The age-herald., 1899-07-23

If the position of president of the United States has proved fatal to it's holders, that of vice president has been no less so. Judges of the supreme court have lived be- yond their terms, and have passed into the fullness of the eighties, but presidents and vice presidents have lived only just long enough to say goodby to the chair that held them for four years. Filled with honor, they have passed away, overworked, per haps, in those full years when the system will bear no overcrowding, and so laid aside with their predecessors.
 Today there are living only two former vice presidents of the United States. Levi P Morton, wiry old athlete, and man of wealth, survives, and is strong and well in his 75th year.
 Levi P. Morton was born at Shoreham, Vt, opposite old Fort Ticonderoga, the son of Congregational minister; and he drank in the cool aid of upper New York and learned the scripture at the same time. That was in 1924, and the following years, but though the path has been long since then he has never lost the health mentally or morally of sweet Vermont.
 Morton had an elder brother, Daniel Ol- yer Morton. Jr., and his father, whose sal ary as pastor of the church. never exceeded $500 year, decided to invest all the family savings in his eldest son. So, forgetting the four daughters, and Levi Parsons, he educated Daniel and turned him out into the world a scholar
 At the age of l4 Levi P. engaged in small grocery business for moneys sake, and when he was 26 he entered into busi- ness at Boston, removing to New York four years later to form the firm of Morton & Grinnell.
 He saved his money and it grew prodg- iously. By the time he was 40 years old the minister's son was a banker in New York and in another year he had bank ing business in London Everything turned into money.
 When still a young man he married Miss Street, of Poughkeepsie, and just as the money came freely she left him. Mrs. Mor- ton died at Newport in a lovely little cot tage called Fairlawn. After her death MT. Morton presented Fairlawn to Newport, with the twelve acres upon which 1t stands. But to this day-so 1t is said-he will not visit there. Not even stop at the station, though another wife and many daughters have come into his life since then
 When nearly 50 years old MT. Morton married again, this time one of the famous Livingston family, and his bride, beauti- ful stately blonde, straightway entered n- to society, bringing the name of Morton into the 400 of twenty years ago.
 As a banker Levi P. Morton continued to do business; and so earnestly did he devote himself to finance, and so successful was he that an acquaintance meeting him on Wall street one day, exclaimed, Say, Morton, were you born in banking house?
 'No," laughed the financier q was born in a parsonage. And so was my mother be- fore me- and so was my father. My parents and grand parents were ministers from time not worth counting"
 'Were they rch?"
 "Only in heavenly promise. They hadn't any money"
 So. with ancestors to whom the Golden Streets were a vague dream. this young man became the financier of both worlds
 Of course wealthy men make friends. and MT. Morton formed the acquaintance of another minister's son in New York Chester A. Arthur, himself afterwards vice president and president of the United States. Arthur came from a little south of Morton, but both were from New York state.
 At the solicitati ton of MT. Arthur, Levi P Morton entered into politics on the repub- lican side, thus breaking down all family traditions, for the Mortons democrats
 In 1880 President Garfield appointed MT.