Evening journal., 1914-08-03
New News Of Yesterday
The Secret Of a Cabinet
Minister'S Leisure
By Holland.

Although IN the earlier years OF the
professional life Of William NJ. Evarts
he was thought to bo ono Of tho most
Industrious Of tho lawyers Of the
New York bar, yet IN the later years
Of his lifo no gained the reputation
Of having learned the high art Of
taking things easily and not oyerbur-
dening himself with work.
Some Of his professional associates
attributed this disposition 10 relax
somewhat to the fact that Mr.. Evarts
had accumulated vast store Of legal
learning and. incidentally, really
marvellous knowledge Of the political
history of the United States, not
meaning by that the history of par
tisan cs-although of that Mr.
Evarts had a mastery understanding
which reached back as far as the
presidential campaign of 1S40
had heard when in Washington in
the early eighties that Mr.. Evarts
when Secretary of State in the ad-
ministration Of President Rutherford
y, Hayes, had resigned himself to a
condition of delightful leisure and
contemplation and that he had COM
mitted the chief work Of the depart
ment TO his subordinates, and especi-
ally TO his chief clerk of the State
Department.
John Bassett Moore, who is beyond
compare the highest authority upon
State Department matters, having
served in three different administra-
tions in responsible posts I'm that de-
partment and having examined all
most all of the archives, explained
to me a year or two ago why il hap
pened that William M. Evarts, when
Secretary of State, was thought TO
take things with remarkably easy
composure. never permitting himself
to be overworked
"Mr Evarts," said Mr. Moore, was
admirably fitted for the management
of the State Department He pos
sessed a wonderful power OF cOncen-
tration Of mind and profound know
ledge of the history of the United
States.
1T so happened, however, that Mr.
Evarts entered the State Department
to find little or nothing excepting
the routine business to do. His pre-
decessor, Hamilton Fish, was a man
of extraordinary industry, submitting
with patience to any kind of druid
gery; but in his administration Of the
State Department there arose ques-
tions of the highest national import
ance. Il was his duty to handle these
questions. Among them was the
treaty for the establishment of an
arbitration tribunal before which was
10 be submitted the claim OF the
United States for damages against
Great Britain on account Of the Con-
federate cruiser Alabama. This was
a very difficult and laborious under
taking. Mr. Fish carried II through
successfully.
"Then there was the fisheries ques-
tion, a very important subject; and
there were certain boundary claims
that we're also of great consequence.
All this work was finished when Mr..
Fish welcomed Mr. Evarts as his sue
cessor. The result was that the
desks were cleared. There was little
but routine work to carry on.
II am frank to say. however. that
Mr. Evarts. when Secretary of State,
instituted something which has been
of the utmost value to the American
PEOPLE. Il was under his admins
tration and by his authority that the
system which is represented by what
are commonly known as the consular
reports was instituted. No one can
tell how great the value OF these re-
ports has been TO American CONNER
cial interests"
Copyright, 1914. by f. J. Edwards.
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr. Edwards will tell OF
"The Statesman with the Wonderful
Eyes"