Evening journal., 1915-05-31
New News Of Yesterday
When the United States
Apologized to Great
Britain
By Holland.

Reports have been widely published
telling Of the manner in which Presi-
dent Wilson faced the great responsi-
bility which was upon him after the
destruction of the Lusitania. lie was
reported TO have completely isolated
himself in order that he might have
opportunity to study the situation
without any distraction. He wanted TO
concentrate his mind upon the prob
lem. Some of those who are tamil-
lar with the career of President VII
son say that this was not an eN-
ceptional attitude. but that It was
characteristic of him when governor
of New Jersay and when president OF
Princeton, when he had problems oil
the utmost importance to work out.
/ was reminded by these reports of
conversation / had some years ago
with Frederick W. Seward. who was
Assistant Secretary of State under his
father. William II. Seward. in the ad-
ministratiOn of President Lincoln.
What Mr.. Seward then told me makes
il clear that President Wilson had an
illustrious example for completely iso-
lating himself until he had thought out
problem to its fundamentals.
81 don't recall" said Mr. Seward.
"any occasion during the eight years
that my father was Secretary of State
and / Assistant Secretary, excepting
one when he shut himself up, denying
himself to everyone. practically alb
staining from food. in order that he
might get to the bottom of a danger
Gus and complicated situation.
"That was in 1862 OF course. every
body who has read the history Of
Civil War days knows that Capt.
| Wilkes, of our navy, apprehended the
/ British steamship Trent and took of
| Mason and Slidell who we're going to
| England as the official representatives
of the Confederate government. Then
he let the Trent go and Mason and
Slidell were shut up in one of the
forts at Boston harbor. Great Britain
demanded through Lord Lyons. her
minister at Washington, that Mason
and Slidell be released and put upon
a British vessel which was anchored
| off Provincetown, Cape Cod Further
more. England demanded an apology
/ from the United States. The intima-
tion, gently and carefully given, was
that unless the English demand we're
accepted England would go to war
with the United States.
"As soon as my father got his
communication from Lord Lyons he
shut himself up in a room at our house
and gave orders that he was for no
reason whatever to be approached He
also said that if he wanted anything
TO eat he would let our servant know.
My father spent the greater part of
one day in his seclusion. It was late
at night when he came out. He had
in that time thought out the right an
swer to the problem and had written
with the utmost care his note TO Lord
Lyons in which he stated that Mason
and Slidell would be delivered to the
British authorities and with consider
able skill made the expected apology
Father, was, however, prepared In
part, for he had already examined the
records and found that what England
was at that time demanding was simi.
lar in general principles to what the
United States demanded in 1912, and
because England refused to accede Il
that demand we declared war against
her. Father closed his note by refer
ring delicately to that circumstance
and intimating that 10 was because
of that that he, speaking for the
United States. was ready to deliver up
Mason and Slidell and to make the
diplomatic apology for the action OF
Capt. Wilkes. know that the gen
eral line adopted by my father in
writing this note was already in his
mind when he shut himself up and
that the greater part of the time in
which he was thus isolated was spent
by him in its careful preparation.
When the note was read at Cabinet
meeting the next day, he received the
most cordial and hearty words Of ap-
proyal from President Lincoln"
Copyright, 1915. by E. ]. Edwards.
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell
How Grant Silenced the Calamity
Howlers."