The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-26
STORIES OF CALVIN BRICE.
How He Once Helped a Paris Mob
His Generosity and Good Nature.
New York World

(NeW YORK WOrId.)
Washington--Calvin S. Brice, during his
six years of public life in the United
States senate. made hosts of warm per-
announcement of his death, grouped to-
gether in the senate cloak room and told
interesting stories of his career.
Brice took care OF his friends. One of
them was his old law partner, James r.
| vine, now of New York. As young men,
both poor, and nothing to live upon but
! prospects. and these none of the best,
| they began the practice of law together
Brice was a very rich man. Several years
J ago Mr.. Brice visited his Old home and
/ called on his former partner.
jim, he said, as he looked around the
! old office, christmas is coming on. I've
| been lucky and made some money.
! You've worked hard and made little and
deserve more. Accept this as souvenir
1t was a check for $4,000 that Mr.. Brice
handed James Irvine. Later he called
| Irvine to New York and put him onto
/ several good things in the line of his pro-
| fession, and he is there today, a compar
/ atiVely rich man.
One afternoon when affairs in the SEN
ate We're droning along several senators
in the cloak room got into a discussion
over the Dreyfus case. Some one spoke
of the impulsive and emotional nature
! of the Frenchman.
Yes said Mr.. Brice they are easily
excited. and l helped a Partisan crowd
| in one of it's emotional fits
Instantly there was a clamor for the
story for Mr.. Brice told a. story WELL
1T was this way he replied. Il hap
pened to be in Paris during the Com
mune. There was a good deal going on
in France about that time and the French
people made it quite lively at the capital.
| witnessed the razing of the Vendome. A
rope was thrown over the top Of the col
umn, and a thousand men, possibly were
Juggling away, The rope broke and a
second attempt was made. Carried away
with the enthusiasm of the scene rushed
into the crowd and pulled with the rest.
The column came down. OH yes, the
French are a very eXcitable people, and
Mr.. Brice chuckled as he made this OBJ
SerVation.
The actual wealth of Mr.. Brice has al
ways been more or less problematical. 1t
is highly probable that his wonderful eX-
ecutive ability gave to his railroad stocks
value that Will cease to attach to them
now that his guiding mind will no longer
control. Whatever might be the con-
dition of the stock market, or however
roughly he may have been handled Mr..
Brice never worried. He frequently said
that he could always sleep and awake
refreshed. He once told a fellow, senator
that II he knew he was ruined he would
be able to enjoy a good nights rest and
be prepared to begin the battle over again
the next morning. His will power was
indomitable, But Mr.. Brice was prudent.
Knowing the fleeing power of riches and
the yicissitudes of railroad stocks he
made an investment that neither bulls
X. =
sured for half a million dollars.
Mr.. Brice himself is authority for the
statement that he never speculated in
stocks on margins He always bought
outright such stocks as he believed were
good investments. He was opposed to
wild gambling, but did frequently enjoy
a game of poker. 1t was very poor policy
to play cards for money. Mr.. Brice said
because when you won a friends money
you usually lost the friend. Card play
ing was up for discussion in the cloak
room of the senate one day by q cOterie
who INDUCED in that pastime. Mr.. Brice
said that when he first came to Wash
ington he set aside $780, 900 a year for his
personal pleasures. He was undecid I'd
it disappear over the card table. 1t is a
well-known fact among the senator's
friends that he seldom made a winning
When asked what conclusion he finally
reached on the subject, the senator
smiled significantly as he replied: We'll
I didn't buy the yacht"
Charity never appealed to Mr.. Brice il
during the winter months, 1t was not az
unusual thing for some dealer in Lima
to receive an order from Mr. Brice Il
distribute 800 barrels of flour or 500 tons
of coal among the worthy poor.
, Shortly after he was elected to the
senate, Mr. Brice attended a state con
, vention at Columbus, occupying a con
dent that occurred at that time showed
the absolute imperturbability of Mr.. Brict
under disagreeable circumstances JohI
III. Clark of Youngstown, a brilliant or
ator, addressing the convention on a res
olution providing for the election of sen
ators by the direct vote of the people, re
ferred to the senate as a millionaires