Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-03-17

when he tirst came TO Washington, ana 1 TN
derstand there has been a coolness between
him and Bayard since Bayard failed to get
the 100000 which it was supposed Fair
would give to secure his nomination in 1884.
He made some such remark, it is said, when
ne first csme to Washington, to a friend of
Bayard's, pointing to the Delaware senator:
Il admire that man. said he, and / would
give $500, 600 to see him elected p, esident.'
''This remark was, Of course, carried to
Bayard, and Fair soon became q society
figure. He gave number of very nice din
ners at the hotels, and among his guests
were the best people of Washington society.
The life, however, seems to have palled upon
him, for he dropped it after time, and of
late has led rather a lonely existence He
has devoted himself to reading and his busi-
ness. When the convention of 1884 came off
Bayardis friends approached him about that
$500, 900, and Fair replied, it is said:
"'Yes, like Bayard, and am willing to
spend a big pot of money to have him nom
mated But / made my money in Nevada,
and don't think it would look well if spent
such big sum outside of my own state ]
can assure you the delegates of Nevada will
vote for Bayard if he wants them, and will
spend $500, 900 before will see them go back
on himr This story has been told before,
and it is so good that it is worth repeating.
Senator Fairs son is a bright boy, and
his father rather admires him, though he
does not say SO. Not long ago the senator
proposed a solution for the Apache Indian
troubles and he proposed that the whole
tribe be taken out and put on ono of the
desert islands of the Pacific ocean. His son
wrote him that he approved of the idea, and
that if he could get an island like sponge,
which gigantic pile driver could sink under
the ocean long enough to drown the Indians,
and then bob up again, it would be fair
solution of the Indian problem This boy
tippled occasionally, and the senator feared
that he was forming bad habits, and the
story has been published that Fair offered
him 81, ,000, 900 if he would not, for the space
of year, touch liquor. The youth tried it
for a while, and then, concluding that he
would get the million anyhow, decided to go
back to his champagne cocktails"
Senator Fair Is very rich man He keeps
his money rolling over and over, and by in
vesting il in real estate, railroads, mines and
mills it breeds fast. He owns the South
Pacific Coast railroad, one of the longest
narrow gauge roads on the continent. A
friend of his tells me that it cost over 81 000,-
900, including its branches, terminal facilities
and ferryboats and it pays handsome inter
est on the investment
Fair is not SO ungenerous man as might
be supposed from the foregoing paragraphs,
and his charities take curious turn. He
made his fortune by starting with pick and
shovel for the west, and he is especially
interested in old "forty-niners' who
have failed. These men call him ''Cncle
Jimmy" and when he is In San Fran
cisco be actually supports many of
them he seems to feel that they have a
Just claim upon him, and he dispenses his
charity to them in s. gold pieces. He is
regular man in his habits, and rarely touches
liquor Of any kind. While he was in the
senate here, he had business advisor,
private secretary, a political s ,cretary, and
number of clerks. In San Francisco he has
as handsome offices as can be found IN tho
country. They consist Of four large airy
rooms, finely furnished, and Fair likes the
beautiful things of life as well as some of his
poorer neighbors. He is a member of the
Pacific club-of San Francisco. but does not
spend much of his time there He lives at
the Occidental hotel. and, with all his hard
work, he gets off now and then a bright COM
rarison, and he can tell good story.
THOMAS J. ToDp.