The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-06
TIE SECRETARYOFTHENAv
HE SEES ONLY ONE DISPUTE THAT
WOULD Cause ALARM

WOULD CAUSE ALARM
AaA That May Ne Ia an iasstsou of Ppes,.
Aent-Nst Respectine tho night 60 Vote.
Net Csaatlsg the Vote, aad Setting the
Vote and Etc Sanrtity Aside. are the Mes.
aces or Dur system--Ths Career OF the
Cesntry.saissd Maa whe - Bsiisise the
New Navy--Rsmlssscsnces Of Some or
Now YorA's Fo~mer Leaders IN rs,itscs.
new Cochran Hotel on X street. in n pretty
house Of red and gray stone on terrace. lives
the Secretary OF the Navy. Harrison's happy
discovery for a Cabinet councillor from the En-
plre State. His domestic misfortune In Wash.
fnaton will cause him to be denoted long
among the host Of Ministers u the republic
Where. not very long ago. he lost his wife and
psrilled all his family in a residence In Farra.
gut square. now stands out something like a
Roman villa. with its second story recessed
and columned, and without o vestige to show
that here. In the midst Of sleep toward the
morning hours. good man. summoned To be
In tho Cabinet Of his country, awoke halt
stiiiod. and. turning around when his eyes
wero free from smoke and pain. asked f.r
his wife and learned that never more would Ito
hear her voice In this world.
Tho Secretary OF tho Navy was reading his
New York papers on Sunday morning when
ventured In and sat an hour. putting such
queries IS entered my mind. He is man OF
large size. 81 years old. and well bleached.
with plenty Of hair and name. his beard be.
ing q little pointed. Spanish fashion: his nose
With . wave In It. both aouiline and Greek:
his forehead is good. and his eyes are some.
times almost shut III repose. elthar from their
overhsnglns brows or because one OF them
bllnkB and the other sympathiEes with It. Like
alton. or good masti6 asleep on the door step.
with an eye partly open. he seems When his
eyes are opened fully they are gray ana good.
n.tured. He looks the New Yorker Of the az.
erags English extraction improved by having
passed through tho highland barrier and
grazod awhile on better grasses in the West.
''Of what region arr you u native. Mr..
Tracy"
II was born at Owego. in Tiosa county. New
York B2 years ago. The understanding
Is that My progenitOrs came ont Of Berkshire
county. western Massachusetts: am not sure
about II. We are not contested. as far as I
know. WITH any other Tracy families in New
York stat, Of the same name"
What does the word Tracy mean"
81 do not know: the word is Norman. My
IutneF wtAs u ldIIueE duu iuulDGTIlLdu. anu Ill
my boyish days helped to farm and to cut
white pine, and TO float it down the Chenango
to the Sus.e lehanna. All that region was flled
at an eurlfei day with splendid specimens OF
white pine. which made many a floor and
slingle roof for the homes OF the generations
Just ended 1t il pretty much all cut down.
except. perhalAs. up the Chemunc. where some
woods may be left On my farm were many
stumps OF white pine trees. and had them
rolled together. as they were taken out by
machines. and nu,de into fonce. which 10
pretty tough
THE sEcRETALeYs BoYHOoD HOME.
what kind OF q t, 'wn was Owego?"
"Itwas once the imost active town In the
State OF New York on tho southern tier OF
counties. but was kin ed Oh by the opening Of
the Erie Canal 1t was the great point to ship
the wheat of southern u nd western New York.
which. at the close of Jhe last century aud
down to tho close OF tin. first quarter OF this
century. was shipped id arks from Owego.
down to Athens and thencN down the Susaue-
hanna to Baltimore. In thoEe days Bingham
ton and Emira. which lietwanty five to thirty.
f,ve miles east and west Of Owego were d.
noted by insignificant names as important
points for growth and trade. When the Ffie
Canal was opened. tapping the streams and
lakes of western New York. the grain DEPART
ell for the Mohawk and Hudson.
II suppose that you are aware that De Witt
Clinton expressed preference for the Erie
Canal to go down the Susauehanna 70 the
Chesapeake and DO an Interstate instead Of u
state work."
Did he? Well. that suggests our favorits
dream ut Owego-to build canal down the
Chenango connecting with the Pennsylvania
canals and reviving our town. which has had
NJ rapid growth and Is cot much larger than
it used to he. say 5000 people could tell
you a funny story about that. but il did you
would print it,
The Secretary began to smile and then
laughed aloud aud then said nothing more
about the story. Slightly moro serious. he re-
sume! THAT project for canal down to
Athens WAS revived after many years sleep
Just before the civil war broke out. and was
sent to the Legislature to have them Dass it
"" had several times been able to pass it
through one House: it would go through the
Senate and stick in the Assembly. We finally
got it through both Houses. and the work had
been commenced and partly executed, when
!" and behold! tho Pennsylvania State canals
received a great freshet. which burst them
and Iiiied the river with their ruins. and this
caused PENNSYLVANIA 10 condenin her cana!s
nn resolve not TO restore them. SO our Che
mango cana! project disappeared forever"
Where did Won 60 to school,
"N OwegC: wr had an academy there. |
WAS bniL in lSn,"
Then you must remember Jackson Adj.
M!uistraticur'
NO. Ito not the first thing rem embsr.
politically. WAS iiarris"n's .lrction in 1870.
beating Van Buren,"
Did Jou nver see Van Buren,
80: | was Wing boy. and took to politics
b"!or. | was voter. Ny county was Demo.
cratic. S;if old Democratic county supposed
I" be inrIrable but carried it for tho Wings
IN lSII. when | WAS - years old. and wns
elected Distric Attorney, That was Just after
FRANKLIN Pierce had been elected.
See here" Mr.. Tracy said. turning around
4 good d"a! like All Assyrian statue which had
heard something DO you know that claim
to be the founder OF tho Republican party in
the State nf New York;
From being very wide awake. he laughed
will, tho ul.a Ii Of til.