River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-11-04
The Emp,,ne.s oft.rearness

Boston Traveller: A careful study of
Lanman's Biographical Dictionary
would temper the ambition OF many an
ardent politician. In that large volume
are embalmed the names and brief
sketch of the characters of some thou
sands Of members of the House Of Rep
resentativos, of the Senate. and of the
Executive Departments Of this Govern
ment To the living generation, and
and especially to the younger half of
the living generation, the names there
in contained are as barren of signifi-
canoe as are the names of the Israel
ties recorded in the genealogical
register of the Old Testament.
We venture TO attempt 10 redeem
from absolute oblivion the name of the
man who enjoyed the longest period Of
service in IL congress of the United
States, in the first hundred years of
our constitutional history. His lengthy
career was not one OF any positive
greatness either of intellect or char
scter. file never achieved distinguished
place, nor did he become conspicuous
in any important contest. He had the
happy quality of not being disagree
able. He was a General IN the War of
the Revolution. afterwards he was
Mayor of the CITY of Baltimore, ana
finally he had a seat in the House of
Representatives and then in the Senate
whose united terms amounted to thirty
nine Years. A process of reasoning
"A
that such Il career would secure that
recognition which the world cailsfame
His fate was otherwise. Outside OF
the Smith family Samuel 5 NTH of
Maryland is unknown, and o most
readers this is TO them the first public
mention Of his name.
Personal ambition is an aid TO gov
eminent, and when personal ambit on
disappears good government will dis
appear also. But personal ambition,
ike seed time and harvest, will never
cease. and, therefore, there is no peril
to the public good when attention IS
called to the fact that much of what is
thought 10 be fame disappears when
the actors disappear. From the or
ganizatiOn of the Government there
have been twenty-five Presidential
elections. and twenty-five persons have
held the Office of President. 1t is safe
10 infer that not less than ten persons
have been aspirants for the place in
each quadrennial period. OF these
nine have been disappointed. or more
than 200 in all, who became the unhap-
ply victims of instructed ambition. To
these are to be added fourteen of those
Z h., n
reelection without success.
The two Adamses, Calhoun, Clay,
! Crawford, the two CIintons, Webster,
Cass. Chase. Seward, and many others
less well known. were disappointed
men. And what is TO be said of the
men who finally reached the office of
President of the United Ststes? First
of all. it is TO be said that Gen. Wash
/ ington, MIR. Lincoln, and Gen. Grant
established regulations for statesman
ship which they did not before possess.
Whatever may now be thought of the
opinions or purposes of Gen. Jackson,
he made for himself a conspicuous
place in the political history Of the
country. As to the two Adamses, they
gained nothing by their elevation 10
the Presidency. The elder Adams
ruined the Federal party. and the
second Adams ruined the Republican
party. as it had been organized under
the lead of Mr.. jefferson. Neither
Jefferson nor Madison gained any
thing from the Office of President.
Whatever OF fame is awarded to Jeffer-
son or Madison Is awarded for ser
vice aside from the Presidential
office.
jefferson is remembered as the auth
or of the Declaration of Independence
and as the author or eXpounder of fun
damental political principles. Madison
Is remembered for his notes on the Con-
stitution aud for his writings in the
Federalist. We DO not speak Of the
living, but what of gain has come to
the reputation of Monroe, Van Buren,,
Harrison, Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fill
more. Pierce, Buchanan, or Johnson?
Their names are in the list of Presl-
dents of the United States, and that
fact counts for something; but can any
one refer to a measure that originated
with any of those men that was wise in
plan and beneficial in its results?
We have not in view any moral pur-
pose; but at the end we may be indulg-
ed in one reflection. Wealth and Of
flee are proper objects of ambition. but
many VINO take part in the contests,
will fail, and some may succeed at a
cost greater than the prize.