The age-herald., 1898-12-18
NED BRACES
 SUNDAY CHAT
Cal BrIce Is dead.

Cal Brice Is dead
 Brice was a little of everything. He was a United States senator, a railroad manlpu= lator, a millionaire, a speeulator, farmers a plow-boy and bit of a lawyer. Briee was reared in Ohio. He was reared on Q farm. He was a red-headed. knoek-kneed, freckled-faced. typical Ohio farmer boy iHe appearance. Yet in Brice was born the genius for money-making. He made money on the farm. He made money in many other ways in Ohio. Then he con- ceived the idea of combining interests in the "Nickel Plate" railroad. with control of the same, and selling 1t to the Wander bilts, who owned the New York Central. Brice made several million dollars out of thisSdeal. For ten years thereafter every thing he touched turned into gold. He moved to New York and lived in New York, retaining however, an alleged home in Lima, o. He seldom went there, until a few years ago when his ambition led him to seek seat in the United States senate. Brice knew he couldn't be elected in a straight race. He therefore secured the services of several of his Ohio friends sent them from county to county, picked out the brightest young men-who had statesman ship aspirations and agreed to aid them to be elected to the legislature. Brice spent more than half million dollars in elect ing his young Ohio friends to the state leg islature. These young fellows reciprocated by electing Brice to the United States sen- ate, notwithstanding the fact that from much of the press there was a most vigor- ous and vicious opposition.
 Brice was not a statesman. He never pretended to be a statesman. But he de- sired honor and he desired wealth. He got both while he was in the senate. It is an honor to be senator but such honors are usually expensive. When Brice entered the senate he was about $1,OOO,OO0 poorer than he was the year before. It did not take him long to recuperate. In the four or five years Brice was in the senate he made sev- eral millions year, and he did not specu- late in any stocks except those which he knew something about, and then he was a tremendous plunger.
 He rented the handsomest house in Wash- ington-the old Corcoran mansion-and his family must have spent not less than s25o.- 900 yRar in entertaining and living ex- penses. No one except the first Mrs. Wil- liam c. Whitney ever entertained so lav-
  her daughters. Brice himself was not much of society man, but he humored his fami- ly in it.
 Mckinley has made himself tremendously popular in the south by his Atlanta speech, advocating the government caring for the graves of the confederate soldiers. McKin- ley is big-hearted generous and brave fel- ;e of fox who can ever appreciate the bravery and courage of his southern foes in the war of the eos.
 Of course Mckinley is already working for renomination and reelection. He will be renomnated. He may be reelected, but there are many who don't believe 1t. It will be the old fight over again in 1900. It may be Bryan's turn in this fight.
 
 was the opera house the other night. The closing scene of "The Telephone Girl'' was the feature of the play. Yet not less than forty young men started on run to get out fully two minutes before the curtain dropped and while the actor people were singing "The Star Spangled Banner" These young chaps evidently were anxious to be the first out to get the good stands on the pavement III OiuSf tudt thSy hii6ht eS~ tA.S ladies as they descended the steps. When the audience passed out these young chaps were on the sidewalk, three or~four deep, puffing cigarette smoke into the faces of ladies as they crowded through to go to their homes. If the police force of Birming- ham was worth snap this would not be permitted It impresses the stranger that he is in town of hoodlums.
 Another thing would kick about is the dirty streets of Birmingham. They are filthy. I am glad a street commissioner has been appointed. He is an energetic young Irishman with lots of go about him. He seems to be going ahead already. He has street sweeper out, but he has forgotten the main adjunct. A sprinkler should go ahead of a street sweeper, especially in these windy times. John McCartin, get your sprinkler out or you'll get in trouble.
 
 Another thing that a kick should be en- tered about Is the barn of a Birmingham city building. It looks like an improvised hog pen. Why not build decent and safe building on the ground the mayor says be- longs to the city. The market rents alone would pay for it in few years.
 
 But fear some of the people here are slow. A grand start has been made for a splendid auditorium building. Yet it is rot ting in its youth because nobody will sub- scribe to stock to complete it. Only about six thousand dollars more Is needed The railroads alone should give that. They would have 1t returned ten-fold in two years in the passenger traffic they would get nbax town would be benefited. The retailers and the railroads had far better com- plete this quickly than to subscribe to anything else. Good newspapers, good hotels and a good convention auditorium are necessary adjuncts to successful city. Get these, and with the raw material ad- vantages of Birmingham all other things will come. I mean all sorts of manufac- for-