Evening journal., 1912-05-09
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Secretary of the Navy
WhOw be, Steamed
By Holland

Prince" John Van Buren. the brill
liant and fascinating son Of Martin
Van Buren, did not inherit his faith
er's gift for thrift It, therefore, fre.
quently happened that when he was
attorney general Of New York state in
the early fifties of the last century
he would drop in at the office of the
assistant treasurer, the late G. G.
Clarke, and ask to have some portion
of his fees advanced to him. The re-
quest was always granted, and after
prince" John had received money
he was accustomed to spend an hour
or so with Mr. Clarke discussing men
and events of the time when his father
was President. or the later time when
his father failed to receive a renoml-
nation in 1874
did your father appoint James X.
Paulding, the author, of Westward
Hol' secretary of tho navy in his cab
met for the purpose Of recognizing
American literary ability2" 'Prince"
John was once asked by Mr. Clarke
ePaulding. you may remember,
said Prince John. was a very inti-
mate friend of Washington Irving.
They we're associated together at the
time when irving was writing hum
orous sketches Some of Paulding's
writings attracted great deal of at
tention A good many people rated him
a little higher than they did Irving.
Curiously enough, the two men whose
friendship began i'm their early man
hood. died within "A few weeks OF cacn
other.
MY father was very fond of Pauld-
ing. and at one time regarded him as
| the most brilliant of American writ
ers. II was due to my fathers inhu-
ence that Mr.. Paulding was appointed
naval officer at New York by John
Quincy Adams. and he served also
! during both of Jackson's administra'
tions. That service gave him a very
good knowledge OF the needs OF tho
Navy Department. My father found
him a very high authority in matters
of that kind.
This it was, primarily which led
m yfather to appoint Paulding secre-
tary OF the navy But | know that my
father also felt greatly pleased that
he was able to give the first official
acknowledgment Of that kind TO
American literature.
Now continued Prince John,
"I will tell you a very funny incident
and one the recollection of which al
ways amused my father.
Just after Mr.. Paulding became
secretary OF the navy there came the
Il. to 10. ha "a
vessel driven exclusively by steam
power Mr.. Paulding became very inn
patient when anybody approached him
and urged him to recommend to Con-
gress that the American navy be en-
larged by a number of steam-driyen
vessels. The public, too, began to de-
mand that our navy add to its sailing
vessels a number of steamers.
"One day Mr.. Paulding called upon
my father to appoint Paulding secre
told him that people we're losing theiI
heads over steam He said, you mighi
just as well try to propel vessel on
the ocean with a teakettle as with d
steam engine. Steamboats, on still
waters are we'll enough, but there's
nothing like sails for the ocean, where
the waves run very high at times, and
the winds are violent.
MY Father told Mr. Paulding that
he did not see how il would be pos.
sible to resist the demand of the peo-
pie for al least two or three steam
driven vessels in the American navy
Whereupon Mr. Paulding said tha
while he was secretary of the navy h'
did not purpose to he steamed tina
was his word Furthermore, he de
clared that all this steam nonsensi
would pass away within two or threi
years and that the American nav,
would never contain a single vesse
driven by steam for any length o
time.
We'll, a little later the Sirius an
the Great Western crossed the oceai
under steam and my father had lit
tie fun with Paulding, gently twittin
him on the fact that a steamer had &C
tually crossed the ocean. Still. Pauld
ing was not persuaded and one of tn
last things he did as secretary of tn
navy was to write a sort of infOrma
note declaring that il was preposteT
Gus to fit up vessels driven by steaT
. for the American navy.
, ''He lived twenty years after he re
tired from my fathers cabinet an
there was only one thing in his ca
| reer that he was az all sensitiy
= about. And that was the demonstr5
tion that he had been all wrong whe
, he predicted that a steam-driven yes
sci would never be numbered anon
? the vessels Of the American navy"
p Copyright. 1912. by r }. Edward
1 All rights reservod)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell "
Story of the Building Of America
r. First Great Railroad"