“Is this your office?” I asked him. “Aren’t these roses emblems of peace rather than of war?”
“My office is next door,” the Secretary answered, “but there are roses there too. Washington is famous for its flowers; we have many fine conservatories. I have, by the way, more concerns of peace than of war on my hands at present. The Panama Canal and the Philippines take up most of my time.”
George Meyer, Secretary of the Navy—and incidentally our distant cousin—was the next comer. He was very dapper, wearing, like the others, a frock coat and tall hat. We had not met since Meyer was Ambassador to Italy. He asked many questions about Rome, which he seemed to regret. We talked of the splendid work our navy did for Italy after the Messina earthquake. I asked him if he had read Commander Belknap’s report.
“Enough of it to get an idea of what good service you all did down there,” he answered.
I seemed to hear again the click of Belknap’s typewriter at the American camp at Mosella, when he sat writing those notable reports to the Navy Department late into the night.
Admiral Brownson thinks that Meyer is the best Secretary of the Navy we have ever had. Adams says that Senator Lodge got him the job. Mr. Lodge was offered the post of Secretary of State, but refused it and tried to get the position for Meyer, but had to be content with the Navy portfolio.
“What gossip!” I hear you cry.
Well, isn’t to-day’s gossip to-morrow’s history?
Mr. MacVeagh next introduced Mr. Knox, Secretary of State, a small stocky man with an harassed face. He was the only one of them who seemed to show his hand. One had a sense of the heavy weight—superhuman almost—that rested on all these men; the others seemed to be able to make light of it for the moment, while Mr. Knox seemed troubled and nervous. His son’s sudden marriage last week may have had something to do with it.
“I have been bothered by interviewers all the morning,” he complained. “We are unlike any other Cabinet officers in the world. Delcassé tells me he never sees any but the most important persons, and those only by appointment. The English Cabinet members are equally well protected. We are at the mercy of Tom, Dick and Harry. Our time is wasted on all sorts of minor matters, by insignificant nobodies. Some of us, like your friend MacVeagh here, have social duties as well. I myself avoid those as much as I can.”