Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-10-31

TVIIE United States lost one Of Its most
L useful citizens when Franklin x
Lane died. II 1t had not been for the
accident Of his birth in Canada he would
certainly have been seriously considered
for the presidency. His residence on
the Pacific slope would not have counted
against his availability. for he had be.
come u national character. His deatk,
at the early age Of fifty five years was
public calamity. Although he had
retired from Office in order to earn
money to support him in his old age he
could not have kept himself out Of pub
lie affairs for very long.
He began to devote himself to public
service as soon ns he left college be-
cause he saw things that needed to be
done. and he responded to the call
thereafter whenever 1t seemed possible
for him to accomplish anything. He
remained in the Cabinet Of President
Wilson, when IL he had consulted his
private inclinations he would have re.
signed because Of the difficulty Of get.
ting along with his superior. But he
remained because of his sense Of public
obligation.
The widow of Mr.. Lane has done q
public service in editing a collection Of
his letters just issued from the press
Of the Houghton- -Aliffiin Company. They
set forth the political ideals of the man
and reveal the greatness Of his spirit.
As n textbook III .Americanism the vol
ume is invaluable. 1t ought to be read
by every young man who has any pol.t /.
ical ambitions.
Lane wds nominailv = Democrat.
but he ,cds an American first, and
an American of so broad mind
that he com mmandcd the respect Of
honest men in all parties.
TT WAS Theodore Roosevelt who ap.
i pointed him to the Interstate Com
merce Commission. where he served with
distinction until Woodrow Wilson made
him Secretary OF the Interior. He
was one of the strongest and most eff .
ciert men in the Cabinet. so strong in
fact that. as ! have already indicated
he had difficulty in getting along with
the President.
His letters tell the story of his Cab.
iret experiences. and they also reve0
the mind and temper OF the man. AT
the present moment his comments on
Wilson and his revelations Of what
went on in Washington during tn,
war are Of greater interest than his
letters on other matters. They will b.
OF value in fixing the final estimate OF
: Wilson Just as the letters Of Ambas.
sador Page have the same kind Of i'm
rortance. But II the book Is read In
five years from now. az 1t ought to be
Il will be because Of the interest in the
reyclati of the mind and PURPOSES
of n great American citizen who sacrl.
feed his fortune and his life in the
rubl!c service.
One cannot read the letters without
re GREETING the untimely taking off Of sc
fine a spirit. They are written to all
sorts Of persons. men and women. poll
tirions, college professors. newspaper
editors, and just friends to whom he
was bound by common intellectual in =
terests. They are just as surprising IN
their extent and variety as the letters
Of Ambassador Page. One wonders
how 30 busy q man could find time to
write so much. or could write with such
sppnront lack Of haste and such n"ree :
oble discursivcness. II 1t were not al :
ways unsafe to gcneralize from made.
ruate data 7 would be inclined to say
that the once lost art Of letter writing
Ind been reIiscovered. But Page was
Journalist all his life and Lane was
Journalist IN his youth. To conclude
because two such men had the ability