn English, Of New Jersey, who
served in the Fifty-second and Fifty
third congresses, will be known as
the author Of the famous song ben
Bolt" when the fact that he once sat
in the Uunited States capitol.
will have been forgotten. He was al
so the author of numerous other bal
lads, but whether they were respon-
sible for his election to congress, or
hindered his political career, Is not a
matter Of official record.
Thomas p. Reed, while in public
life, was a frequent contributor to the