The times., 1898-06-12
Lincoln and the SON Business

Hunting among old records, some
body has found letter of President
Lincoln's. written in January 1865,
shortly before the close of the war. 1t
was written to Gen. Grant, and began
in this way:
Please this letter as though were not
President but only friend. My son, now in
his twenty second year having been graduated
at Harvard. wishes TO some Of the war before
it ends.
Some of the officers in authority at
the present time have heard things
like this Then President Lincoln
explained that he did not wish to
put his son in the ranks. nor did he
wish to have him given commission,
because there were other men who had
had experience and We're better quail
fed for salaried positions of response
bility. But he asked, in d mild and hes
itating way, whether ii would be possi-
bic for Grant TO give the boy some nom
inal rank, while his expenses would be
paid, not by the Government. but by
the President personally. And he ends
1AAo AENltA TN AAlc llCSl IEAutSL ltidl
if this plan would in any way trouble
Gen. Grant. the latter should frankly
say So as the President did not wish,
on any account, to incumber the COM
mander of the Army with inconvenient
officials.
This letter is Of considerable interest,
in view OF some OF the appointments
which have lately been made by Mr.
Mckinley. Staff positions. and other
positions of prominence and response
bility, have been given TO the following
young men. nearly all civilians of no
military experience,
son OF eX- President Hayes
A son of ex-President Harrison.
a son Of James G. Blaine.
A son OF John A Logan.
John Jacob Astor
A son Of Senator Foraker.
A son of Senator SeweIl.
A son of Senator Gray.
Two sons of ex-senator Calvin Brice.
A son of ex-Mayor Strong, OF New
York.
A son of ex-Mayor Hewitt, Of New
York
A son of Vice President Hobarts
brother
\ son Of Secretary AIger
a brother of Vanderbilt's son-in-law.
A son Of ex-ConsuI General John C.
New.
a son-in-Iaw of Senator Money.
A son Of Chairman Hull, OF the House
Military Committee
a son and son-in-law of Senator
Lodge.
A son of ex-senator Mitchell, of Ore
gon.
A son Of the late Congressman Mill
ken, of Maine.
a son Of Edward Murphy, of New
York
A son of ex-Congressman Catchings,
of Mississippi.
And some others who need not be
mentioned, because the list is quite long
enough. 1t may also interest the cas-
ual reader to glance down this list and
see how many of the appointees had
relatives who were prominent in Ohio
or New York politics.
There is one senator, however. who
was quite prominent in bringing on this
war, and whose son is not a commits
stoned officer. although he had the
chance to be. A commission was
offered to the son of Senator Allen of
Nebraska, and the senator prevailed
upon the young man to refuse 1t. He
said he had no objection to his boys
going to the war in the ranks-and by
the way, Senator Allen enlisted in the
Civil War himself. at the age of four
teen, and fought in the ranks for four
years, so that he knows something
about it. But he did not think that
a youth of no military experience
should be given command of a regi-
ment 1t is not recorded that Senator
Aliens example has been very widely
followed among the politicians who
deprecated the horrors of war and
pointed out with great zeal the unpre-
pared condition Of the country. 1t re-
mains for these politicians to explain
Why