The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-05-08
GREAT MEMS SONS.

GREAT MEMS SONS.
The Worthless Character of the Male Offspring
Of Stateslnen-Some Of the Noted FAM
lilies in American History That
Have Died Out.
Last week, writes a Washington COR
respondent to The Cleveland Leader,
Congressman Holman's son, by his
drunken brutality, furnished food for
The gossips of the capital. This week
Senator Mahone's son is taking his
place. Holman's son was drunk at
one of the finest of Washington's in
vited receptions. He rudely seized
the bare arm of a pure girl, and blow
ing his branded voice into her face
tried to force her to dance with him.
1t was the police who removed him.
MahOne's son was refused drink at
his hotel because it was evident that
he was already drunk. He tears up
the hotel register, and makes rags Of
the parlor curtains. AT the close of
his spree he tries to shoot one OF the
colored servants and sends u bullet
through the hair of another. On the
top of this comes the statement that
young Malone has been so drunk for
a period running owe three months
that the servant whom he shot has had
to put him to bed every night.
Both Holman and Malone, knowing
the ineficiency of their sons, have
given them appointments and have
been keeping them here doing nothing
but evil at the expense of the govern
ment. Economy, like charity, should
begin ut home, and Malone, who is
worth his millions, and Holman, who
is worth his scores of thousands,
should support their offspring or their
congressional salaries. Most of the
senators are worth millions. l don't
suppose there are half a dozen men
among them who are not worth at
least 500, 900; yet numbers Of them
have their children on the pay-rolls of
the government. Mahone's son was
employed about the senate, and he
got, L think, $4,000 a year. The son
of Senator Harris, of Tennessee, is am
ployed in the senate clerks office, and
gets so, 200, and another one of Har-
ris' sons is, l am told, on the senator's
committee as clerk at Sc G day. Sem
ator McMillan's son draws So, 200 a
year from his position as clerk of his
fathers committee, and Senator Lap
hams son draws So a day from a SINH
lar position on the committee on
oma suffrage. Senator George has
a son who is employed about the sta
tionery division of the senate at an IN
nual salary of $1,000. Old Eli Sauls-
bury's boy gets Sc a day for clerking
on a committee, and a brother of SEN
ator Jones is a clerk in the sergeant
alarms office. 1t is the same in the
house. Many congressman have their
children and their relatives employed
in various salaried positions, and l
could name a number of clerks who
get their positions solely ON account of
their fathers or uncles' influence.
The effect of such appointment is
bad. The boys know that their
places are secure through their fathers;
and if they have the ability to do the
work in most cases they shirk it and
rely upon others.
Great mems sons rarely inherit the
abilities of their fathers. You can
count on the fingers of one hand the
great men of to-day whose fathers
have been noted in the history of our
country, and the greatest men our
country has had have left no
issue to which their country
can point with pride. Washing
ton, jackson, Madison, Polk, and
Buchanan all died childless; and l be-
lieve that no lineal descendant of
Franklin Pierce remains. Prince John
Va I,,~o, -,o &t,1 .s~It eDv, ,oe q,
bright father, but he is dead, and the
family has passed out of notice. None
of the Jetfersons, since the president,
has done anything, and if there be
any noted Monroes the world has not
heard of them. Some of Andrew
Johnson's children are living, but none
of them inherited their fathers ability,
and Gen. Grants sons at middle age
are etill existing nonentities. Take
our great statesmen outside Of the
presidents. Henry Clay had a bright
son, but he was killed in the Mexican
war, and one of the Clay family was
lately mixed up in a drunken brawl in
Kentucky. John Randolph and Pat
rick Henry both died bachelors, and if
there be any Websters, Clays, or Cal
houns the world is ignorant of their
merits. You may see a son of Reverdy
johnson loafing about the hotels here
any night, as worthless to his country
as his father was valuable. President
Tyler was the great Q of a great
father, but John Tyler's children are
not men of national note, and one of
them is now holding a treasury APP
pointment. Some OF Jcfferson's great
granddaughtcrs are holding positions
in the departments here, and n of
his great-grandscns lately applied for
a place and failed to get it. Silas
Wright. of New York, was married,
but he never had any children. Aaron
Burr and William King. two of our
vice presidents, died without issue.
Alexander Stephens died a bachelor,
and SO also did Washington Irving,
! our greatest and purest writer.
The great families of America which
have transmitted their talents are
easily numbered. The Bayards have
had three successive senators of note
in the direct line, and Tom Bayard's
uncle, Richard Bayard, was in the
senate from Delaware before his
father. Tom Bayard and his father
were IN the senate at the same time,
and Tom Bayard's grandmother was a
daughter of Senator Richard Bassett,
one OF the members of the constitu.
tional convention, a signer to the con
stitution, and one of the senator's at
the beginning of our government.
The Frelingbuysens' prominence
dates back to Frederick ~Frelinghuy.
sen, of the continental congress, who
at 80 years of age, was a senator, from
1898 to 1896. Next comes Theodore
Freiinghuysen, senator, college presi
dent, and second on the ticket witt
Henry Clay, and nov we have Fred.
erick I. Frelingbuysen. secretary O
state, who is the nephew and adopted
son of old Theodore.