The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-04-21
new YORK DAY BY DAY
lRx Herbert CoreN.A

ed history.
1t was John Bassett Moore, nomi-
mated for counsellor to the depart
ment of state. who sharpencd the
knife by which the Panama strip was
amputated from the Republic OF Co
lombia. Rut when President RooSe-
welt handled the knife his hand slip
ped.
The tale is particularly interesting
just now. because 1t is understood that
partment OF state. When Secretary
Bryan il absent he will take the his
desk: II an International rumpus
breaks ont he will sit ut the right
hand and whisper into the PRESIDENT
al ear. lie is Well equipped for these
responsibilities. He has been more
or less directly connected with tho
state department under five presi-
dents. He is II two-lesged rompendi-
um of world politics. and IL walking
library of international law and diplo-
matte precedent. When President
Roosevelt found that Colombia had
blocked the canal plan he appealed to
Moore.
Here is what we must do" said he,
in effect. Show me how we can do
it,"
Moore took the documents and in
time evolved Il plan. he hlue-printed
that plan carefully for President
Roosevelt, and impressed on him tina
a step TO one side or the other would
president missed the path. If Moore's
directions had been followed Colombia
might have always had her suspicious.
but she would have lacked proof.
Whereas ever since the event she has
been standing on the steps Of the
courthouse, waving papers and
screaming.
This story didn't come from Moore.
Of course. Moore never tells any
thing Ii he is remarkable for one
thing more than for his complete mas
terry OF world law. 1t is for his inhu-
man. his incredible. his prodigious re-
language to hide thought in. He talks
in the suaVest and chattiest fashion.
but carries discretion to the limit. His
annual word output is large, and he
has yet to take n word back.
Professor Moore Was born in Della
ware in 1850. BY 1892 he had the
chair of international law at Column
hinley named the Peace Commission
met at Paris to wipe clean the
slate dirtied by the Spanish war he
made Moore secretary. The lawyer
diplomat accepted on condition that
he be given Il free hand in the selec.
lIou ol his assistants.
The commission" said a man who
watched the proceedings. used to run
up a high legal stump every now
and then. Moore would come along
With his stepladder of law and pre-
cedent and help 1t down.
Moore is interested only in affairs
Of state: His publications would fill a
ftteen-foot self. hut they are all on
the heaviest and knottiest Of interna-
1l0n2I C1lhlarf0t |Ho Avs vl.itI, %I,,. 1n1r
OF extradition and is a sharp on ar
bitration. and could give the boun-
daries of the state of Sac Paulo.
Brazih in his sleahsE. His memory is
never filling. and hfs discussion. Of
the four phases of American growth
federation. democracy. imperialism,
INC eXpansion-iss5@a classic Of poli-
tics. He likes golf, is very democratic.
keeps his. beard sharpened to q. point.
and can talk to the average foreign.
diplomat in his own language.
And when he geta through talking
will not have told that. foreign
diplomat anything
Hugh Smith hasI lust beer Amounted
Commissioner of tie Bureau 81, Fish
cries at Washington. The appoint-
ment is especially worth. noting. be-
cause four generations of Smiths. have
! n Washington, and not e>eper4
Iad tne right to vote! So that the fact:
That Hugh Smith worked up to the
or the bureau from Il modest
clerkship shows that the spoils sys-
tenn sometimes recognized merit. For
mes been working up for thirtysyears.
In the scientific colony here Smith
is especially well known. He has pub
iished innumerable... monographs ON
the vices, habits. and domestic rela.
tons or fishes. and they are regarded
authoritative. But he isn't known
anywhere else. He is the most shy,
modest man in the govern
ment employ. Arm him with a mega.
phone and put him in the echoing gal
lery n you'd never hear a. whisper.
1T isn't that l do not recognize the
value Of publicity" Mr.. Smith once
said to a friend. But l do not van
1t. My position is that of a friend who
once equipped a yacht to do some
deep sea exploring. His years cruis.
was productive Of some very marvel
lous discoveries and he took his man
uscript to a London publisher.
Fine said the publisher. Very
interesting. I'll take it in a minute
of you will just write in a few Of the
you must have had
Sir said my friend. haughtily,
scientists do no have adventures
Tha about my. fix. I've travelled
oA " Ihc CIHteO 0ldI6S IN Visiting
fisheries stations. in every sort OF
a conveyance from a. log raft to a BIZ
cycle. And 1 give you my word. I
never had an adventure in my life"
Irwin S. Cobb. the. short story writ
err, recently returned from a western
trip to learn that a dear friend had
beer shared in a lawsuit. He hurried
down to the friends lawyer.
II want you to call me as a char
acter Witness" said he. Why. Jack
is the dearest, kindest, most honest
white man in the world. I've Got to
on the stand for that boy"
Not while I'm his lawyer" said the
legal sharp. II know just what would
happen. The other mans LAWYER
would ask our occupation. And
you'd say:
I'm a writer of fiction
"And the lawyer would get I'M. and
stand over you, and look into the dar,,
recesses of your soul for a time. And
by and by. dcspairing of finding one
sweet. aspiring thought in you he
would turn to the jury. And he would
exchange an intelligent, libellous
smile with those twelve sturdy souls,
h he would go back tn his
chair, and without even n ~