CHAPTER XXIII. The Political Leaders and Statesmen of the Day James K. Jones Senator from Arkansas-Chairman of the Democratic National J Committee. AMES K. JONES, Senator from Arkansas, and chairman of the National Democratic Committee, was born in Marshall County, Miss., September 29, 1839. He received a classical education at one of the Southern institutions, and, at the breaking out of the war of 1861, enlisted as a private soldier in a Mississippi regiment. At the close of the war he returned to private life on the farm in Arkansas, and took up the study of law. He was admitted to practice in 1873, and the same year was elected to the State Senate. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1874, and continued in the State Senate, where he was elected President of the Senate in 1877. He represented his state in the Forty-seventh, Forty-eighth and Forty-ninth Congresses, and served with credit. He succeeded Hon. James D. Walker as United States Senator from Arkansas, March 18, 1885, and has since been re-elected twice. His term expires March 20, 1903. At the Chicago Convention, in 1896, he was made chairman of the Democratic National Committee-though previously he had not been a conspicuous leader in politics. HIS FINANCIAL VIEWS When the repeal of the purchase clause of the Sherman act was pending in the United States Senate, Senator Jones was one of its bitterest opponents. Like other bimetallists, he held that the law was unscientific and illogical, and that under it silver was degraded to the position practically of token money. But he saw as most representatives of Southern and Western communities saw, that the law prevented any very grave contraction of the currency, and he sturdily refused to aid in its repeal until some substitute, which would accomplish the same purpose, was assured. It is a curious commentary on the way in which, of late years, the constitutional barrier between the executive and legislative departments of the government has been broken down, that negotiations for that substitute were conducted not with representatives of the majority in the House or Senate, but with representatives of the President, Mr. Cleveland. There have been charges and countercharges made concerning the good faith of the President in these negotiations. Enough now to say that after fighting the repeal for three months, Senator Jones at last signed a compromise which he thought was approved at the White House. The repudiation by Mr. Cleveland and his followers of that compromise and the passage of an unconditional repeal law so embittered the Arkansas Senator that he declared he would never again be a party to a compromise on the silver question. PERSONAL MAGNETISM His state is both Southern and Western, It is essentially an agricultural state, and he, in record and in manner, is the ideal representative of a farming community. He is a big man, given much to the flowing frock coats of Southern statesmanship; handsome of face, with a noble brow, a beard just whitening and blue eyes that would be kindly except that they seem to be always seeking for the purpose of the visitor. of the visitor. In speech, he is gentle and politewhen he wants to be-and bluff and decisive when the need arises. His method of conducting a campaign is diametrically opposed to that of his distinguished opponent. His manner is open and frank, his speech disarms suspicion. His demeanor is that of a man who is playing a game which can be won by main strength, not by chicanery. He conceals his plan of campaign as little as the man at bat conceals his purpose to hit the ball as hard as he can. And yet the men who know this bluff, hearty, outspoken chairman best wonder if beneath it all there is not some quiet concealment of his real activities in the campaign. John Hay Author-Diplomat-Secretary of State. JOHN HAY, President McKinley's Secretary of State, is of Scotch parentage. His ancestor, John Hay, arrived in Virginia in the middle of the last century. The grandfather of John Hay was a Revolutionary soldier, and afterwards lived in Kentucky. Charles Hay, the father of the present Secretary, was a successful physician in Salem, Indiana, and the mother of John Hay was a daughter of the Rev. David A. Leonard, of Rhode Island; consequently the son, when old enough to go to college, was sent to Brown University, where he completed his education. He early showed fondness for English literature and writing. Some of his first poems. were written while in college, and were noted for their humor and vivacity. Soon after leaving college, the event which influenced his future career transpired, when he was invited by Abraham Lincoln. to enter his law house, at Springfield. At that time Mr. Lincoln was at the head of his profession, and becoming known in political circles outside of his own state. Mr. Lincoln trusted the young man implicitly, and