The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-14
CTR nEx IN rHB oAB1NEr.
TIE mig Cittcs or the Union Furnish Nearly
Ar Ua p1Nmherp.

~
All 1ts RaeuaberS.
WASHINGTON, juno ia newspaper para
graph IL "going the rounds" OF tho papers to
tho effect that. with the exception of the Socre-
tary Of Agriculture, who resides in Ames, Ia,
all the mombers Of President McKinley's Cabi-
net are city mon. Secretary Bliss lisa resident
of Now York, Secretary Gage OF Chicago. secre-
tary Gary Of Baltimore, Secretary Long OF Bos-
ton, Secretary McKenna Of San Francisco, and
Secretary Alger Of Detroit. In no previous Ad-
ministration has tho number Of representatives
Of tho very large cities boon 90 great as It'll at
present. For the first time in the political his
tory Of the United States It may DO said that a
majority Of the big cities of the country are so
represented.
BY the Federal census Of 1890 the eight cities
counting New York and Brooklyn as one. as,
officially, thoy will DO after Jan. /, 1899 having
the largest population, were New York, Chicago,
Philadelphia, st. Louis, Boston. Baltimore, and
San Francisco. Six OF tho eight have represent
atives in the Presidents Cabinet; two have not.
These two are Philadelphia and st. Louis; but
both were represented in the last Republican
Cabinet, st. Louis by Mr.. Noble, Harrison's Sec
rotary of the Interior, and Philadelphia by Mr..
wanamakcr, PostmasterG General. st. Louis,
too, had a representative In the last Cleveland
Cabinet, Mr.. Francis; so that the big cities Of
the United States may be said to have had, Of
late, their full share OF Cabinet honors.
There are about 1000 cities and towns having
more than 1000 population each. OF these,
besides the eight already mentioned, there woro
fifty which had q population Of between $4,000
and 100000. These fifty cities have only one
representative In the Cabinet, and tho $500
townships have only one representative, Mr..
Sherman Of Mansfield. But II the largo cities
of the country. and especially tho largest cities
~ tka oo,,ntru 80 thnan nhtcAv ranroaaptnd In
public life at this time, 1t is mono the less q fact
that the present Cabinet, which ftly represents
and reflects the present political conditions, is
made up to a considerable extent Of country
boys born and reared on farms.
Secretary Sherman, who is q native Of the
town Of Lancaster, in Ohio, left school at four
teen and went to work for himself at seventeen.
Lyman Gage. the Secretary of tho Treasury,
was born near the little town of De Ruyter,
In Madison county. N. Y, not far from Gaze
novis, from which it was taken nearly Q
century ago. From De Ruyter his parents moved
to the town Of Rome, and he started in business
for himself at the age Of 10, one year later than
his colleague, Sherman. At the age of 10 the
Madison county boy went West to grow up with
the country, and became o bookkeeper. bank
cashier, and ultimately bank president. Secre-
tary Alger was born on q farm In the town of
Lafayette, in Medina county, In the Western
Reserve. He worked as q boy on q farm at
monthly wages, attending school In the autumn
and winter terms. He taught school. too, and
became, when 10, a clerk In a law Office, being
admitted to the bar in Ohio at Akron, not far
from President McKinley's home, when but %.
One year later. as many other good and success
full men have done, he left Ohio to gain dis
~tinction in another State. settling in Michigan,
Of which he became Governor twenty-five years
later. Secretary McKenna is q native Of Phila-
delphia, and he attended school in that city
until he was IL years Of age. Then his
parents removed to California, and at the age of
% he was admitted to the bar. Thou Oh now a
legal resident Of the city Of San Francisco. SEQ
rotary McKenna was reared in the town OF
Benicia, a small one on the Pacific slope, and he
did not remove to San Francisco until a few
years ago. Secretary Wilson is a Scotchman by
birth, an Ayrshire man. brought up on O farm in
that agricultural county, whose merits were ex-
tolled by Robert Burns. born in Ayr in 1859.
The parents of Wilson first settled in Connecti-
cut when he was II years Of age, and three
years later. at 20 years, he went to Tama
county, Ia. where he became q farmer. Tama
is one Of the richest agricultural counties
OF the corn State, and Mr.. Wilson had
set up in business for himself as a farm
er before he received his first political
honors. Secretary Gary was born in Uncasville,
Conn.,. a small town, and when a young man he
removed with his parents to Maryland. Secre-
tary Long was born in Buckfeld, Oxford county,
Me-, a little town back Of the railroad leading
to Portland. and Mr.. Long received his prelimin-
airy education in that town. Secretary Bliss is
a native Of Fall River. and in this respect is an
exception to his colleagues in the Presidents
Cabinet, for Fall River is now one of the largest
OF the manufacturing cities of the Union; but at
the time OF Mr.. Bliss birth in 1888 its popu-
lation was less than 5000. Indeed, when Secre-
tary Bliss was born there was, officially, no such
town as Fall River. for it was then known as
Troy, and the enormous industry which has
since been developed there dates nearly forty
years later. At the beginning of the civil war
Fall River had less than 5000 population, but
now has nearly 100000.
The early Presidents and the members Of the
early Cabinets were. for the most part. residents
of little towns. and the voters did. not turn to
the large cities for candidates. The present
tendency to tho concentration Of population,
stimulated by the enormous improvements in
transportation and in the means Of communica-
ton, has had the consequence Of drawing polit-
ical leaders to the large cities after having
gained fame in smaller towns. A recent Illus.
tration OF this attraction has been furnished in
the case of former Congressman Bynum, one of
the active members of the National Democracy
of a year ago. Long a resident Of indianapolis,
he has removed to Brooklyn. The Sheehans,
active Democrats, arc among those who have
transferred their activities 4" TO New York.
A majority of the present Cabinet are " city
men," but It is equally true, as n little obserya.
ton of tho facts of the case shows. that a major.
ity are country boys"
RubbernecLinE ut Bryan's Home.