The Portland daily press., 1892-09-07
HOW THEY GO BROKE.
Some Interesting Stories Of Impe-
CuniOus Statesmen.
1t Is Not Unusual for congressman to Mort
gage Their Salaries a Year in Advance.
Presidents Who Have Been Hard Up.
Statesmen Who We're Tramp Printers.

gage Their Salaries a Year in Advance.
Presidents Who Have Been Hard Up.
Statesmen Who We're Tramp Printers.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25.-It was MEM
Der of congress, a man of national repu-
tation, who said to me yesterday: 81 am
broke and can't get home. That is the
reason | am staying in Washington
through the hot season." s'But why
don't you discount your salary few
months in advanced" I asked. "Have
already done that" was the reply; "have
drawn my account up to Nov. 1, 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 18th 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 representative, but my
income as member of law firm in
my town and considerable money be-
sides. wish I had never been elected
to congress, but being in can't afford
to let go without one or two more terms.
Here am broke, busted fiat, unable to
60 to seashore or mountains and afraid
to go home, because the very moment I
arrive there the campaign striker will
be after me with both hands,"
The statesman who is broke we know
very well in Washington. It is no dis
grace to be without a bank account,
though decidedly inconvenient. Gen
eral Garfield, during his long term in
congress, was nearly always out of
money. He had an unfortunate habit
Of borrowing from his friends. He
never failed to pay back, but was always
in a state of perturbation lest he might
fail to meet some obligation of this sort.
It is not generally known that while
he was in the presidential chair General
Arthur was nearly always hard up for
cash. His expenses were very heavy.
and ran right up with his salary 1t
often happened that tradesmen 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
well 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
proprietor of the Buffalo restaurant in
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. Il.
Grace & Co., and their house is worth
from 100000, 900 to $50, 100000. One of
the brothers is in Australia, where he is
power in political as well as in COM
merciaI circles. Another brother is in
South America, where he is a power be-
hind governments and a marplot in
revolutions A third Grace is in Lon
don, where he is very influential
merchant and 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 wcs once
''broke." Some years ago 10 arrived in
St. Louis without a collar. Casting
about for some means of '.zAising the
wind he remembered that a man
named Ryan lived in that town. He
did not know Ryan. but Ryan had mar
ried woman named Mary Moore, who
had been friend of Grace's in a 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 a 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 d
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 MI. Ryan?' inquired Grace,
with his sweetest smile. "Naw; out.
What yer want?' 81 want to see Mr..
Ryan EFF amt good enough fer We,
sit down over thar an wait" when
do you expect Nh. 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 a bloke as
wants to see yer" said the barkeeper as
the proprietor entered. Ryan was a
pretty tough looking customer himself,
but his heart was IN the right place. for
as soon as Grace mentioned his former
acquaintance with the girl who had be-
come the diyekeeper's wife Ryan took
his hand and said:
'HAnny man that was friend of
Mary's kin have all the money he wants