Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-16

now and then gripping his chair with his
hand as bright thought strikes him. and
now figuring away on long slips Of paper.
He reads the newspapers and spends
great deaI of time doing nothing.
Senator Hill has some ways which make
me think of that other Ishmaelite who sits
beside him as 1 write. l mean Senator
Chandler of New Hampshire whom Senator
Proctor says he likes. but 1t is an acquired
taste.
Chandler reminds you Of a snappy Scotch
terrier. while Hill has the aspect of a bull
dog. Chandler annoys you, but Hill bites
to Kill and hangs on to the death. Senator
Chandler is the most nervous man in the
stick. and not much bigger His head does
not weigh more than Grover Cleveland's
fist, and 1t is covered with peppery-gray
hair. which covers the crown in the back
and comes out into full beard on the face
He has dark complexion, nervous, snap
ping eyes, and a vitriolc tongue. He does
not weigh over 125 pounds. and had Senator
Blackburn tried to break his neck instead
OF pulling his ear when he had that fuss
with him not long ago, he could, / venture,
have snapped 1t in two with jerk. Senator
chandler has had wide acquaintance with
public men and measures, but he is no re-
spector of traditions nor of persons. He Is
not bad looking and he makes me think Of
one OF those ripe red peppers. They are
pretty enough, but when you bite into them
you wish you hadn't.
Speaking of Chandler. just in front of
him sits Eugene Hale. whose fathe--in-law
was Zach Chandler. l don't think these
two Chambers were related. and Zach
Chandler had more of the bulldog about
his nature than the terrier. He was more
of an Ishrnaelite than Eugene Hale. who Is
sticIler for senatorial reverence. and who
has evidently forgotten the days when he
came to Congress and was nicknamed by
his enemies Jim Blaine's Little Bub." He
has made a name for himself since then and
his wife has brought him a fortune. She
inherited one-half Of her fathers estate. and
Hale is probably rich man today, because
Zach Chandler thought a thousand dollars
was bigger thing than q college education
His father had sent him to the common
schools. and one day told him that he would
give him 81 900 cash to start him in busi-
ness. or, II he preferred he could have in
stead IF this a collegiate education. Young
Lach chose the money. and he invested II
In dry goods, and this formed the founda-
tion OF the millions he left His daughter
has now one of the finest houses in WASH
fngtcn, which was built with a part OF the
money, and Senator Hale lives there with
her and her mother
Rich Men in Congress.
AS to rich men in Congress. the indica-
lions are that there will be less money spent
during the coming social season than at any
similar time for years. The gold bugs Of the
Senate are having their hard times and the
investments of many OF them are turning
out badly. Congressional wealth is always
overestimated, and some of the men on that
floor below me who are supposed to be
worth millions have. In fact, but little more
than their salaries. Who would have thought
that Charley Foster. when he was Secretary
OF the Treasury and was living within q
stones throw OF the White House, was In
fact, on the verge OF bankruptcy He sup
posed that he was worth fortune and he
had overdrawn his own bank account many
times ten thousand. He had a way OF Civ
ing blank checks to members OF his family
and they filled these out to suit themselves
This, OF course. made no difference in his
aggregate losses, but 1t showed a loose way
or doing business which no one but a mil
Honaire could stand. Secretary Rusk who
died the other day, was supposed here to be
worth several hundred thousand dollars but
his estate footed up about fifty thousand
and you can't tell anything as to what a
man Is worth here in Washington. In the
rear OF the Senate chamber as l write 1
see the son of Alexander T. Mitchell, the
Milwaukee railroad king, who died worth. IL
was said. something like s5O.OOO.OOO. When
MS son hrSt came to Washington he was I'M
known to the real estate men and when he
wanted to rent house costing several thous-
and dollars year, one of them called upon
Rusk and asked him II this man Mitchell
was good" Uncle Jerry replied, IF John L.
Mitchell makes a deal with you to the ex-
tent of one million dollars and you bring the
check here will indorse 1t, but my indorse-
ment won't make the check any better for
Mitchell Is worth many times that amount"
Since then Mitchell has had suits concern
Ing his property in Milwaukee, and though
he is probably still rich, one would have to
go to Bradstreet to find out just how much
or how little he Is worth Take the case of
Cal Brice He lives in one of the finest
houses OF Washington and he gives single
dinners which cost $1,000 apiece He may
be worth millions. He may be a very rich
man, and he probably is. But in talking
with one of his old friends. Gen. Gibson of
OHIO, short time ago, he said to me: mo
one on earth can tell what Cal Brice is
hoe he 49,
lator, but he Is always as cool as the center
seed of a cucumber He can lose a million
and and bat his eye. His face is like an iron
mask 1t never changes. His life has been
filled with ups and downs. Today he may
be worth millions and tomorrow he may be
feeling around In all his pockets for cop
pers, but from his actions you would not
know the difference. He Is one OF the big
gest plungers In the country and has enough
shrewd business ability to generally come
out on top"
Southern Capitalists.
Rich men, in fact, are dropping out Of the
Senate. You can now count the millionaires
on your fingers and the great majority Of
the body will not run over the S1OOOO
mark. Most of the southerners have moth |
ing to speak of, though Vance has a big es-
tate through his wife. Senator Morgan owns
a plantation. Pugh has a big farm, which
he works with negroes in Alabama, and as
at the time he was elected he has proba- |
bly, saved something. George Vest Is not a |
rich man. Roger q. Mills cannot afford to |
keep carriage and Senator Joe Black |
burn lives at a hotel. / don't know what |
Isham G.. Harris is worth and never look |
ed upon him as having the money making |
instinct. but learned the other day that |
he lost SlJO.OOO by the war and that he had |
made all this money himself. His father |
was a poor farmer of Tennessee. He had a |
piece of clay land and ten negroes to work |
1t and young Isham had to fight his own |
way. He began as a clerk and soon had q |
store of his own. When he was quite q |
young man he had amassed $1,000, when the |
bank failed and he lost it ALL He took a |
rich partner and in two years had regained |
all that he had lost, and he went on from |
this point until he made the fortune which |
he had at the time of the war. He is proba- |
bly, well to do today, but he lives very SIM |
ply in an questionable quarter of the city |
near the Capitol.
.M |