The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1934-03-01
THE NAME Is SMITH"

1901 when Samuel Smith, Pennsyl-
vanian, was secretary OF the navy
for q short time under President
Jefferson, serving without COM
pensation. He was succeeded In
that post by his brother, Robert
Smith, who had rather remark
able record as a cabinet officer In
that he held no less than three port.
folios-secretary of the navy from
1902 to 1905 and attorney general
from March 70 December, 1905.
both under Jefferson, and secretary
of state from 1909 to 1871 under
Madison.
Next came Caleb Blood Smith of
Indiana who was Lincolns secre-
tary of the interior from 1851 to
1863, then Hoke Smith Of Georgia
who held the same portfolio under
Cleveland from 1893 to 1895. An
other member of the family, Charles
Emory Smith, was postmaster
general under Mckinley from 1898
to 1901 and held over In that posi-
ton under Roosevelt until 1902.
An exploring trip through the
many pages devoted to the Smiths
In any encyclopedia of biography re-
veals any number of interesting
men and women of this family
name. There WAS Charles Henry
Smith. the Georgian, who made his
pen name of bill Arp" famous
with his humorous stories OF the
Confederacy. There was that earlier
humorist. Seba Smith, Yankee
from Maine, who, as "Major Jack
Downing of Downingville" was
self-appointed adviser to Presi-
dent Andrew Jackson, aGd aided In
making some political history with
his satirical letters.
Julia Evalina Smith and her sis
ter, Abigail FL. Smith of Connect
cut were active and early woman
suffragists, Julia becoming known
throughout the country as one OF
the five Glastonbury sisters" who
resisted the payment of taxes be-
cause they were denied suffrage and
submitted to the sale of their prop
erty by the town authorities rather
than obey the law That was near
ly century ago, In the days when
woman's place was definitely ''in
the home" and long before there
were "suffragettes."
Most Of the present genera
ton OF Americans know r. Hopkln-
son Smith as novelist and author
of caleb West" Colonel Carter of
Gainesville" 1.-THE Tides of Barne-
gat,' etc., but how many know that
he also won distinction as an artist
and an engineer, and that, In the
latter role, he was the man who
built the foundation for the Statue
of Liberty In New York harbor7
And how many know that another
man named Smith added the word
telegram" to the English Ian
guage7 He was Erasmus Peshine
Smith, a New York journalist, edu-
Gator, and jurist, who, through the Al
bany Evening Journal suggested the
word telegram" az a substitute for
the cumbersome ''telegraphic dis
patch" current In those times.
The Smith family includes a
number OF great heroes and also
some great rogues Be 1t remem-
bered that Joshua Hett Smith was
one OF the principals In the Arnold
Andre treason plot during the Revo-
luton, and 1t was largely due to
Smiths failing down on the Job"
that the young British officer was
captured and the plot exposed.
John Smith, United States sena-
tor from Ohio. was involved In the
Burr conspiracy and an effort made
to expel him from the senate for 1t
missed by just one vote.
Down In the Texas Panhandle Is
a county named Deaf Smith,"
vast expanse OF territory which per
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