called upon him for services which many would expect to get from older assistants. Very soon after entering Mr. Lincoln's office, the contest was on for the presidency of 1860, which gave Mr. Hay an opportunity to study politics, even at the expense of not learning much law. He was admitted to the bar just before Mr. Lincoln left for Washington to assume the duties of the Presidency. He accompanied Mr. Lincoln to Washington and became one of his secretaries. Soon after he came to Washington he met the daughter of Amos Stone, a friend of Mr. Lincoln's, whom he afterwards married. He obtained his title of colonel while acting as the President's adjutant, which took him to the field for the purpose of observation and bringing information to the Commander-in-Chief. It is true that Mr. Hay was not widely known in political circles until President McKinley appointed him as ambassador to Great Britain, March 19, 1897; but during all the previous years he had exercised a potent influence in politics, occasionally making speeches which were clever and cogent. He was frequently called into the Republican councils, and freely gave of his time and means in contributing to the success of his party. His short residence of eighteen months in England enabled him to make many acquaintances and become familiar with the condition of European politics. Assuming the duties of Secretary of State he has shown that, while he is aggressive in upholding American rights, he firmly believes in Washington's policy of avoiding foreign entanglements. He is likewise an upholder of the Monroe Doctrine; consequently he has been able to keep the country out of European troubles and assert American rights in the western hemisphere. Probably his greatest achievement will be remembered as "the open door" policy which he has pursued in the treatment of Oriental relations. He must have foreseen what the policy of the European governments would be in the East, and knew that our acquiring the Philippine Islands would be a step towards the expansion of the United States as a commercial power. His administration is also marked by the settlement of the Samoan question, which has been so troublesome and costly. In this settlement, the United States gets the island of Tutuila, which has one of the best harbors in the Pacific, and this without depriving the United States of any of its commercial privileges in the Samoan group. He has also arranged with Great Britain in such a manner that there will be no trouble in regard to the boundary line for the disputed territory in Alaska. We cannot omit mentioning also the prominent part the United States took at the conference at The Hague, at which the great powers came to an understanding as to the settlement of disputes. Secretary Hay's contribution to the success of the conference is well known. Lyman Judson Gage Secretary of THE Treasury. LYMAN JUDSON GAGE, financier, was born in De Ruyter, Madison County, New York, June 26, 1836. He is descended from Thomas Gage, who came to Yarmouth, Cape Cod, from England, about 1640. His son Benjamin had a son Thomas, who settled in Duchess County, New York. About 1800, Ebenezer, son of the lastnamed Thomas, became a resident of Madison County, New York. He had a family of several sons, one of whome was Justus, who had a son Eli A., father of the subject of this sketch. All those named were farmers except his father, who, for a time lived in Rome, Oneida County, New York, where he engaged in commercial business. The son received a common school education in his native county of Madison, and upon removal of his parents to Oneida County, he had for a short time the advantages of Rome Academy. Upon the removal of his father to Chicago, in 1855, he entered, in a subordinate position, a banking institution in that city. He rose rapidly through the various grades until in 1868 he became cashier ot the First National Bank of Chicago, and in 1882 its president, as, in fact, he had been its manager for many years. The growth of this remarkable financial concern, is a part of the life of Mr. Gage. Under his guidance, it not only survived several trying periods in the history of the rapidly growing city, but it came to be a leading, and, at times, the most powerful bank in the United States. Its stock in 1868 was worth not more than par, and notwithstanding dividends of ten per cent. paid annually since that time, the value of principal invested therein has increased sixfold. It was one of the institutions to survive the crisis of the great fire of 1871, and the panic, no less destructive of values, of 1873. In those days of wrecks it stood as an example to other banks, and by its moral influence sustained several which would have otherwise gone to the wall. Distinguished as have been Mr. Gage's achievements in building up a powerful banking house, they are, while better known, 22 385 |