Evening journal., 1914-08-25
New News Of Yesterday
A StateSman'S Look Into
the Future
By HOnaaa.

William NJ. Evarts was quoted to me
by one of his friends as having said
that he was at one time greatly in
structcd and entertained by a conversa-
tion which he had with his lifelong
friend, William n. Seward. There are
reasons for inferring that this conversa-
tion occurred when Mr.. Evarts was
member OF the Cabinet of President
Johnson, of which Mr.. Seward was also
member, retaining his Office of Sccre-
tary of state when Andrew johnson
succeeded President Lincoln. There we're
many reasons why the association
should be unusually intimate. Evarts
was selected by Governor Seward to
make the speech before the Republican
National Convention in Chicago in 1860
which placed William H. Seward in
nomination for the Presidency. The pre-
sumption has always been strong that
it was due TO Secretary Stewards rec
ommendation that President johnson
selected Mr.. Evarts as one of the coun-
sci for the President before the Senate
at the trial OF the impeachment charges
which were brought by the House OF
Representatives.
ar. Evarts was quoted by his friend
as having said that, with the possible
exception of Minneapolis there was no
city of the United States whose growth
and whose prospective influence so
greatly interested him as chicago.
Secretary Seward met a party whose
members had come from England for
the purpose OF viewing many parts Cf
the west" said Mr. Evarts. "The party
was particularly anxious to spend sew
cra days at Chicago.
Upon the return of the party Sew
ard had good opportunity to chat with
the members of it and he asked many
! questions. To one man he put he
question:
(Which one of our scaports has most
strongly interested and impressed you .
"lhe answer to this question came
! instantly. Chicago was named as the
seaport of the United States which nud
particularly interested and impressed
the party.
"This seemed to be an absurd answer,
| since Chicago is an inland city-a thou
sand miles distant from the nearest
seaport But Governor Seward did not
look upon it as an absurd answer lie
said that Chicago seemed to him to be
something like Venice, facing as it did.
a great inland sea, although a fresh
water sea, and standing upon lagoons
so to speak. made by the rivers which
united at Chicago and then emptied INTO
the lake.
Furthermore. Gov. Seward said that
it seemed to him that Chicago could be
properly described as possessing the in
tense mercantile spirit and energy which
distinguished Amsterdam or Liverpool
but was without certain of the blem-
shes, as, for instance, the svarice and
unscrupulous cupidity which character
lied one OF the other Of these great cit
les across the sea.
"Gov. Seward said that he could with
his minds eve obtain a vista which in
cluded the great Chicago Of few years
later. He could see the city reaching
out with what he called iron hands
which was a metaphor for railroads-to
ward the Pacific, and in that way Sc
curing the immense advantages whicl
would follow the construction of rail
roads leading from Chicago into the
Mississippi valley and farther west.
Something of this kind would be-
ne was sure. the future Of Minneapolis
Chicago. however, had the advantage o.
possessing a great harbor in which coul'
be concentrated no small amount o
the lake commerce.
Copyright. 1914. by F. j. Edwards. al
rights resorvedl.
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell o
Stewards Views on Territorial Expan
sion."