Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1902-12-19
CHAMP CLARK Stories
Interesting Discussion on
Heredity In Politics.

intellectual Capacity NOT Equal In
Men - Sons Often Greater Than
Their Fathers-!nstsnces Of the De.
scent Of AbIIity-The Two Adamses.
5ayards and sauIsburys OF Della.
ware-FIghts Among Brothers For
Political Preferment.
[copyright. 1902. by Champ clark.l
One day in the cloakroom the yexed
question OF the transmission of certain
qualities from parent to offspring, both
In the human race and among the low
er animals, was the theme of conversa-
ton 1t ranged all the way from the
fad of the eccentric Frenehman, who
had left large fortune in trust for the
purpose Of propagating race OF giants,
to the breeding of bobtail pups. Rumi-
mating upon what heard, L collated
certain facts which may be of interest.
What Jefferson Meant.
lis there any such thing as heredity
in American politics?" is question
which affords food for reflection to
sociologists, philosophers and states
men. Evidently Thomas Jefferson did
not intend there should be, for the en-
tire theory of our institutions is bot
toned on this famous dictum, IAN men
are created equal" He never meant.
as some hypercritical persons who
were either stupid or decidedly I'M
candid have tried to make it appear.
that all men have the same endow-
ments of mind, soul and body.
Such an assumption would have been
preposterous. and most assuredly JEFF
ferson did not deal In the preposterous.
With his exquisite intellect he could
not have thought that the chances OF
all men for political preferment are
equal. He understood too well the phi
losophy OF environment and how great
a part luck or accident plays In the af-
fairs of men.
What he meant and all he meant was
that all men are endowed by nature
with equal political rights, and am in
clined to think he used ''men'' as a ge-
neric term, like the Latin homo" in
GLIDING the women also His immortal
saying contains the entire motive pow
er of that leveling process which has
been abroad In the world for more than
century.
The Adams Family.
When the constitution was adopted
so thoroughly did the idea of heredi-
tary political honors appear to be ex-
ploded in this country that the prophet
would have been yhooted at who pre-
dicted that in the first century of con-
stltutlonal government a father and n
son or one family and a GRANDPA ther
and grandson Of another would all be
presidents of the republic, while the
sons OF two other presidents would be
mentioned as a possible presidential
| team.
II is true that John Quincy Adams
was an ADLER man than old John and
that General Benjamin Harrison easily
| outclassed General William HenrS
Harrison. But no man who. regards
truth and who takes cognizance OF the
doctrine of cause and effect will for
one moment believe that the younger
Adams and the younger Harrison
would ever have been president had
not their illustrious ancestors held that
exalted station. "Grandfather's hat's
was great thing for photographers
$3.50 AeSSAiSAS dfAQ AuTulSHeQ the
world with lots OF fun, but u stirred
the heart OF many an old Wing who
could remember the log cabin cam
paign and the rhyming battle Of
Tippecanoe
And Tyler too.
Perhaps who knows?-it was the
straw that turned the scale against
the New Yorker and in favor of the
HoOsier.
John Adams and Abigail, his wife.
transmitted their talents, tastes and
ambitions farther than any other pair
in American history. They must have
been an. ideally mated couple. Two
Adamses, old John and John Quincy.
were presidents. These two and Charlie
Francis. son OF John Quincy, WEB
ministers TO the court OF st. James.
Charles Francis was the Free Soil
candidate for president, with Martin
Van Buren,. In lS4S. and came near can
turing the Liberal Republican nomina-
ton for the presidency which Horace
Greeley received In 1872. A great many
wise men believe to this day that had
he been nominated instead OF s'the Sage
or Chappaqua" he would have been
elected