The daily gazette., 1875-05-04

has prospects. Many cool critics whom
have seen think that the early opening
Of the contest is against the choice Of
either Kerr, Wood or Randall, and that
new man will be taken up, and very
probably a liberal; like Banks.
Fernando Wood said: "Nothing can
beat the Democratic party in 1876.
They will return to power if the whole
newspaper press should be against it,
The Republican party is not party for
duration, but coalition of individu-
ais for the war. That war cannot be
galvanized again into an issurc. feel
the absolute assurance of an easy vic
tory" Mr.. Wood thinks that David
Davis has very strong prospect of
winning the Presidential race, says
that Tilden has made genuine hit,
and is inclined to the belief that the
Republicans will nominate Hamilton
Fish, whom he thinks to be the man
who has saved Grants Cabinet from
contempt. He helped bring Mr.. Fish
into political life by indicating him
to the Wings for Congress in 1S42.-
Mr.. Wood says that Mr. Fish never
solicited an Office in his life, but al
ways had an ambition and political
success, nevertheless. I heard him
praise Messrs, Fish and Vanderbilt
more than any persons we talked Of
He also conceded to his old rival.
Dan Sickles, very great powers as
municipal leader. ~
The views of Mr.. Wood are not as
sanguinely re-asserted by some of his
friends. Charles Woolley, of Cincin-
natl, was here few weeks ago, and
he, although Democrat, expressed
the belief that the Republicans still
held the inside position, and that the
situation will be much Involved. Mr..
Randall was solicitous when here that
the Liberals should enter the Demo
done in 1856. MIR. Randall believed
in short session OF Congress, to adj
journ as early as May, and the most
economical appropriations. The Free
Trade question is assuming a promi-
nence it has never had since 1912 As.
Messrs. Kerr, Wood and Cox are all
Free Traders. / find Democrats of
mild type, like Congressman. elect Ely
and ex-member of Congress Roosevelt,
who would not touck Free Trade in
1870, now radical that way. Woods
theory is that commerce is the best
protection to manufactures, and that
to recover power on the sea again is
to illimitably widen the marke for our
fabrics and tools.
Fernando Wood acquired his money
in the shipping trade with the West
Indies and California He has, ever
since he retired in 1850, invested in
real estate and built blocks forbusiness.
AS Mayor of New York he was
much-abused but efficient magistrate,
and although it was lawless period
| following the gold discovery and the
| California fever, Wood managed the
city with 300 0policc for $3.50, 900 year.
Now it costs $4,0O0,000, and takes
| 1900 police. Every gas lamp in New
York costs fifty dollars year, and
there are thousands of them lighted in
boulevards eight miles from the City
| Hall, where there are not three pedes-
trains night passing. Fernando
Wood raised an organization against
Tammany Hall at an expense of $780,
000 personal money, and kept il up
from 1857 to 1869. 1t was the machine
of his villa single personality per-
| vaded it, and that was the Philadel-
phia boy whom his mother had named
| Fernando, in honor of the hero of a
| blood and-fire novel called. "The
Three Spaniards," in the year 1914.
| Wood now lives tranquil life. He
makes an annual subscription TO the
election fund of Tammany Hall, and
his brother Ben owns small daily
newspaper, with large Sunday edition
which clears $45, 900 a year and COM
| pels respect for the Wood demands.
| Fernando has an elegant residence at
Washington City, living better than
any Democrat there except Tom
Swami, of Maryland, his neighbor,
career Woods residence in New
York is said to be the most expensive
piece of ground occupied for aprivate
residence in this country. There Is
something in the proud bearing and
scintillant spirit of Fernando which al
ways attracts. He has pair of suf-
fused blue eyes, blue as indigo, and at
times appearing to be inverted, on
which, the heavy folds of the lid press
and over-curtain; his nose is large, ,hor-
sey, and with one nostril bigger than
the other; he looks like Henry Clay
Mephistophilized, and has a narrow
forehead of good height, huge and
firm mouth and white moustache as
spotless and large as a white
wedding neck-bow. His blood
is Welsh, English and German. He
lives with a mixture of bounty and
simplicity, has fine eqsipages, metho-
dical habits, library and young
children. Such is one of the candi-
dates for Speaker.
GATH.