Arizona weekly citizen., 1888-07-07
LEVI P. MORTON.
A Asketeh of the sominee for Vice President

sesses so vigorous a constitution that bt seems not over 50 Like many of the
 men who have become famous in Ameri- can politics, he was country born and
 bred. His native place was the yillsg,
 ot 5horehsm, Vt., on the shores of Lake ChamplslD, opposite the historical fort o
 Tioonderago. There be lived until hiI sixteenth year, when be became clerI m dry goods store at Concord, \. H
 hls father. who was a clergyman, receiv
 ed sslasy of only S6o0 8 year, and WAL
 not able to give his son more than com
 mon school education. It may be worthy
 of remark as going to show Ihe integrity
 ot the American stock from which MT
 Morton IS sprung, to state that he Is {
 lineal descendant of George Morton, who came to America on the ship Ann 1T
 1923
 After clerking for five years Levi F
 Morton, having reached mans estate
 opened 6 store of his own m the dry
 goods line at Concord, and there con
 tinued until 1S49, when be moved tc Boston and became 8 member of the firm of Beeoee, Morton 4 Co. His progress
 i've spirit showed itself again five years later, when he moved to New York city
 where he founded the dry goods house ol
 Morton & Grinnell His connection witt
 that house was bis last with the dry
 goods line, for after the failure of the firm at the outbrc of the war, when Il
 was able to pay only fifty cents on the dollar, be br6nohed into finsncisl circles
 and in 1863 founded A banking house
 He was an excellent fnancier and made
 money rapidly.
 One incident in bis career will illstrste the uprightness and stable integrity of
 the man. Some time after he founded
 bis banking house be invited the recent creditors of the then defunct firm of
 Morton { Grinnell to take dinner with
 him. After each man had taken his seat
 st the board he found under his plate . check drawn by MT, Morton for the full
 amount due him from the defunot firm.
 with interest. The honorable conduct of
 Mir. Morton in this matter gained him
 many stsnch frierds. He showed him. self 6 man whose moral loblisations would never seek refuge beneath the the cloak of the law.
 The banking house became known by its present name of Morton. Bliss < Go. The Lopdon house of Morton, Rose & Go, vas founded the same year, the leading partner being Sir John Rose, re- gently the Financial Minister of Canada. It was largely due to MT. Morton that the United States was able to resume specie payments and 70 fund the nation sl debt. The syndicate of banking houses formed to aid the Government in making the payments was headed by Mir. Morton's firm. At the time the movement was started the credit of the Government wss very low; but the syn dicate, with the house of Morton. Bliss & Go. at its hesd, succeeded in floating 6 large issue of per cent. bonds, sn6 thereby the interest on the mass of the bonds wss greatly reduced, This action of the syndicate. 1t has been estimated saved the Government fully s70.O00, 900. The firm of Morton Bliss t Go. has since that time been very prominent in Wal street. One of its largest financial WAS the sale of S50. .000, 900 worth of New York Central Railroad stock belonging to Wm. H. Vanderbilt to English purchasers.
 Is wss not until 1876 that Mir Morton WAS heard of in politics. Late ID the canvass of that year the Republicans sur prised him by minsting him for Con yress from the Eleventh district of New York. Not being able on account of lack of time to make 8 proper canvass Mr. Morton WAS defeated, though by his ef- 'orts the Democratic majority of the dis irict WAS reduced 400 votes, In 1878 he | again ran for Congress in the same dis rict and was elected with s majority of ! ,ver 1000 votes. In 1880 be vas re-elect- | ed. In that year many Republican urg- sd him to 20 on the ticket with Garfield, which he declined to do. As 6 member Of Congress MT. Morton was distinguish | d for the sbility he displayed in the of financial questions, Al er Gsrfeld's election he declined the | position of Secretary of the Navy, but | accepted the position of Minister to l France.
 Agsin, as the representative of the | United States at the capital of the | French republic, he displayed the t6ci | and diplomacy which mark him ss ItstesmBn Of high degree. At the time | le assumed the office the American Le- | ration WAS located in rooms over 8 gro 'ery store and laundry. He hired 8 mansion which befitted the representa- | i've of the United States, assuming con | siderable personal financial risk in doing | 'o. and there removed the offices of the | Legation. By this action. insignificant IS it may seem, the position of the Uni led States in France was greatly strengt- 1ened. The house selected by MT. Nor lon was in 8 good quarter, and it soon became @ rendezvous for all the lssding | politicians of France. Mir. Morton se- ,ured from France the resembling of the | edict against American pork.
 His extensive acquaintance with finsn- ,isl and manufacturing interests and the | nep engaged in them enabled him his term to maintain the relations of the two repup- ice on friendly footing. In May, 1881. Hr, Morton was appointed honorary General to the Paris h. exhibition of Electricity. In TulY of the same year Dartmouth Col ege conferred the honorary degree of LL. D. upon him,