The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-09
ASTOR SOURED BY POLITICAL DEFEATS

| in the legislature, but his career was
| blighted by the sudden discovery of the
| sad truth that he had married in such
| way as to cause scandal
| Lispenard Stewart was very happy in
| his political life, and might reasonably
| have looked forward to any honorS tnat
| his party in this state could bestoW
had he not found greater charm in
life that was in another world than
| politics.
The truth is that William Waldorf
| Astor is the only young man of his
generation in New York possessing
great wealth who was tempted by po--
| litical ambition, and who was soured
by his experience and failed completely
to gain honors that he sought.
When Perry Belmont became a can
! didate' for congress he became demo-
crat in the best sense of the word. He
| was at one with the voters whose SUI
| frages he sought He left the conven-
! tionalities of the drawing room and of
the four-in- hand to the places where
! those manners are appropriate. and ne
! entered into the life and associations OF
those whom he hoped to make his po-
litieal constituents. He did not disdain
| the humble clam bake, drank beer ike
| a martyr, and, although he was always
| gentleman, yet he never brought ar
istocratic suggestions into his political
| w.,
paign
Mr.. Astor first made a campaign Tor
| congress against a young democrat
| who was just the age the constitution
! requires as a qualification Tor menper-
ship in the house Of representatives.
This young man, P. Henry Dusro, hao
wealth, but his father began life as
| humbly as John Jacob Aston, the
founder of the family, who commenced
his career in New York city.
Dugro had been brought up in dis
trct where politics was daily school
and daily delight, and he knew now
| to approach voters, how to be compan-
! ionable with them, whereas the impu-
tation, perhaps wholly unjust. that
Mr. Astors managers expected to win
the campaign for him by pledsing gold
| eagles for votes caused reaction
against him in that district, ana the
son of the humble contractor VINO was
born and reared on the East Side was
the victor, to the inexpressible chagrin
and modification of the pride of Will
lam Waldorf Aston.
Mr.. Astor was consoled, however, by
some false statements. He should nave
been told the truth and informed that
if he was to win in politics he must
come down from the lofty peaks where ne
stood in isolation and in the conscious
pride of great wealth, and become, in
the broad meaning of the term, demo-
crat They told him instead that he
had been defeated by fraud and by I'M
just prejudice, and urged him to make
the race again next time. Roswell +.
Flower had Just come to New York;
he was not very well known here; best
known, perhaps, as brother-in-laW
of Henry d. Keep, one of the giants or
speculative and railroad financing OF
his day. Astors party nominated him
to represent the aristocratic Murray
II "a
risk a combat in that district. Flower
managed his campaign with the same
shrewdness that distinguished his dl-
rection of his campaign for governor
and he won friends in the very aristo.
cratic circle which Mr.. Astor presumed
his strength could not be impaired.
There is something about Astor
manner, perhaps an innate shyness, fol
he is a shy man; perhaps the constant
} suggestion of his consciousness of his
great wealth, that seemed to repel mer
who in political affairs should be at
tracted Flower beat him more easily
: than Dugro had done two years before
and those who We're near Aston ther
soon discovered that his defeat hac
permanently soured him so that he wa:
unable to look with a reasonable view
or a clear understanding upon the pc
litical influences of his time, which
seemed to affect him even in his socia
|
| tensely mortified, and, of course, wa
!, wounded, perhaps where his sensibilit,
: was keenest, by the jests and often tn
scurrillty with which he was lam
: | pooned by some of the more irrespon
sible of the newspapers.
President Arthur was of the opinion
| that sojourn in a diplomatic relation
! would cure Mr.. Astor of his disappoint
:, ments and heal his wounds, and n
= therefore sent him to Italy. Arthur al
: ways felt that Mr.. Aston needed moth
ing but experience and the disciplin
- of actual contact with the selfishnes
:, ! and ambitions and passions of men t
: bring into perfect service the really fin
:, intellectual abilities that Mr.. Asto
a had
But his experience as minister to tn
\ italian court seemed not to heal thes
=. | wounds The hurt was mortal and h
,. seemed to many of his friends to broo
p upon his unhappy experience. Ther
h | WERE it Is true. some social things c
: an unpleasant nature, but these coul
: not have had commanding intiuenc
= with him.
Y The truth seems to be that Mr.. Asto
!, failed in an honorable ambition bt
n cause of inherent qualities of tempers
a ment and perhaps because of unfol
, tunate training, and he has made tn
= mistake of supposing that faults whic
n are really his, if they be faults, wer
If in fact faults accustomed by demot
o racy and by the vulgar life of cit
of new riches.
V His cousin. John Jacob Aston. who
q as rich as he, could have been nominal
r. ed for congress and triumphantly cleo
d ed last fall because he possesses tn
Y very qualities that William Waldoi