The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-02
THE GOSSIP OF GOTHAM.
Facts About Cornelius VandeTbiIt'S PO-
litiCal Influence.
Return OF La De Barrios-Suspicious
Destruction of Compromising Docu-
ments in the Public Departments.

CSE- Z isn't
New York. Nov. 24-Nothing is more
impressive than the sudden rise Of Cor
nelius Vanderbilt to a position Of COM
handing Importance in the political affairs
of New York city. To-day he is one of the
chief factors in the situation. and his in
fiuence is all the greater because no one
suspects it, with the exception of those
who. like Charles Stewart Porter. have
had opportunities of Smith and Horace
seeing the growth of the millionaire's
greatness. Mr.. Vanderbilt served on the
finance committee Of seventy and gave
$4,000 to help the cause Of reform long be-
fore any other subscription had come in.
But with consummate tact, Cornelius Van
derbilt has refrained from thrusting him
self forward in any way. He well under
stands the prejudice against plutocratic
influences in politics and is ever careful TO
defer it. To him in no small degree is
due the success of the efforts to induce
Col. William L. Strong to be a candidate
for the mayoralty for at one time the
present mayor-elect was averse to run
ming at ALL
minds of the reformers is, how will Van
derbilt make his influence felt? That he
means to keep in the background as much
/ as possible, goes without saying, but he
will have a good deal to say in the coun-
ellis of the local administration for all
that. Personally Cornelius Vanderbilt is
a popular man. He is rather quiet and re-
served, yet quite affable, although much
averse to being quoted or to seeming to
thrust himself forward in any way. He be-
leves in the Republican party and for
that reason rarely makes himself conspic-
uous by supporting it as he frankly ad-
mits that political plutocrats only injure
their own cause by fighting too noisily for
1t. Alone among great railroad magnates,
he is seen at gatherings of the employees,
and although the millionaire is a compare
tive stranger to the citizens of the me-
tropolis, he is well known personally to
the humblest railroad employees, with
whom he converses freely whenever he
goes on his tours of investigation. Mr..
Vanderbilt is liked by the men because he
never surrounds himself with the append
ages of red tape officiality and is very ac-
cessible to them. Whenever an employee
distinguishes himself in the service of the
road he gets a personal letter from Mr..
Vanderbilt acknowledging the fact and
when the magnate comes that way he
never fails to bring the matter up in con-
versation with the hero of the occasion.
Another favorable fact is his great mem
DRY for names. He remembers every man
in his employ. Once in a little side sta
ton, he said you've given up wearing
glasses, see,'' to a conductor whom he
had not met for over year, and he called
him by his name into the bargain. Trifiing
incidents of this sort may not seem to be
much, but they have given Vanderbilt
great personal popularity with his men.
He doesn't seem TO have the expensive
H.. rHH1
is a restaurant off Wall street, clean but
not costly, where he is often seen among
bankers clerks having his luncheon of a
mutton chop and claret just like the poor
fellows with no income to speak of. New
Workers know, TOO, that he dIsmkes be-
ing conspicuous, and hence no one stares
at him or appears to be particularly con-
scious of his presence.
Therefore, the appearance of Mr.. Van
derbilt in politics is not resented, but well
coined, for ii is believed that he will do his
duty as he sees it.
There is a movement on foot in New
York to declare the business of pawnbrok-
ing a state monopoly, after the fashion in
France, and a,bill will be introduced into
the new Legislature to make this proposal
an accomplished fact. The official organ
ization Of the pawnbrokers has taken
alarm and the scheme is denounced as
socialistic and un-American. The success
OF the QnlldnlnIOpiC DdWlbAOklilS tnNtA-
prise which has been started in New
York has not been as great as was an
ticipated at first and the pawnbrokers are
pointing to that fact as triumphant in
dication of their position. For some rea-
son the average New Yorker, If he be
young man in hard luck, prefers to patro-
nize the regular establishments where he
is not bored by any appearance of being
benevolently dealt with. The Bowery is
the home of the pawnbroking industry,
and at all hours young men may be seen
meandering through the trispherical por-
tails on a visit to the man whom they ia
cetiously-Why do all unfortunates talk
facetiously term a relative. At any rate
the efforts of the legislators to build up
a state pawn broling monopoly, are not
finding favor with the patrons of the eX-
listing establishments, and if the pawn
brokers kill the new scheme, there will
be very little regret over IT.
Quite a hutter of excitement has been
occasioned among the upper ten of New
York by a statement, made upon the
authority of a personal letter, that Mad
anne de Barrels that was, or the Marquise
de Rhoda that is, intends to return to New
York this winter, for brief visit to her
old friends here. 1t is stated that the Mar
ouise is in serious trouble in Madrid, where
She is now living, owing to a dispute
that has arisen over a question of pre-
cedence. She is made to yield to scions
of defunct houses of old Spain whenever
a court dinner is to be eaten, and this
causes her infinite heart burning. The
MARQUIS de Rhoda, her husband, is quite
an aristocrat, but for some mysterious
reason. connected it is said, with the
fact that the marquise was widow when
her husband married her, she is not given
the position at social affairs that her
present rank might appear to warrant.
Now. any one who has ever met the lady,
knows that she is very naughty and I'M
willing to yield precedence to anyone.
She has achieved great success for all
that, however, with her harp and her
doves. She plays the harp still in Madrid
to the delight of all hearers and the pet
doves. which she has taught to fiutter
timidly about her, have given her unique
reputation in Madrid, as they once did
in New York. When the charming mar
ouise comes to the metropolis she will
be given an ovation, harp doves and al.
For at least week past, there has been
observed a most mysterious and unusual
activity in New Yorks municipal depart
ments. which takes the form of de-
struction of anything in the shape of a
document that can be burned. Such an