The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-03-18

Colonel George Harvey. writing in
the current issue of The North Amer
| lean Review, pays a tribute remarka BILE
! for feeling and elouuence to his friend,
| the late Wayne MacVeagh, whom Mat
thew Arnold called the most inter
,, esting American
when, some 80 years ago says
! Colonel Harvey, Matthew Arnold re-
turned to England at the close Of his
/ last visit to this country and was asked
4, in ordinary course whom he had found
! here worth an oxford mans while, he
replied unhestantingly, Wayne Mac
Veagh is the most interesting Ameri-
| can He was. too: though how Mat
thew Arrofd~ made the discovery or
how his precise mind was able to
! Withstand the shock, passes far the
limits Of ones comprehension" Colonel
Harvey continues as follows:
1t was not so long ago. Mr.. Cleve-
land must have been president! Yes.
he was: and Mr.. Bayard was secretary
of state, Mr.. Whitney of the navy. Mr..
Endicott of war. Mr.. Manning of the
treasury. Mr. Vilas-but enough; lest
| we take care. we shall be suggesting
comparisons calling for a ferruling.
What we had in mind was that Mr..
MacVeagh. although ripe in knowl-
edge in experience and in honors, was
then only about so years old. and by
no means at the zenith of his powers.
Dvoo sun1 ..> -
his dying day, he did pass that I'M
happy meridian. nobody living can tell
Fluctuations Of mood so constant as
to be almost regular, signified moth J.
ing--merely Willing themselves away
like affrightcd puffs of smoke before
the tempestuous gales of an unquench-
able spirit. So it was to the very end,
Next to Watterson.
Henry Watterson proba oily has
! known personally a larger number of
presidents than anybody else, chiefly
because he began to make acquaint-
, anees while serving as Il page in the
house Of representatives and was pres
ent when John Quincy Adams dropped
dead upon the floor; but Mr.. Mae
Veagh was not far behind. One time,
during the Mckinley administration. he
took the young wife of Il new western
senator in to dinner at the White
House and enjoyed himself hugely as
Mr.. Mckay" while the latest en-
thusiastic discovercr of Washington
descanted upon its glories. 1t was the
n dv'o vet at =,
function. Had he ever dincd in the
White House before? Yes oh, yes,
But when? All, that would be telling:
alas, 1t was so long ago. Nevertheless.
he would answer the lady's question
II she in turn would reply to one from
had first dined in the White House
when Franklin Pierce was president.
Now frankly and honestly, did the lady
know that Franklin Pierce once was
president? The puzzled lady hesitated
but was not lost. Indeed. she was
game. No. frankly and honestly. she
did not know that Franklin Pierce mad
been president and, defiantly after a
lpause. what was more she did not be-
lievc he ever was.
Many Presidents.
Such. however. was in fact the case.
and from that beginning, as the guest
OF Mr.. Pierce. when he was 22 or 90.
| this most interesting American sat at
table more frequently than any other
| citizen with Buchanan, Lincoln. Grant,
Hayes. Garfield. Arthur. Cleveland.
Harrison. Mckinley. Mr.. Roosevelt and
Mr.. Taft--with every president In 60
years except. of course, Mr.. Wilson
and possibly, though we are not posi-
tive. Andrew Johnson. Indeed, he
| served nearly all of these magistrates
in some official capacity. He was a
| captain in the army under Lincoln.
minister to Turkey under Grant chair
man Of the Louisiana commission I'M
| der Hayes. encouragement under
Garfield and under Arthur. ambassa.
| dor to italy under Cleveland, and chief