Evening star., 1920-02-29
BY SHELDON s. CLINE.

IL ed Yesterday to private life
after service of seven years
as Secretary OF the Interior.
has left an impress upon government
al policy that will be more appre-
ciated by future generations than 1t
is today.
In Mr.. Lane rare constructive genius
is coupled with practicability and
hard. common sense. AS public Of
ncial he followed no ill-o-the-wisps,
but he had a way of making dreams
come true. When he entered upon
the duties of the Office he has just
relinouirred. after years of dlstih-
Suished service in lesser posts. ne al
ready was possessed of and by the
vision which dominated his every Oh
fetal act and thought and utterance.
1t was the vision of greater ana
better America, peopled by a happier
and better race of Americans.
Review of the history of the lnte-
rior Department during the seven
years of his administration dlscloses
rare constancy to this ideal. , ooii-
mated procedure in humdrun- Soutihe
matters and inspired initiation OF pol
icies that could not possibly come TO
fruition within the span OF single
generation. In one Of his public ad-
dresses Mr.. Lane quoted the lines:
do not ask to see the distant scehe'
one step enough for me" Had ne IN
tended the quotation to be the history
of his administration as memoef OIL
the cabinet the story could not have
been more aptly told.
Early Rise In California.
It was a very hot day in Sacramento
Calf, eighteen years ago next Septem-
ber. The democratic state convention
was in session. struggling with the
problem of overcoming normal re-
publican majority of from $4,000 to
100, 900. and landing man OF its own
persuasion in the governors chair.
Out of a seething situation when
had kept the delegates in turmoll
throughout the night. and until late
afternoon of the second day without
indicating any clear solution OF the
problem came the roll-call of counties,
and a wild stampede for the young
city and county attorney of San Fran
cisco, who was borne to the platform
amid a storm of cheers
It was Franklin X. Lane who stood,
. eoodly and confident figure. waving
q palm-leaf fan for quiet. He said:
II was in the rear Of the hall when
Gov Budd made his speech and voiced
the call of the party for "a winner;
and in response to his call. have
taken this platform"
The point of the remark was that
Gov. Budd had urged the nomination
of Tom Geary. of Chinese exclusion
fame; and that the convention. while
agreeing with Mr.. Budd as to the
need of a winner" had decided that
1t was Lane, rather than Geary, who
eould hll the order.
The campaign which followed was
one of the most inspiring in the
political history of California; the
final result was involved in doubt for
many days. as the race was very
close Finally the republican nominee
was declared victor by narrow
margin.
Mr.. Lanes service as city and county
attorney of San Francisco was re-
markable for the fact that not one
of his opinions was ever reversed by
the courts, and those opinions were
considered SO valuable, alike for their
legal and literary qualities, that they
were brought together in a substan-
tial volume, which is a classic of its
kind.
Met Presldent Roosevelt.
1t was while he filled this once
that he visited Washington in the in
terest of the San Francisco water
supply. and met President Roosevelt
at the White House. The President
instantly recognized him as one of his
kind Of folks. although not Of his own
political party, and then and there
told him he should appoint him to the
first vacancy on the Interstate Com
merce Commission. 1t seems worth
while to remark in passing that If.
among the thousands of tributes paid
to the memory of Theodore Roosevelt.
there is one which rises above all
the man and his influence. it was the
tribute Of Franklin K. Lane.
Mr.. Lanes service in the Interstate
Commerce Commission was notable.
No other man who ever served upon
that important tribunal has grasped
the fundamentals of the transporta-
tion problem more firmly or elucidated
" 1n.itb
sense of justice to all interests con-
cerned. Some of the most important
of its decisions were written by him
and were upheld by the courts.
Marked By Constructive Work.
Secretary Lanes service as head of
the Department of the Interior, COW
ering seven years, lacking four days,
exceeds in length that Of any Of his
predecessors but one in that of3ce,
His administration has been marked
not only by an unusual degree of har-
mony. extending to the point Of mu-
tual affection between the Secretary
and the army of officials and en-
ployes under him. but by great strides
of constructive progress. which will
project his influence far into the fu-
ture. even n thousand onward years %
HA found the great territory of
Alaska in turmoil: he leaves it in
peacs and treading the upward path.
One Of his monuments is the great
government railroad. constructed
without graft or scandal, through the
most dificult Of countries at a cost
Of between $4,000 and $4,000 per