The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-09-14
HOW THEY GOBROKE.
SOME. INTERESTING STORIES OF I'M
PEcuNloUs STATESMEN.

gage Their Salaries Year in Advance.
Presidents Who Have Been Hard Up.
Statesmen Who Were Tramp Printers.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, Aug, 25.-It was a men,
Der of congress, a man of national repu-
tation, who said to me yesterday: II am
broke and can't get home. That is the
reason am staying in Washington
through the hot season." "But why
don't you discount your salary few
months in advanced" 1 asked. "Have
already done that" was the reply; "have
drawn my account up, to Nov. l, and
then will have to draw it till the end of
my term in order to raise enough money
to pay my campaign expenses.
$50 you see am practically mort
gagged till the 4th of next March. To
maintain myself and family in Wash
ington in the style which my position
demands and my wife insists upon I
have been compelled to spend not only
my salary as q representative, but my
income as n member of law firm in
my town and considerable money be-
sides. wish had never been elected
to congress, but being in can't afford
to let go without one or two moro terms.
Here am broke, busted fiat, unable to
go to seashore or mountains and afraid
to go home, because the very moment /
arrive there the campaign striker will
be after me with both hands,"
The statesman who is broke we know
very we'll in Washington. 1t is no dis
grace to be without bank account.
though decidedly inconvenient. Gen
eral Garfield, during his long term in
congress, was nearly always dht of
money. He had an unfortunate habit
of borrowing from his friends. He
never failed to pay back, but was always
in state of perturbation lest he might
fail to meet some obligation of this sort
1t is not generally known that while
he was i'll the presidential chair General
Arthur was nearly always hard up for
cash. His expenses were very heavy.
and ran right up with his salary. Ii
often happened that tradesinen had to
wait for their pay. They were willing
to do this, for the president was a good
customer and his obligations were as
good as gold.
General Grant was often "broke" be-
fore the war. and he saw some pretty
hard times after he left the presidential
chair. Abraham Lincoln knew very
we'll what it was not to have cent in
the world. There were days in the life
of Grover Cleveland, not so very many
years ago, when he found it necessary
to let his board bill run week or two
for lack Of ready cash, and when the
~ DT t1,a H.l
which the future governor and president
played his favorite game of penuchle
used to be asked to "put it on the slate
for Grover"
Mention of Mr.. Cleveland recalls a
good story of one of his most famous
friends, ex-Mayor w. R. Grace, of New
York. Grace is now very rich man
how rich nobody knows. There are four
brothers Grace in the firm of w. II.
Grace & Co., and their house is worth
from $20000,000 to $50, 100000. One of
the brothers is in Australia, where he is
power in political as we'll as in COM
mercial circles. Another brother is in
South America, where he is a power be-
hind governments and a marplot i'm
revolutions. A third Grace is in Lon
don, where he is very influential
merchant and a member of parliament.
The fourth and chief of this remarkable
quartet Of brothers is the ex-mayor.
who is an extraordinary genius in poll
tics and commerce.
With all his genius, Grace was once
"broke." Some years ago he arrived in
ST. Louis without dollar. Casting
about for some means of raising the
wind" he remembered that a man
named Ryan lived in that town. He
did not know Ryan, but Ryan had mar
ried o woman named Mary Moore, who
had been friend of Grace's in IL New
Orleans boarding house. The future
mayor and millionaire merchant thought
if he could find Ryan and Mary he could
borrow enough money to get out of town
with. He didn't know Ryan's first name,
and there were about hundred Ryans
in the city directory.
But one of these Ryans kept saloon
on the levee, and Grace OWNED that
this was his man because he had kept q
similar place in New Orleans. Entering
the levee saloon Grace found tough
joint--sawdust on the floor, greasy ta-
bles, plug ugly behind the rude bar.
Are you Mr.. Ryan" inquired Grace,
with his sweetest smile. "Naw; out.
What yer want?" II want to see Mr..
Ryan" 'Ef amt good enough fer ye,
sit down over thar an wait" when
do you expect Mr.. Ryan in?" "Mebbe
FIVE minutes; mebbe not for week."
This was not encouraging, but Grace
was desperate, and so he sat down. In
an hour, as luck would have it, Mr..
Ryan came in. "There's bloke as
wants to see YER" said the barkeeper as
the proprietor entered. Ryan was a