The Washington herald., 1914-01-11
LIFE OF ELIHU ROOT, STATESMAN AND PEACEWORKER

raro felicity for ccSent ana CONVINCING
statement. Doubtless he ranks among
the great orators of ths century. Inis
IL 20 because OF the arithmesicai quality
Of his intellect His mind goes directly
to the essentials Of subject Men also
declare him q prophet
Dictated . Code OF Lava
"Picture Elihu Root pacing back and
forth across his room debating onhano
to q stenographer the memorable instruc-
tions Of President Mckinley to the fnrss
Philippine Commission" General clarence
r. Edwards, himself one Of the paciners
Of the FilipnoS, said to me. 'instruc-
TONS" he went on, that will ever re-
main a classic among state papers tnat
established civil government benino .ne
army as Il swept forward. thar enoeo
the rule Of the bayonet. substituting tne
rule of peace. that raised seight million
human beings from the ground, $1,000
them on their feet and liberated them
from Spanish, tyranny and norues o,
robbers OF their own blood. Dictated.
say, offhand I would like to live under
those instructions myself
The Roots were poor. Eiihu taught
school for a year after leaving college.
Then followed two years Of work ana
deprivation In the city Of New York he
will not talk about the hard experiences
Of his student days in the law. There
were evenings when his pockets were
empty of money-literaIly. There were
times when he was hungry. Sitting up
in his night clothes. he would study un-
til his eyes would close with fatigue ana
drowsiness and then he would topple over
on his bed and sleep. He tutored law
students and Joined the debating society
of the Y. NJ G. A. still to better his
skill in controversy.
At twenty-five he was a lawyer. with
an academic degree from Hamilton Coli
lege and a professional degree from the
Law School of the University OF the
City of New York. His practice began
at once. John II. Strahan was his first
partner. Later, he became associated
with Willard Bartlett, relation that
continued for fourteen years and until
Mr.. Bartlett was elected q Justice Of the
Supreme Court of New York. Judge
Bartlett. a Democrat has been on the
bench since 1884. He was chosen last
November to be chief fudge Of the Court
Of Appeals.
whS He Became a Rich Lawyer.
''will YOU tell me about your first
case?" I asked Senator Root
\ shake of his head and an amazed
lcok in his eyes was all the answer he
gave to the inquiry.
When thirty years OF age, Elihu Root
was an authority ON corporation and real
estate law. That was away back In 1875.
The Standard Oil Company had been or
ganized five years before. The great
Standard OIL Trust was to be formed in
1852. Men who know Elihu Root say that
his knowledge of events before they oc-
cur is astonishing. He seems to have
been born with Information which others
gain only by education and experience.
Seeing the dawning day of corporations.
he, specialized in the laws which gov
erned them. Great fees poured into his
Office afterward because Of his pre-
science and preparedness.
On some special occasion, always po-
litical, writer or a stumper viii scorn-
fully say that Elihu Root was William
NJ. Tweed's lawyer. "One of his law
yers" would be a more honest state
ment OF the matter. Both Mr.. Root and
Willard Bartlett were Tweed's Junior
counsel They were drawn into the case
by a client who found himself tangled
up in the Tweed scandal
So far as can be remembered ElihG
Root has never attempted to excuse him
self for his defense of the brazen and
spectacular old CRATER. Every accused
man has his right TO a day In court. II
he cannot hire a lawyer. the judge will
appoint one to care for his interests.
Tweed's senior counselors were David
Dudley Field, brother Of Cyrus W.