The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1896-10-24

members OF that cabinet can you name?
You may agitate your memory nv
scratching your head or tapping your
forehead; but you VIII realize The truth
drip Van Wrinkles assertion, chow soon
we are forgotten when we are gone"
when you try to remember the names
of those distinguished men. Can you
tell who was secretary of state, under
Harrison's administration? 1t wal
James G.. Blaine. His secretlry of wal
was Redfeld Proctor, of Vermont, who
resigned, and was succeeded oy Stephen
Is. Elkins, of West Virginia. Both oil
those gentlemen are now members of
the senate. William Window, of Mime
sofa, was secretary of the treasury, and
died suddenly while delivering a pub
lie address in New York city. He was
succeeded by ex-Gov. Charles Foster, of
Ohio, who served until the close of his
term. John w. Noble, of Missouri, was
secretary of the interior, and John Wan
amaker, of Pennsylvania, was postmas-
ter-general. Probably the most popular
member of the Harrison cabinet was
Secretary of Agriculture Rusk, whom
everybody called Uncle Jerry. The
farmers will all remember the cele-
bratcd ''hoFse book which was issued
by Uncle Jerry. Hundreds of thousands
of copies of it have been issued by au-
thority of congress. William Henry
Harrison Miller was Harrison's attor.
~ney-general.
Few to-day ever think of Benjamin
Harris Brewster, who was attorney
general, and the most picturesque fig
ure in the Arthur administration. He
a man of marked peculiarities IN
dress, and his features were disfigured
by an accident; but he was a man OF
superior ability. Ex-senator Howe, of
Wisconsin, was Arthur's postmaster
general, and died in office. He was sue
ceeded by Gen. Gresham, who was post
master-general for nearly two years,
then became secretary of the treasury,
and was appointed a district Judge;
but afterwards became secretary of
state in the second Cleveland admins.
t~ration, and died in Office.
Frank Hatton cannot be forgotten
while any of his personal friends live,
for they will keep his memory ever
green. But he ceased to be known hy
the general public after he ceased to
be postmaster general. He built up a
great newspaper in Washington city.
and died while in the editorial chair,
being stricken suddenly while .
emily in the prime of life.
Some of these cabinet ministers cher
ished presidential ambitions. Chase
wanted to succeed Abraham Lincoln but
Lincoln made him an associate Justice
of the supreme court. Elihu b. Wasl.-
burne, Don Cameron, Blaine, BI4stow,
Hamilton Fish, Sherman and Bob Lin
coin all listened to the buzzing of the
presidential bee; but they fell short of
nominations. Whoever to-day hears Of
Williams, Columbus Delano,
Alderman, Speed or MacVeagh?
What is said of members of the cabi-
net may also be said of many men who
filed the forum of discussion in either
house of congress, and then passed
AWAY from public view. 1t is not that
republics are ~ungrateful, but that the
are forgetful. They have not
space in their memories for all of the
great men who rise to the surface in
The maelstrom Of our political affairs.
Moreover, the people of this country
not hero worshipers.f There is no
man SO great in this republic but thot
the people feel that he can be spared
at any time, and from the farm, the
country, law office or the business
some mar as good or better may
be expected to arise and take his place.
Our people r loyal to their friends,
and follow their political leaders with
wonderful fidelity. Yet they never be-
come enamored of public men, but con-
feel that ''all men are born free
and equal" and hence they straightway
them when they have rendered
ind been paid for such public services
as the people desire of them.
SMITH d. FRY.