Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-05-06
FERNANDO WOOD.
His Wealth, Way Of Life and Views
OF the Political Future.

His Wealth, Way OF Life and Views
OF the Political Future.
New York Correspondence Philadelphia Times.
To-day being q good day for a country
walk, l went over to the residence Of Fer
nando Wood, x-Mayor Of New York, and
one of three or four notable candidates for
the Speakership of the Forty-fourth Con-
gress. Wood is one of the very successful
politicians Of the period. sis he worth a
million?" l asked Of Robert V. Roosevelt.
HOh! he's worth Millions was the answer.
A piece OF ground for which he has de-
clined $950,OOO-ten acres in extent
stretches between the great BlOOmingdale
boulevard and the Hudson river, and there,
in an exquisite cottage of a sort of chalet
Characteristic, Gothic, perhaps-Which
meanders in several wings and many
gables over a rolling lawn of shaver grass,
the old Mayor lives with his third wife
and eleven living children.
Mr.. Wood said 10 me: "While l have
been named for the speakership, and am
not unmindful Of the honor of the office, l
dOanOt expect to be elected. l probably
shall be beaten because l will not relin-
quish my own individuality, and will not
assume obligations and traffic for the place"
Still, he has prospects. Many cool critics
whom 1 have seen think that the early
opening of the contest is against the choice
Of either Kerr, Wood or Randall, and that
a new man will be taken up, and very
probably a liberal, like Banks. He con-
tinued:
"Nothing can beat the Democratic party
in 1876. They will return to power if the
whole newspaper press should be against
them. The Republican party is not q party
for duration, but a coalition of individuals
for the war. That war cannot be galvanized
again in an issue. l feel the absolute
assurance of easy victory" Wood thinks
that David Davis has very strong prospects
of winning the presidential race, says that
Tilden has made a genuine hit, and is in
clined 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 Fish into political life by indicating
him to the Wings for Congress in 1912.
Fish never solicited an Office in his life, but
always had an ambition and political sue
cess, nevertheless. Iheard him praise Fish
and Vanderbilt more than any persons we
talked of. He also conceded to his old
rival, Dan Sickles, very great powers as a
municipal leader.
Wood acquired his money in the ship
ping trade with the West Indies and Cali
fornia. he has, ever since he retired in
1850, invested in real estate and built
blocks for business. As Mayor of New
York be was a much abused but efficient
magistrate, and although it was a laWless
period following the gold discovery and the
California fever, Wood managed the city
with 500 police for $4,000 a year. Now
it costs S4,O00,000, and takes two thousand
police. Every gas-lamp in New York costs
$50 a year, and there are thousands Of them
in bOuleyards, eight miles from the
city hall, where there are not three pedes-
TRANS a night passing. He now lives a
tranquil life. He makes an annual sub.
scriptiOn to the election fund of Tammany
Hall, and his brother Ben owns q small
daily newspaper, with a large Sunday edi-
ton, which clears $4,000 a year and com
pels respect for the Wood demands. Fernan-
do has an elegant residence at Washington
city, living better than any Democrat there
except Tom Swami, Of Maryland, his
neIghbOr, whom he somewhat resembles in
career. His residence in New York is
said to be the most expensive piece Of
ground occupied for a private residence in
this country. There is something in the
proud bearing and scintillant spirit Of Fer
nandO; which always attracts. He has a
pair Of suffused blue eyes, blue as indigo,
and at times appearing to be inverted, on
the heavy folds Of the lid press and
1y%er-cuTtain; his nose is large, hors0y, and
with one nOstril bigger than the other; he
.ooks like Henry Clay MephistOphilized,
and has a narrow forehead of good hight, a
luge and firm mouth, and white mOstache
IS spOtleSs and large as a white wedding
leck-bOw. His blood is Welsh, English
md German. He lives with a mixture of
and simplicity, has fine ~eqIipages,
nethodical habits, a library, and young
Such is one of the candidates for