Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-19


orally accepted as a deserved stigma, and
there is the greatest prejudice in existence
against the body for that reason. To the
public mind the Senate is an aggregation
of seventy or eighty men of great wealth.
to whom the salary of the office is but
picayune. to be spent in the merest "trip
perry as a windfall. Nothing could be
further from the exact truth. 1t is diff
cult to count twenty men of affiuence in
the Senate today, and not more than a
dozen millionaires. The great majority of
the Senators are dependent almost. if not
wholly. upon their compensations received
from Uncle Sam.
Delaware is the center of attention just
now because of the persistent candidacy
of j. Edward Addicks for the seat of Sem
ator Higgins. who is stubbornly contesting
for reelection. Higgins is a poor man, in
comparison with many of his eastern col
leagues. and vastly more so by contrast
with AddickS, whose chief fame rests upon
the great wealth that he has accum ula ted
by means of his successful manipulation of
the stock OF gas companies in New York.
Philadelphia and Boston. His foothold in
Delaware is of the frailest imaginable de-
scription. The story of how he came to be
citizen of the little state, for his present
political purposes, Is interesting.
1t appears that when the panic of 1873
swept the country Addicks was in very
fair way to become wealthy through the
prospective appreciation of the values of
large holdings of Philadelphia real estate
He was on the royal road to rapid fortune
9nd was only prevented by the terrible
financial storm that broke in the year men,
toned. Literally everything he had was
destroyed From his position of ease and
aftiCence he suddenly found himself top
pied to probable penury. The fall that de-
stroyed his fortunes likewise shocked and
shattered his health. until he was threat
ened with softening of the brain. In this
ma
scene of his ruin and hired little house
down In Delaware, a quiet, retired spot,
where he could rest and rally from the
blow. His choice of the place was quite
accidental. but IL now figures largely in
the political history of the state. for he
has since built there a house, which he
seldom occupies, and, it is said. holds only
to mair tain a political residence in the
state.
After recovering his health Addicks set
to work to repair his fortunes, and his
efforts were wonderfully successful He
conceived the idea of consolidating the
various gas companies of the large cities
of the country. and chose Boston the
scene of his first experiment. He managed
the scheme so we'll that he soon extended
his operations to other cities. and today he
is one of the weathiest men in the east.
He tried the consolidation plan in Chicago,
but failed through the counter operations
of Millionaire Yerkes.
One of Addicks peculiaritieS is that he is
ever restless. and cannot endure to abide
long in any one locality. 1t Is wonder to
those who know him that he manages to
stay in Dover during the prolonged sena-
torial struggle. He detests the worry OF
travelling with baggage, and has reduced
the trdnSporta zion of his person from city
to city to ar absolute science. The three
cities of Boston. New York and Philadel-
phia are his favorite resting places, and
he travels back and forth between them
necessarily. always running by train at
night. He has rooms hired in each of the
cities, always ready for occupancy, and
furnished with complete outfits of clothes
of all kinds. He is thus enabled>to travel
without giving a thought to the bother of
baggage. and, in the old-fashioned phrase,
'1ies light"
This curious man now aspires to be a
Senator. Should he succeed he will be the
only gain to the party of the millfonaires
In the Senate. for the other changes that
are impending oddly balance each other.
For instance. Senator Camden, who is one
of the wealthiest men in Congress. will be
succeeded by Stephen ElkinS. who is also
enormously rich. Both have large holdings
In coal lands and railroad stocks, but MIR.
Elkins' wealth is probably more widely dis
tributed than that of Mr.. Camden, as he
Is ve-y largely interested in New York en-
terprises.
The same thing Is truo of the New Jer-
sey seat that Mr.. Mcpherson will vacate
In March. He Is one of the wealthy men
of the Senate, and his establishment here,
on Vermont avenue, Is very handsome. He
made his money in meats. having been ex-
tensively engaged in business butcher
In former years. Like Mr.. AddickS, he has
made money In gas, being president of
gaslight company in the sixties Mr.. Nc
Pherson will be succeeded by Gen. Sewell.
who is rich. He has been connected with
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company for
years. drawing lang fees as it's general
counsel In addition, he holds the posi-
ton of president vice president of the
Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Company.
His wealth will about compensate after
March 4 next for the loss of that of Mr.. Nc
Pherson in the general cash balance of the
Senate.
New Jersey has for two years past had
very wealthy senatorial delegation. Mr.
Smith. the junior Senator from the sandy
state. is one of the