New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-16
HERRDITARY HITUPERATION.

Hereafter when any one sits down to write
history, he should inquire whether any or the
descendants OF his heroes are now living, ana
if so whether they have over intermarrled
with the pOsterity of any of their ancestors
enemies For lack of this Mr. John Bigelow
has been deuged with the Walls of wrath OF
one g. w. Clinton. Mr. BigelOw wrote two
unusually clever and impartial articles In
Ha,per's Magazine founded on the correspond
ence of Dewitt Clinton, showing that that
amented and hOnOred statesman was in the
habit of using a style of denunciation towards
his opponents hardly to be matched nowadays.
In illustration of his theme, he cited letter
of Mr.. Clinton referring to John c. Spencer In
language which bis admirers might have called
"scathng.n but which the judicious could
hardly approve. How was mortal man to know
that Mr.. ClntOn's son had married Mr. Spen-
GERS daughter1 But such was the fact, ard
Mr.. Clinton lost no time In making 1t known
to Messrs. Harper and to Mr.. BigelOw. There
upon the amiable booksellers and their accom-
plishcd editor, Mr. Alden, wrote polite letters
of regret, and Mr.. Bigelow joined in the re-
morseful chorus with a letter the poitest and
most courteous of all. Mr.. Clinton was greatly
expressive of perfect satisfaction to Mr. Harper
and Mr.. Alden. In these he expressed his sat-
lsfactlon with Mr.. BlgelOw's letter, and an
nounced his purpose of writing to him " IN
kindness"
But alas for the peace of mind of all parties,
he waited three days, and on the 18th OF Feb
ruary, the wind having changed, he wrote a
good long letter to Mr.. Bigelow in which he
accuses him of thoughtlessness and self-sufii-
"ciency," tells him he never heard OF him
before, and that he writes rubbish" Mr.
Bigelow had brought to Mr.. Clinton's notice
two letters of his own in which he
expressed desire to have these So
called Post letters published. But ne
Indignantly rejons that he expected
to have them published Gin a book" under
his own eye, where he could strike out every
thing which should not be to the advantage
of his fathers memory, and could leave in
everything which would be unpleasant to the
Van Burens and Yateses. But his irritation
makes him illogical, for after complaining
bitterly that the letters were published at all,
he charges as an additional wrong that they
were published in an "ephemeraT form. AT
one moment he tells Mr.. Bigelow that he does
not know who he is, and in the same sentence
by referring to him as once attached to our
Legation in Paris" he shows chat he is in
formed of Mr. BigelOw's having held the high
est rank in our diplomatic service, and that
he has not the honorable candor to admit it..
There may be some difference Of opinion
about what letters ought to be published, but
no one will doubt that Mr.. Clinton for his own
sake would have done well not to publish
these, and especially not to preface them by
furious communication to The Buffalo Courier,
calling Mr. Bigelow by such courteous names
as "simplcton," malicious knave," "willful
"and malignant lIar." Such language as this
certainly goes far to prove that the great
Clinton's taste for vtuperation was transmits
sible. if none Of his other talents were.