Omaha daily bee., 1889-09-19
HIS ESTIMATE OF PRINCES.
@. P. Huntington Says They Are a
Sorry Lot.
AS ToHls DAUGHTERS MARRIAGE
He Grows Sarcastic at the Expense
of New York Journ alists-
Titles Are ut Discount
With Him.

Sarcastic g. +.
tCoDyripht 1889 bu James Gordon Bsnnett.i
PARIS Sept 1S.-lNew York Herald
Cable-Special to The BEE. &c. p. Hunt
ington, the American railway magnate, re-
turned to Paris to-day from business visit
to Germany. He seemed to be in the best
possible health and spirits when aHerald cor
respondent called on him at the Hotel Brls-
tol.
Referring to the rumors of his adopte
daughters engagement TO Prince Hatzfeldt,
he said:
"rhe New York newspapers are having
an immense amount of trouble trying to set.
tie whether my daughter is or is not en-
gagged to Prince Hatzfeldt. One might i'm
agine that il was something unusual
for an American girl to get
married. 1t is easy to see that
the journalistic season IS very dull. But Of
all the absurd things 1 have seen printed the
most absurd is the account of the manner In
which l am supposed to have broken this
match. The story is elaborated with detail
which does great credit to the writer's imag-
ination. Once for all l should like to state
that have not broken off any match between
my daughter aud Prince Hatzfeldt for the
good and sufficient reason that no such
match existed. The young gentleman has
been lavish enough with his attentions, nor
is there very much reason to doubt the
character of his intentions, but it takes two
people to make q abargain-sometimes three
and neither my daughter nor myself have
made up our minds what to think of this
Teutonic nobleman.
"Of course, we Americans are rather dis
posed to turn up our noses at people who
travel about on the strength of unearned IT,
ties. We like to know what man mas done
or what he can do, not what his father, or
great grandfather did for him. My own
family dates right back to the Norman con-
quest, but that never troubles me. If | can't
win glory for what l am myself, 1 will go
without glory.
"Now, don't mean to find any fault with
Mr.. Hatzfeldt for being a prince. l have
met him and think him a very pleasant
young man, as young men CO. They tell
me he has been extravagant, lost
money on the turf, etc, but
pretty much all young men do that
sort of thing nowadays. In my time it was
different. We believed in the eold-fashioned
homely virtues, in industry, economy and so
on, but according to the code of to-day
Prince Hatzfeldt is man of honor and an
accomplished gentleman. / will even admit
that my opinion of him is at present vastly
better than was the case when left home.
But none of this IS any reason why he should
necessarily become my son-ln-law. That is a
question have not yet co nsidered seriously.
l shall get to it in due time, but propose to
take my time.
"My purpose in coming to Europe was quite
other than that of deciding whether my
daughter should become princess. ~ have
enormous business interests on the continent
which for the present require my close un
divided attention. You may therefore deny
absolutely all silly stories. have referred
to no match having been made and conse-
quently none has been broken off, l have
not refused to pay the princes debts, be-
cause l know nothing about his debts and
have no reason to do so. Whether there
may one of these days be a
closer relationship between the prince and
my daughter and myself will depend on
various things. But for the present neither
he, nor she nor nor any one else, except, OF
course the sensational 'scribblers of certain
New York dailes, can say anything definite
on the subject"
Mr.. Huntington went on to talk on various
other subjects.
He contrasted American railways with
those of Europe, to the great disadvantage
of the latter. He has no doubt that the
United States can get up an international
exhibition, either In 1892 or any other time
which will discount anything the world
has ever seen He is convinced
that American engineers can. if they want
to, build an Eiffel tower mile high which
will last a thousand years, this being a
simple matter of enlarging your base He
does not approve of gambling in any form,
either at cards or on the stock exchange. He
made his money without that and is forced
TO admit that the young men of the present
generation, princes included, are a sorry lot.