The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1897-04-07
THE CLAN M'LAURIN.
Interesting Facts About a Re
markable Mississippi
Family.

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Family.
Special Correspondence of the N. Y.
Sunday World.
Pretty much the entire admins.
tration of Mississippi's public at.
fairs is in the hands of the Clan
McLaurin. The head and founder
of this remarkable family was old
Laughlin McLauriE, who was born
over in Marlborough District, ).
g., in 1916. His parents came
from Scotland.
When LaughIin was still IA
young man he moved into Missis-
sippi and raised family of eight
sons. These sons are now the
Clan McLaurIn, aud the Clan Nc
Laurin made and keep the record
over any family III this country in
the matter OF office getting and Of
flee holding. They are, in point
of fact, the government of Missis-
sippi.
One of them is Governor of the
State and has been the States rep
resentative in the national Senate.
Another is a Judge; still another
is Warden of the penitentiary two
of them have been District -AttOr-
neys; one has Oeen State Sena-
tor and another a State Represen-
tative; one has been Railroad Com
missioner and Receiver of Public
Moneys and Mineral Inspector ;
three were members of the Consti
tutional Convention of 1S9O-all
this outside of places as members
OF Boards of Supervisors, Public
Health officers, Presidential Elect
OrS, clerks to committees in the
United States Senate, clerks in the
Treasury Department, clerks in
the United States Land Office,
clerks in the Railroad Commission,
and so on and on, which these re,
markable young men have held
and are now holding.
M'LAURIN AFTER M'LAURlN.
AS far down the vista of the Of
flee holding future as the prophet.
ic vision of II man can penetrate
there loom up offices after offices,
and everywhere McLaurin after
McLaurin to fill them. Talk about
fighting McCoOks Mlssissippi's
Office. Holding McLam'ins can give
them points. The world has never
seen the like.
Take, for instance, the state OF
affairs that has prevailed during
the present reign of the McLaurin
dynasty. One brother was Dis
trict- -AttOrney-he prosecuted and
convicted the criminal. Another
brother was Judge-he sentenced
Still another was Warden of the
Penitentlary-he kept in custody
the reprobate one of his brothers
had convicted and another had
sentenced. Then there was still
the other McLaurin, who was and
is GovernOr-he has the power OF
pardon. So there you are with the
whole executive, judiciary and pen.
al machinery, all in the hands OF
four brothers. And speaking oil
the Executive, it may be said right
here chat as soon as the present
McLaurln leaves the Gubernatori
al chair in 1899 there is another
McLaurin-his brother, of course
waiting to take his seat in it.
OF conrSe 10 group of men, nc
matter how closely affiliated, could
gain so surprising hold upon any
community unless they had some
remarkable qualities. AS a mat
ter of fact each one of the McLau
rims is "a man whose strong person
ality would be pretty sure to place
him in a CONSPICUOUS place any
where he might be placed. While
none of them is in any way gifted
with remarkable genius. they al
are possessed of Il strong, master,
full personality. and this strength
moreover, has with it % good dea'
of suavlty of manner and decided
diplomatic skill. This, together
with great tenacity of purpose and
clannish sticking together, inner
tied with their Scotch blood, and
especially instilled into them by
their father, is the secret of really
great combined power in the State
Further than this, they are al
men of uniformly fine physique and
impressive presence. Two of then
are 6 feet l inch in stature; two
more are even Six-fOoterS three
are feet IL, and the smallest is !
feet 10, with a weight of 19C
pounds. The weights of the Others
range from 165 to 215 pounds, will
four who are over 200-pounders
each. They are all big, brawny
deep-chested men; in other words
all gifted with the impetus of tire
mendous Scotch energy and all in
ured in early manhood tc hard out
door work on the farm. Further
more, they are all young for men o
their sound physique, even the old
est, the present Governor of Mis-
sissippi, being not yet quite forty
eight years of age. The younges
is only thlrty-three.
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