The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-27

 GOSSIP FROM NEW YORK Congressman Francis Harrsons Impressions of the West
BY JOHN MARTHoL.

BY JOH
 New York. September 26.-A friend of mine, a man of observation and exper- fence, impressed me somewhat with re- mark. He said: "The prominence at tained by young George B. Mcclellan can be traced to the fact that he is the son of General George B. Mcclellan. It is not an isolated instance. Robert Lincoln could have been a man of great distnc- ton had he allowed public sentiment to work In his behalf. Fred Grant was ben- efitted by being the son of General Grant. could name many instances to prove that the public at large is ready to look to the sons of distinguished men for polit ical preferment" There IS a reason for this. It is a natural social law that lead ership should pass from father to son. What is odd Is that so few young men who have rights to preserve, principles to support, and names to sustain, seek polit- ical preferment or to put it in another way, are so willing to shirk their duty as citizens. This is due, m many in- stances to two causes, one the modesty of the individual that prevents his mak- ing commencement; the other the fec bleness of local political organization which make no effort to bring desirable citizens forward.
 Mime. Adellna Patti will get here this week on positively her last farewell tour of the country. In the meantime the best photograph of the once great diva that art has been able to produce has been in evidence among us. Nothing is more certain than that infinite pains were talk en to make it as attractive as possible. That Is business. But the picture Is a failure. far more calculated to drive per sons away from the box onice than to att tract them. It is that of a big, coarse- looking woman. without the faintest indi- cation of anything like genius in the fat, heavy features. That the Patti of today should be the Patti of twenty years ago is out of the question. l think 1 will save my notes until l can find out what notes of her own she has to offer in ex- change for them. l have never had much curiosity about old Rhine castles or other ruins
 I gave recently some more or less ac- curate figures about the beer frankfur- ters and other drinkables and eatables consumed down on Coney Island in the course of a week. when the thermometer is energetically climbing into the higher attitudes and sticking there. 1 told, it may be remembered, that a million beer glasses were filled ana empted there within that period, and that the estimate was rather below than above the mark. How many oysters are eaten in the city is now problem to which the statistical fiends have set themselves. One of them confidently sets it down at the enormous amount of half million a day. No won- der that the oyster beds in the vicinity are overworked, and that the metropolis must depend on the bay of Chesapeake and My Maryland" for large part of it's supply of bivalves.
 
 MT. Daniel Lamont, who since his re- tirement from the cabinet at the close of the second Cleveland administration, has been connected with the Northern Pacific railroad, of which he is now vice. president, may soon find himself in the first executive office of that great line. During all these years, MT. Lamont has been leading d quiet inconspicuous life, but he has been hard at work mastering the details of business that was new to him and entirely without the lines of his earlier pursuits in journalism and poll tics. I am told that he is now one of the best equipped railroad men in the country, cautious, conservative, but at the same time sagacious and far-seeing. MT. La- mont belongs to the unobtrusive class of men who are natural diplomatsts, and pretty generally manage to get what they want. He is hany times a millionaire
 One of the big trust companies has been appointed administrator of an estate, the of u,tt io otf fv cal not very fashionable avenue. This is the first instance of a combination of pluto- crats being entrusted by the courts with an undertaking of this character, and the friends at the head of the rich financial institution are having a good deal of fun with them about it. How is the saloon?" DO you let fellow hang 'em up at your placer" What do you pay a month for protection?" Have you been pulled yet?" What do you have for a free lunch to- day?" These are some of the pleas- antrles poked at the trust officers and directors a score of times a day Not withstanding all its rush and worry and struggle and battle, there is a good deal of humor floating around in the financial center of the continent
 The clubmen of Create New York make up a great army of nearly co., 900 scattered among 1S6 different organizations, and the number Is constantly increasing. All the great clubs are limited in their member ship, and their waiting lists contain. in several instances, half as many names as there are members on the regular regis ters In the case of the ultra fashionable organizations, like the Union club, the names of young men who are still at col- lege are on the waiting lists and 1t will be years before their turn comes to be elected. Some of these young fellows manage to get an occasional glimpse into the paradise as guests" of their friends. 1 wonder that someone has not hit upon the idea of making big club out of the "waiters," but I suppose there are objec- tions to it.
 Ex-Lieutenant-Govern Timothy Wood ruff is unmercifully chaffed by his friends for what they call his attempt on the life of Sir Thomas Lipton. by giving the great yachtsman some green corn to eat while he was his guest at Ramp Kill Rare In inc Adirondacks. They charge that Wood-