St. Paul daily globe., 1890-05-21
RICHARD VIZ

the total number of votes polled. his
vote being 5000 and his opponents 81.
The significant point in this election,
outside the picturesque and distin
guished man elected, is the fact that
"Dick' Vaux, as he is commonly known
in this city, is, and always has been,
strong free-trader. He has never had
any time for the protection school. and
his unanimous nomination by the De-
mocracy of the Third district does away
with the idea that no one but protec-
zionist can be elected on either party
ticket in Philadelphia. EX-Mayor VauX
is very properly described as one of the
MOST STRIKING FIGURES
in American politics, and is even more
striking and eccentric in his dress and
appearance than eX-Attorney General
Benjamin Harris Brewster. He was
born in Philadelphia on Dec. 16, 1914.
and is, therefore, nearly seventy-four
years of age. His career has been
remarkable one. He was admitted TO
the bar in 1887, and shortly afterwards
went abroad as the bearer Of dispatches
from the secretary of state. On his az
rival iu London lie was made secretary
of the legation by the American minis
ter. He held this position for year,
during which time "King Billy the
Victoria, was crowned. Mr.. VauX
took part in the coronation festivities and
hau the honor of being the last Amer
lean to dance with the queen of Great
Britain. He returned to America in
the fall of 1889, and found that he had
been nominated for the legislature by
the Democrats of the Ninth ward. He
was unable to overcome its Whig ma
jority of about 5000 and was defeated.
In 1910 Mr.. VauX was delegate to the
Democratic national convention which
nominated
MARTIN VAN BUREN
for the presidency and from this time
on his interest in politics was keen and
active. The next year he was ap-
pointed recorder of Philadelphia, and
held the Office for seven years, and no
decision rendered by him in that ca
pacity was ever reversed. A volume
of these decisions was published as
"Vaux's Recorders Decisions" and is
still a standard authority. In 1S42 Mr..
VauX was first nominated for mayor of
Philadelphia by the Democrats, but was
defeated, as he was in the next two
elections, before the consolidation of
the city. After this event the Demo-
Gratis again nominated him and again he
was defeated, although by very small
majority. This time he was thoroughly
in earnest. and on the day after the
election he announced from the steps of
the old state house that he would be a
candidate at the next electiOn-and he
was. This time he was successful, and
during his administration Philadelphia
was the best governed city in the coun-
try. This was in 1856. In "a he
ACCEPTED DEFEAT
rather than pledge himself to appoint
none but native Americans on the police
force, the Know Nothing party then
being on top in Philadelphia. For over
forty years Mr.. Vaux has been an IN
spector of the Eastern penitentiary of
of its board of directors. For many
years he has made daily visits to this
great prison, and he has made study
of the subject of the reformation of
criminals. He has written fifty re-
ports and many works besides on the
subject and is recognized authority on
penalogv in Europe, as we'll as America.
He is pronounced advocate of the
system of solitary confinement for
criminals. 1t was under the direction.
guidance and kindness of Mr.. VauX that
Charles Dickens in 1S41 made tour of
Moyamensing, which he so misrepre-
sented in his american Notes." Mr..
VauX describes his experience with the
famous novelist as follows: "On the
vessel that brought Mr. Dickens to this
country in 1871 was Capt. Ingersoll, of
Philadelphia. On the arrival of the
FAMOUS ENGLISHMAN
in Philadelphia Capt. Ingersoll invited
I, to of hi yxyho I
him. the captain being a cousin of mine,
At this meeting Mr.. Dickens expressed
a desire to visit the Eastern peniten-
tiary, and Capt. Ingersoll remarked that
the recorder was then holding that
office-was just the man to show him
the prison, and asked me to do So |
objected, and Oh being asked why, told
them plainly that foreigners come over
here and are shown the various things
of public interest we possess, and when
they return home they generally write
a book in which they relate how we
pressed this information and that upon
them and sadly bored them. This gen.
tleman is writer of books. and pre-
sumo that when he returns home he
will place in print his impressions of
us. Now for one do not propose to
affiict him with any burdensome knowl-
edge ABOUT our pubic institutions"
This tart statement brought Mr.. Dick
ems to the front with the assurance that
he had no such intentions. Then, in
company with Hon. Morton MeMichael,
l.. A, Cooley and Mr. VauX, the great
novelist made a tour of the penitentiary
and at the end of this inspection Mr..
Dickens is said to have expressed him.
self as follows: "Of all the public in
stitutions have visited this is the only