St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-15
aHE LEADER OF THE mUewunrs

IHE LEADER OF THE MUGWUMPs
:.
William II. Grace and His Career T.
Business and Politics. !,
These are hustling days in New York cit
politics. William R. Grace is one Of the men
now prominently to the fore with new Dem
ocratic organization. He occupies positiois
in politics that differs in many respects from
that held by any other politician in the East
if not in the country. Ex-mayor of New
York, he is the foremost organizer and fighter
for the Mugwumps of New York state, the
friend and ally of Grover Cleveland, the bette
noir of United States Senator David B. Hill.
and the one man in New York who has onca
shown his ability to beat Tammany BALL with
its own weapons and on its own ground.
The career of this man has been roman.
tic in the extreme. He walked no royaA
royal road to prominence. On the contrary
the path he trod was an exceedingly rough
one. Born in Ireland, he drifted when young
to Peru, where, in Callao, he worked in E
butcher shop, and later became ship chan
dler. .
Itwas the ship chambers shop that starte&
sturdy youth, industrious and ambitious.
He observant and ever ready to grasla
opportunity and make the best of it. Hlv
saw, at time when few others did, the poss
sibilities that lay in commercial exchange be,
tween South America and the United States,
and as soon as he could make step in HE
plan Of becoming trader between the two
countries he did. The trade was very small
then; it is very large now. To-day the house
of William R. Grace s. Co. has an internaS
tional reputation, with branches in New YORK.
and London. It almost controls the Ameri-
can trade between Peru and Chile, and feet
OF ships is engaged in commerce for it.
Those who are acquainted with such mat
tiers say that the ex-ship chandler is now
worth from S10, 900 to S15,000,000.
So much for the business career. It has
been extraordinary in its way, but not much
more so than his exploits in politics.
It is but little more than dozen years ego
that he came to the front in New York City
as the chief factor in one of the hottest fights
that the metropolis has known in many
years. This was in 1881, when Tammany
nominated him for mayor. He was practi-
cally unknown in municipal affairs. He was
wealthy business man, and that was ALI
Then his opponents looked up his records,
and found that he was Irish and G Roman
Catholic. 1t was further charged that he
was not a naturalized American citizen.
Upon these issues he was attacked most say.
agely. He won, but by only small plurak
ity. t.
Once in office, he proceeded to disappoint
his enemies. He regarded neither race or
religion in his public acts. He put good,
strong men in office. He refused to obey the
dictates of the Tammany organization and
quarreled with its leaders in such way that
the breach has never been healed. But he
gave New York City good, clean and eco
nomical government and was the enemy Of
jobbery. He won the respect of those who
had formerly denounced him, but at the end
of his term Tammany prevented his renomi-
nation and he was forced to step down and
out.
1t was at this time that the dominant char
acteristics of the man came out. He always
accepts defeat philosophically, but at once
proceeds to prepare to fight again. =
Routed from the mayoralty, he proceeded
to organize against Tammany. He gathered
all the forces at hand that could be opposed
to the old and famous Organization. He
supplied money, executive ability and pluck,
and when another mayoralty came around it
found Mr.. Grace candidate at the head
Of the anti-machine forces. He won hands ,
down, and in his second term of office he
smote Tammany Hall officeholders hip and
thigh.
These facts as to Mr.. Graces -doings as
mayor of New York enable one, to get fair
idea as to the character of the man.
Since his retirement from Office Mr.. Grace
has busted himself with national politics, and
it is not too much to say that to him as
much as any man almost Mr.. Cleveland owes
his last nomination to the presidency.
Just at present ex-Mayor Grace is laying
low and is saying very little. Now and then
his name is connected with some important
position under the president but he gives no
sign that he wants or would accept one.
Should he have ambitions in that direction
there are good reasons to believe that he
would not be disappointed.
Grace is not the sort of man to care for
any diplomatic position, nor is he so consti-
tuted that he would want any other office Of
an appointive kind unless it were a cabinet
position, which is not to be had. The posi-.
ton above all others that would suit him Is
that of governor of the state of New York
He noted the manner in which David B. Hill
advanced his fortunes in this office and drew
some conclusions. For artists in the profess
sion of political manipulation, such as Senator
Hill and VIM. R. Grace are, the Office of gov.
ernor of New York provides immense posi-
bilities. :
Mr.. Grace's position among the independ-
emit and Mugwump reformers in New York is
in a way, a strange one, for he is unlike them
in everything save his support of Cleveland
and his antagonism of the New York state
machine and David B. Hill. Indeed, the
methods of Mr.. Grace, when he is in to win
political fight are singularly like those Of
David B. Hill. He is reformer of practical
experience. He knows that in order to clean
soda, brushes and brooms and that they cost {
money. So far he has practiced the same
principle in trying to clear out the nests OF
his political enemies. Like Mr. Whitney he
believes that money is necessary when cleo
lions are to be won. He has plenty of that
article himself and he is not afraid to use it.
Personally, outside of politics, Mr.. Grace is
q most genial man. He is sturdily built
man, with strong face and head and his
manners are frank and bluff in their way. He
strikes you at first glance as a man who goes
into political fights for the fun there is in ,
them. Like most adroit men he never uns !
der estimates his antagonists. For that mat
ter he seems to have no narSOnal iI-feeIino