Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-10-13
BIG BUT DISAPPOINTING
Mind Of Senator Knox Had More
Power Than Tractlon-Like Many
Who "Retire" Into Public Life,
He Leaves No Great
Monument
BY CLINTON w. GILBERT
Washington, Oct. ]

=, =,
WITH the death of Senator Knox departs
w from Washington one of the best minds
that have been devoted to American pubic
life in generation.
Yet the result of his Application 10 hhalrs
OF state is upon the whole disappointing. AS
in the case of Mr.. Root. you are aware OF
the mental power but you don see pre-
clseiy what " accomplished; buher nun
you lcei; might nave bceh ike one OF thc
great pubic men ot Ensaan,qq. sal,q,. & ~ neitncr
'.' MuS' Dom "'r' po,on''"l'E r"'ner Inah
"'',a'H glpnt SlayTsm,H. ,.t. Al. ,
NH N'nator, ~. NJ NhoN lVio 'n' iupfeo-
Sion % or greater aOlitN, man Almost any one
,t US. ~ ,nH 'PpE' S,. iuouse, p "au hoI
] ]Ino,,D ~ "cp".G NV NJ nC.n.oi pTl All hVi III
%t"r "i " s,i,,i1 ,s,S,%,,tG 'n%uT Ia Ne "e
ncrhorn Yo,,,do, aud Looms" Than ,bo ros9
20 thn ,,t %"u as.r,tio amo 'soC
~ Fr.a. nieaSuLe, ilo
senator or aS SECRETARY, of state ''
II therr il n mnTnI In Mr. Knox's careor
II Is that mon cannot turn to nuhlic servicc
late in lfc nftcr making "a fortune in brei-
ness or at tho hnr and realize their utmost
possibilities in Washington. The same thing
Is true abroad The mon who cn,nc late
into public life in England from business or
from the law do NOT mni;c thc Giadstonns or
comes n career in itself hero as il is abroad
there will hardly be first class figures in
Washington.
A LITTLE story illustrates what happens
"A too often in American politics When
President Harding was picking his Cabinet
he was fnvorably impressed with a banker
from Chicago-not General Dawes-for Sec
rotary OF tho TrcnSurv This bnnker wos
first on tho lists until Mr.. Harding learned
that in any ease he was about to retire from
his bank presidency. "T don't intend to
have any one retire into tho sccretaryship
of the Treasury" said Mr.. Harding
There is too much retiring into public life
nc Washington. II is a n?oasant nIaco IN
which To- round out nm nirnndv snrcossfmi
career. think this nrronnts for wbat ;s
commonly described rs the indolcncc of
Senator Knoy. which is tLr ,sunI cxna ana.
tjon Of vhy witL nil hi. rrcot mantnI gift.
nc did NOT arrornIish mora in , n,biic N.o,,
tbnr he did '
WLcn mon riscs from q S15n h.,oorbonl,
cIork tn wrnitL ,rJ - ,ndi,,,, it "a, o",,a ,a
tho bor. no La, >Irnt Iro.t nf tba fnr,o o,'i i
nnhitinn with, hin, Non,bor. IS tL,, iiriI i,,N
mh,lc corps "n" served ,lnd'r Mr.. knoX as
'le'"IH oI "'"'c uH'u I" complain that
lnt? toHIu ect Il" answer 10 the r"mmuni-
cations from abr"ad to- Secretary Knox. At
r,M' W., V;i m"'" from "'S assistant huhtlng
ton NlIsoh'
>.,-,,.,.,,,,,,,,,
A Nt'N SfAIf'k correspondent here once
"A published story about a certain delay
in IN" Stat" Department. Mr.. Knox, then
Secretary of state, was angry and sent for
the correspondent.
"Why did you write that story without
coming to see me- he asked
Il did try several times to see you, but
you wcrC away replied tho CORES spondent.
''Why didn't YOU SEQ Huntington Wilson
Them asked the Secretary.
II did try several times to see Mr. Wilson
but he was also away"
"Why didn't you soc so and so then?"
Il did, but he was also away"
"Wcll. | guess YOU are right" Mr.. Knox
concluded.
There was much OF this sort Of thing about
the late Senator. In his public career he
was not trying with all his might. lie
came to it 0s so many Americans do, n man
who had already achieved, whose original
were fixed and not fixed iu ways political
Questions that interested his acute mind
especially legal questions, drew forth his
best efforts, but his best efforts were NOT
continuous.
TJr RrT OHCrD .o e.. ,o,n;,,- oo,,,-o,;.,,
n oEL'''"HD 10 passing Schorauoh'
- mere we're giants IN those days. In
HHIuslnesH' ,I1urI!'sr"' h"'heielIGrl the e!der
Iu. L gan, iiu, t;, ''i.an' nEHn, I'I'l' rTlch,
r,r" o, I oom Hn"1 n1 I"'s''! N"S' oud III
Wboro oro o' tbo G,,,.o, ,,,, .Lo .o1,,o
prs,mess uas a n noI1ir, nv NV, Cnan a 'JuaS &
,,n.s D;foro,,,ia,in bl ~, t ~ ; Du;. !
merT aud t. hng % '" ,.os ot
t nroducn doGnito Nv ty, S|e ~ ,"t "ousn SG1
~, nc pyJs, l., E,mn '''' " 'uEu
rs Bnt - h. bas uoUn for o,orcb ca .hot hus,
no., p,o[ ~ todo oro h,,To.s r,, ~ 'roE oMS,
u,S1 ,'~D ~. "'n iii "',H pu'I anu
slm,ploI anu NJ Ioo pU,,'' "Hte is mo
",u ora rna~o %n6Itol Inro,
amd nnt hmsi,oss r,o ,,.bn ~ ion,
tlTRneS 1YS di.t Is ttn. 'ns p[tSGnS ~ ,HpE:
mart nnssed away. left him NOT tho smokes
r,am H,bo IN noiSdj" lifc Ind ,rrned ~ noIil
+ics bringing to II n keon ,nInd hut uoithcr
troiring rnr tho adyontoyn. oT ,onior;ty nor
na,tt so,nHitinn Iio reigbt Tor honr '''a
! 80. Sm',ro 20 enc oorIS svst"r' bnJ ro
srGut "sIie' ,,i,ht oI.n rn1 nuu torod va
tuhineu ni ;,e e ,i ut, H. ~, IdI IaI i Snttlu
puo''c "'" HUN ''' oIeer'' i's u'N "'''''''
,,-,,p o,, s,.,l,,u, IT. oh,,,. E,,x ,uoa
VIE mos etl'tims 'nlns n"oHI ~ hhoh was
L eItt ol lucislIe sPvech' me sign oi
clear impress