The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-28


amendment. In two sittings all four
were damned through. The presidents
injunction for economy was regarded
with no more consideration than are
the promises of a political platform.
He was merely giving the people some
nice platitudes, good enough in their
place, but entirely out of place in ap-
preparation committees. Mr.. Speaker,
where are we at?
OUR SONS OF THEIR FATHERS.
Life carries a heavy handicap for
two classes Of unfortunates, the hus-
band of a celebrated woman and the
sons Of celebrated fathers 1t is hard
to decide which occupies the more dis
agreeable position, although there is
this to be said for the sons that cannot
for the husbands, they, at least, could
not help it. The eclipsed husband
might have escaped his fate by avoid
ing marriage with the intellectual
woman, but the boys could not posi-
bly, have escaped the fate Of being the
sons of their fathers. Just why more
should be expected Of such boys than
is Of those Of fathers who have not
won fame is applicable only on the
theory that there has been so much
talk about heredity, the transmission
OF traits Of character, mainly vicious
ones, that, in spite of the all but uni
versal failure of sons to reach the
greatness of their fathers, the impress
sion remains. But, whatever the cause.
the fact is that a degree Of Importance
is attached to the sons Of eminent men
per Sc that they are not entitled to.
This persistence in trying to discover
in the son the greatness Of the father
is more pronounced in politics than in
any other field. This is easily ac-
counted for. The man who becomes
great in politics becomes the working
capital Of a lot Of others In the same
field. They are his lieutenants or camp
followers, and sometimes his man
ayers. They find in him their source
of profit; his popularity is their mine
the sunshine that favors their hay
making. When he dies their capital is
gone. They become statesmen out Of
jobs. The public bestows it's affection
without stopping to make nice discrim-
nations and transfers something of the
store it set by the father to the son.
1t roughly endows him with something
of the sire's greatness. Anyway, 1t
would like to honor him in order to
continue the honor given the father.
This feeling becomes a capital for the
fathers henchmen, diminished sone-
what, but still with possibilities in it,
They proceed to utilize it, to work the
son, or rather the public, through the
son.
So we have had frequent instances
OF efforts to replace the father with
the son of his father. For a long time
Bob" Lincoln was considered a posi-
bility for even the presidency, and was
actually made a minister to some
where or a secretary Of something he
cause he was his fathers son. Since
he has subsidized into the Ward Mac
Allister Of Chicago's Four Hundred
however, the politicians have aban-
doned all further hopes Of working
him. Several attempts have been made
TO do something with Fred Grant. but
somehow he never struck the popular
fancy, and so he has never been ma1e
more OF than minister to Weiss
nichtWo and a police commissioner Of
New York city, in which latter ca
pacity he has distinguished himself bv
saying that there were but three ways
of getting rid of him, death, Icgisla-
ton or something better"
But the only really serious effort we
recall to make the son as fully avail.
bic capital as was the father Is being
made now in Chicago in the selection
OF young Carter Harrison as a candi-
date for mayor by the Democrats so
called. The sire had some qualities
that justly made him popular, and 9TH
ers that made him strong, but so far
the son has not shown that he inherited
any OF them. Beyond writing some
lackadaisical verses under the romantic
pen-name of Avis Gray, we know of
nothing he has done to cause his cleo
ton for such an office, and we are not
quite clear that ability to thus rhyme
Is qualification for mayor. True.
Senator Tom Plat sings, and a Ten
nessee governor fiddled, but we cannot
conceive Of any duty of a mayor that
can be done in verse. So we are driven
to the conclusion that Mr.. Altgeld's
Democracy have thought that. lacking
other sufficient reasons why the gov
eminent Of the city should be entrust-
ed to them, they could fall back on the
superstition that the son Of his father
Is his father, and now put forward the
son for the voters to drape with his
fathers mantle. Other sons of their
fathers will await the result with in
terest. If Carter the second wins. their
stock will rise in the market.
The editor OF the Milwaukee Sentinel
should scan the specials Of his Wash
tngtCn correspondent We assume ha