South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-04-17

partments. But, having found them
selves unable TO agree and unwilling
TO cooperate. self respect and COM
mon dignity dictated that they tender
their RESERVATIONS. Neither did. Both
tried TO hold on. serving the enemy
playing the serpent picked up IN the
cold and carried into the warm room,
and bent on remaining 10 sting their
3 benefactors Just as Duane was
4 closer 10 Nick Biddle than 20 Jack
son, Lansing was closer 70 Lodge
thar 10 Wilson. Both were traitors
! TO their leaders. And both reached
Y the end OF their rope. An English
I editor, commenting on the Lansing
book. has said that no prime. minis
I ter OF England would tolerate for one
/ day a minister of foreign affairs
whose policies did not accord with
( his own.
Where Politicians Differed.
In one respect do the two cases
/ differ When Duane was expelled
from the cabinet. the Lodges Of his
day. Clay and Calhoun. had the
/ temerity TO raise the question as 10
whether a president had the right 10
/ discharge a cabinet minister without
the consent of the senate. No one
even then took this absurdity seri-
ousiy. Calhoun was the Jim Reed
I Of the Jackson administration. just
/ as Clay was the Henry Cabot Lodge.
1 And when Webster. who opposed the
removal of the deposits in the strong
/ est speech made upon that side of
. the controversy. explicitly declared
Z that he did not question the right of
a president 10 dismiss a member OF
/ his cabinet, that line OF attack on
/ Jackson's action was abandoned.
/ Duane was lauded by men like Clay
/ Webster. Clayton-the biggest men
Of the time-as sort Of Cato.
martyr 20 the constitution, victim
of a Nero. but even then they as
. signalIy failed to impress the people
of the country. as their successors
have I'm their attempt TO create the
/ impression that Lansing is a very
/ superior man and a great patriot.
They soon tired of the attempt to
, gid common mud, and. in a year
or two men, on hearing the name OF
( Duane. scratched their heads in per-
IpIexity. trying to remember where
they had heard that name. He was
never afterward called 10 high sta
ton Of any kind. Obscure before
being raised 10 the cabinet. like Ian
sing. Duane again became obscure on
leaving il. Today no one who knows
his story. and few know it at all,
but looks upon him with mingled
pity and contempt.
Duane Was Bigger Than Lansing.
The Jacksonians did not hate
Duane. because there was not enough
of him to get their teeth into. Such
Of the correspondence as passed be-
tween Jackson, James a. Hamilton,
Mai Lewis. Amos Kendall and others
of the intimate inner circles Of the
administration. fails to disclose any
Interest i'm what the defunct secre-
tarv might think or say. The only
feeling manifest in these was one of
piryiug contempt because of Duane's
action i'm holding on to the office
after learning his views could not be
lmade 20 SOU re with those of the
president Only i'm the circles of
the opposition to Jackson's admin
iistration was there any interest. TO
speak OF. i'm Duane. These plainly
show that they were counting on him
to cause the president all possible
eubarra ssrlent. He was clearly in
touch with the enemy. doing the
enemies work. giving aid and en-
Icouragernent 10 the enemy while in
sisting on remaining in the house
hold of the administration. But, re-
turning to The comparison with
Lansing. even so insignificant fig
ure SIS Duane looms large and i'm
pressive by contrast because OF his
refusal 10 do that which he at least
pretended to think disadvantage
to his country While refusing TO
resign. like Lansing, he had the
/ courage ana .he manhood TO refuse
TO act upon the policies Of the presi-
dent OF which he disapproved. He
took the stand against the removal
Of the deposits and he refused to
order tht removal How much more
admirable this attitude than that of
Lansing. who. opposing his chiefs
policies. still acted in Paris in &C
cordancc with them believing them.
all the while. ms he now insists, detri