Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-09-14
Some John D. Long "reminiscences
fGeorsa T. Babb,tt in Boston Herald)


George F. Babbitt in Boston Herald)
Probably 1t is no exggeration to ga.
that the announcement Of the death o
John D. Long was very generally re
ceived by the people of Massachusett
as something like personal bereave
ment. The range of his personal friend
ships was so wide and the number o
his acauaintances who cherished al
exceptional fondness for him was so larg
that the sorrow occasioned by his sud
den takipg-off was more general thal
could be said OF the demise of almos
any other citizen of the state. This wa
not so much by reason of any pre-emi
uence achieved by him in his public lii
as it was for his exceptionally genial ant
loyable qualities. His title to distinction
on the former account was clear enough
but it was chiefly on the latter score tina
his remarkable personal popularity wa
based. do not suppose that any testi
mony, founded on any acquaintancewiti
Gov. Long, will prove any more iliumi
mating than that of thousands OF thos'
who knew him as we'll, or more init
mately, than did, but l am confiden
that recollections of him will find ar
echoipg response among many OF those
who may chance to read these lines.
How abounding in cheerfulness he al
ways was at a chance meeting with ar
acquaintance on the street or elsewhere
How cordial his salutation and how
merry the twinkle Of his blue eyes al
they looked into yours.
It may reasonably be doubted whether
the countenance of any one of bis con
temporaries, in or out of public life, was
more frequently recognized. l had nc
claim on his especial regard, but rarely
met him in my walks that he did moi
have something pleasant to say to me-
He would rec III newspaper paragraph
that he assumed l had written; tell me
how much he enjoyed it and then he
would tell of an experience of his own
apropos of it, thereby tickling my vanity
and at the same time adding to my fund
Of useful information. His comments
thus spoken in my ear were always per.
tinent and they pointed moral. Moth
ing delighted him more than to see q
popular humbug exposed and appropri.
ately punctured, whether it related to
persons or things iDpersonal.
Whatever may have been the more
powerful and controlling influences that
led to the selection of Gov. Long for
President McKinley's cabinet there is
good reason for the statement that the
President regarded the Governor as a
man after his own heart and they were
exceedingly fond of each other. Charles
Emory Smith, who was one of Mckinley "a
closest friends and advisers, is on record
as saving that both President Mckinley
and Mark Hanna privately expressed the
wish that Gov. Long might be nominated
on the ticket for Vice President in 1900.
Neither of them wanted Roosevelt. AS is
generally known Roosevelt WAS nomi-
mated for the place through the machina-
tious of Thomas C. Platt. who wished to
shunt the Rough Rider out OF the gov
ernorship of New York into political
dry dock, from which he could not read
lily emerge to bother the New York boss.
The motive and the consequences of that
plot are now familiar history. The per-
sonal relations that existed between
President Mckinley and Secretary Long
during the FIVE years that the latter held
the naval portfolio were exceptionally
pleasant. They delighted in jollying
each other at occasional intervals when
official business was not too pressing.
81 am told" said the president to the
secretary of the navy, in lull Of business
at cabinet meeting one day, "that your
faculty for remembering names and faces
is something quite unparalleled in human
history"
"Oh, no." said Secretary Long, who
was as facetious as his distinguished
chief, and who was familiar with his
classics, "the historian Pliny tells US that
Cyrus the Great knew the names and
faces of all his soldiers, and Cicero, in
one of his orations, says that Themisto-
cles could call by name every citizen OF
Athens. And there are Others"
The marks of high esteem and conf
dence which President Mckinley
showed Secretary Long during their
close Official relationship were many and
There is the best author
ity for the statement that at Secretary
Longs suggestion the name of his former
law partner, Alfred Hemenway, was seri.
ously considered by the President for the
vacancy on the supreme court bench
occasioned by the death of Justice Hor-
ace Gray. The assassination of McKin.
ley at about that time changed the situa'
tiOn in this respect, as it did In many
others.
1t was Julia Ward Howe, think, who
was in the habit of speaking of "Gov'
ernor, etc, Long,"-thus playfully sum.
marizing the many and various official
and non official titles that had been con-
ferred upon him during bis career. /
heard him say that the political office
which he most enjoyed was that Of Gov.
eruor of Massachusetts,, which he held
for a recognized limit of three terms,
greatly to the satisfaction of his fellow
citizens without distinction of party
save just before election, perhaps. BE
enjoyed his three terms in Congress fol
a time, but he became weary of what he
came to consider the drudgery OF this
service. In announcing his determine.
ton not to accept a nomination for q
fourth term he said that while he appre-
ciated the honor and dignity attaching
to the position of representative In
Congress be had grown tired of acting az
congressional errand boy. The i'm.
portant public Office which he enjoyed
least, according to the testimony of one
of his closest friends, was that of secre
tary of the navy. From national point
of view, 1t was the most important place
he ever held, but he did not find itt
duties altogether congenial. The rival
ries and jealousies that flourished among
the naval officers and chiefs of depart
ments we're not pleasing to him. These
embarrassments increased when T. Roose
velt became assistant secretary under
him. The Spanish war cloud was ther
loom ing on the horizon, and then al
now, T. Roosevelt was constantly shout
ing about the necessity of preparedness
aud criticising his superiors right ant
left. From that time until the end o
bis days Gov. Long could not abide
Roosevelt or his methods, and he neve
hesitated about saying so in emphatic
language.
As a presiding officer and as q plat
form and after dinner speaker Gov. Lont
was quite generally regarded as occupy
ing place In the very front rank
Whether presiding over our House o
representatives, the board of overseer
of Harvard, great convention Of an.
kind, club dinner, the Boston Authors
Club, the Massachusetts, Total Absti
nence Society. or town meeting IL
bingham he always graced the position