The times., 1898-10-04
GENERAL POLITICAL GOSSIP

1
between Col. Roosevelt and Justice Van
Wyck for the gubernatorial plum.
Col. John Jacob Astor is said TO be
slated for the Republican nomination for
| Congress IN the Thirteenth District, and
| his probable antagonist will be Oliver
| Hazard Perry Belmont, the youngest son
| of the late August Belmont. Mr.. Bel
mont is a grandson of Commodore Perry,
| the famous hero of the battle of Lake
Erie. He is several times a millionaire
himself, and, of course, can command
practically unlimited means by reason of
his family connections. Mr.. Belmont
created a genuine sensation in the social
world a few years ago by marrying Mrs.
| w. X. Vanderbilt after she had obtained
a divorce from her husband. His deter
mination to go in for a political career
is understood 10 be quite recent devel-
| opment.
Col Astor is probably the largest indi-
vidual real estate owner in New York.
| His estate Is estimated by the people who
talk glibly about millions and then hus-
tie around TO locate a free lunch stand,
at $50, 60 600. II may be great deal
more and then again it may not be so
| much. At all events, Col Astor does not
| pay taxes on $50, 000. 900 worth of property,
but that may not be his fault So far as
the record shows he has not attempted
to evade his taxes by claiming resi-
dence outside of the Jurisdiction Of New
York. If Col, Astor and Mr.. Belmont
! should lock horns in the Thirteenth New
York District I'M dead earnest 1t is pre-
-f.l,s
common than water as beverage In
| that immediate locality and that no en-
! terprising man who resides within the
confines of the Thirteenth District need
give himself any special concern whether
the coming winter be hard or otherwise
| Blow high or blow low his wants Will
have been provided for. The district
that has been picked out for Col. Astor
is nominally Democratic. but the Repub-
ucans were successful at the last two
preceding congressional elections. Neither
Astor nor Belmont lives in the district,
so neither can make any capital by call
ing the other a carpet bagger.
1t will be recalled that William Waldorf
Astor. a first cousin of Col. John. Jacob,
was pitted against the Hon. Roswell Pet
tibone Flower in a congressional battle In
New York city a number of years ago.
That was a long-to-be remembered fight,
indeed. The oId-timers, ward workers
and others have not got done talking
about 1t yet. Every time the subject is
mentioned In these circles the boys
throw up their hands and exclaim: IL
the good Lord would only send us
| another such a fight we could go out OF
business and set up as reformers-
The most graphic description OF the AS
for Flower struggle was contained In the
remark of a ward worker after the bat
tie BOYS" he said $50 gold pieces
were more plentiful in the district whiie
the contest ragged than copper cents mao
been before We did not have TO put on
A long face and tell a hard-luck story In
order to get a little cash for the olHereh'
election precincts. 1t was thrown AT US
In large chunks That was truly a great
| event for the boys in the trenches, and
no mistake"
Flower was elected, and later on VIII
| liam Waldorf Astor withdrew from TINS
country and located in London. the de-
feat of his political ambition may have
been a strong factor in influencing MIN
to leave the United States.
There Is talk by the Democrats of NOM
mating a grandson of William B. Astor,
William Astor Chanler, for Congress In
another New York district. Mr.. Chanler
is booked to run against John Murray
Mitchell, who has represented the Eighth
District for two terms. Mitchell is mil
lionaire and when he took the nomination
of the Republicans four years ago MS
friends told him frankly that he was an
ass as the district was supposed TO De
hopeIessly Democratic. Mitchell vas
, given his seat by Republican House
after a contest but two years ago he car
; ried the district by nearly l,500 plurality
The district lies below Fourteenth Street
which is supposed to be the Tammany
stronghold.
, Mr.. Chanler has money TO squander,
and does it occasionally. Several years
ago Mr.. Chanler obtained great deal oi
publicity by marrying Amelie Rives, the
authoress They were subsequently oil
yorced. and Chanler organized an expedi
tion and started out to explore the dari
continent Mr.. Chanler has war rec
} ord. as heI served in the Santiago cam
paign as a captain and commissary OF
subsistence ~
If the two representatives of the Asto
family could be induced to run agains
each otherhit might make things more In
: teresting.
,
Two mofe New York millionaires ar
said to be looking in the direction o
Congress. : One is Gen. E. A. McAlpin
who was Gov. Morton's chief of staff
and the other is Capt. Stewart M. Brice
a son of the former senator, Calvin
Rrice. McAfpifll expects to be nominate
t by the Republicans while young Brice
5 looking for regular Tammany indorse
ment. Each man will be able to open
. barrel. 1t would require several col
| umns in a newspaper to describe Ger
McAIpin's gorgeous appearance as chic
of staff to Gov. Morton. His sword alon
was said to have cost $1,000, and every
thing else about him was in keeping. Ger
| McAIpin has never seen military servic
outside of the National Guard of tn
State.
0 Cant. Brice made his debut in polite
a wear ago when he was elected
member of the council of Greater Ne'
York. He is under thirty years of agt
we'll educated, an all around athlete an
: possesses much of the natural shrewo
: ness of his father. He saw service in tn
Cuban campaign and is said to hav
made a good record.
When the Congressional campaign
y New York gets fairly under way, froi
present indications, Col. Roosevelt wi