The sun., 1919-05-30


and from 1909 until 1903.
Work OF Envoy Praised.
At the close Of his diplomatic career
In France in 1919 President Poincare,
then Premier, and other high officials of
France publicly praised him highly. his
Official conduct, the French officials said
then, having gone far toward preserving
peace in Europe. The late Augusta
Rodin designed and presented to Mr..
Bacon q bronze piece in COMMUNICATION
of the Ambassadors work In France.
and at the same time a peace medal, de-
signed by the late NJ. Carriere. was pre-
sented to Mrs. Bacon. France also con-
ferred upon Ambassador Bacon the
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor.
With the bang of the first big guns
In August, 1914, Mr.. Bacon was less
reticent than some other noted Aneri-
cans about voicing his vrews on the
European turmoil Although he dld not
come out Immediately as an open advo-
cate OF the Allies he made II plain,
even while urging Americans ito be
neutral but not silent" that his own
heart and mind were one with the enc
mics Of Germany. And on the eve Of
sailing for England on the Lusita1ia
In November. 1914. he gave out n state
ment In which he advised that the State
Department protest officially against
the violation of Belgian neutrality, ad-
vice which, coming from an ex-Ambas-
sador, was anSrfy scorned by an Ad-
ministration which at that time was
preaching pacifism and the doctrine of
too proud to Fight"
But Mr.. Bacon's belief in the inev-
itableness of the part which the United
states must play In the war prompted
him to repeat and make stronger his
championship Of the cause of the Allies
and his hatred Of all that Germany
stood for. He did more than grant IN:
terviews on the subject; as has been
said. he Joined the business mems
camp-the first Plattshurg'-and
also shouldered a gun at a camp at
Fort Oglethorpe conducted on the same
lines as the Plattsburg camp. Also
he was one Of the first volunteers In
the division which ex-President Reose-
welt offered to raise. and he early was
made chairman of the executive commit
tee Of the National Security League.
Served ON Mexican Border.
When the Administration continued
to refuse to take a part In the fighting
abroad Mr.. Bacon. In November. 1918.
got as close to the fighting as an Amer
lean OF his years--he was then in his
f1fty-sixth year-could get he sailed
for France and Immediately began ac-
tive work with the American Ambulance
in Paris and also in connection with
the Harvard surgical unit then laborfng
abroad among the wounded.
Then came the Mexican troubles In
the summer Of 1915 and when troops
were sent to the border Mr. Bacon
went with them. He not only went to
h. hAE
also crossed the Rio Grande and labored
as best he could at Gen. Pershing's head
quarters In Mexico until the General
was recalled. He came back from Mex
leo with great respect for the regular
army and views about the then I'M
trained guardsmen which made him a
strong advocate Of universal military
training.
In the fall OF that year. 1916. Mr.
Bacon listened to the urgings of his Re
publican friends to enter the primaries
as a candidate for the nomination TO the
United States Senatorship from New
York. He made an active campaign
throughout the State and had the sup
port of great many leaders Of his
party. including Senator Root.
Americanism and universal military
training had prominent places on his
campaign platform. He lost the nomi-
! nation at the primaries. however. the
nomination going to William NJ. Calder
Of Brooklyn. When the battle was over
exPresident Roosevelt said that Mr..
Bacon had been defeated for the nomi-
nation solely because he did not enter
the fight until less than month before
the primaries.
There was somewhat Of a nationwide
furry a month later when President
Wlson-who SOIL was holding aloof
from war to the point of running for
reelection on the "he kept us out OF war"
issue-nade a speech at Shadow Lawn
in which he scored Mr.. Bacon as an
"unneutral" who had been tho Sena-
torial candidate of men who wanted war
with Germany. Mr.. .Bacons active
patriotism was so well known that in the
brief controversy which followed there
was no mistaking the evidences all about
that the thinking men OF the country
sided with Mr.. Bacon rather than with
the President
Mr.. Bacon in December. 1918. again
returned to France TO resume his mill
tary hospital work. He returned to
America lust before the United States
entered tine war and Immediately, once
he realized that the Administration
finally had come around to his own
martial views, took up the slogan, Get
heartily behind the President"
He tried TO go with the colors 10
France as n fighting man when the first
| soldiers were sent abroad-even before
but age prevented his acceptance.
When he found that he could not go as
a fighter he went to Washington and
got a majority in the Quartermaster
Corps. His eldest son, Robert l.. Bacon,
attained n majority In the Field Artil-
lery Gaspsr Bacon, his second son,
also went into the Field Artillery and
his youngest son, Elliot, went into the
| infantry.
In Washington and abroad Mr.. Bacon,
| who finally achieved Colonies eagles
and was assigned to the stan OF Gen,
Pershing in France, labored for his
country until the end. He returned from
France on April 5. 1912 suffering from
4 bad sinus and madtoid trouble which
RAPIDLY became worse Until on May -
he underwent n serious operation I'm
| Manhattan.
Col Bacon leaves n widow. who was
Miss Martha Waldron Cowdin when she
was married TO Mr.. Bacon in 1888, and
his three sons and his daughter. Mrs.
| George Whitney. Eight grandchildren
| also survive him.
MRS. LILLIAN II. CRlTTENDEN.
Mrs. Lillian Haines Crittenden, wife OF
Walter II. Crittenden. lawyer, OF sb
! Willow street, Brooklyn, and 206 Broad