Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-03-17
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
Bird :. COler, Tammany's City
Comptroller, and His Trials.
Besides BEING strong In Politics, lie
Is II scholar, n BIbIiOphile mud
Member of the Methodist Church.
His Father n Soldier.

Member of the Methodist Church.
His Father n soldier.
NEW YORK, March l6.-tSpccial. I'm
like most Vammany men, the Hon. Bird
S C0lcr, who rs comptroller Of this town
is fighting the electric lighting companies
in the outlying boroughs of Richmond
and Queens, was born in the west
He was no stranger here when he ar
rived at mans estate, though, for his pa
rents moved to Brooklyn from Champaign,
Ills, while yet he was only "a child To
all intents and purposes, then, he is to the
manner born, politically as well as finan
cially. SO far as the latter goes, he is just
the man to be an expert in money mat
tiers. His father has been banker most
of his life, and, though Bird s. began
school with the notion that he would like
to get out of the money changing business
and so studied technical topics mostly, he
was made II partner in the banking CON
Germ about as soon as he was old enough
to assume financial responsibilities
Though then only %, he displayed such
abilities as to win the prediction from
many quarters that he would by and by
make his mark. He is now 32 and has
already justified the prediction.
MIR. CoIer's Political Services.
1t was not solely because of his excep-
tional skill in finance that he secured the
nomination to the comptrollcrship i'm 1897
That was partially due to n shrewd bit of
political work, the story of which runs
about as here set out:
Though a strong sympathizer with the
free silver wing of the Democratic party
and a close personal friend of the chair
man of the Democratic national commit
Mr. . l,nt ff,bt Ho
somewhat of hazard in the affirmation of
the Chicago platform by the state Demo
cratic convention. He therefore bcsought
the national chairman to rule state atlir-
nation unnecessary. Though much hest
fancy was felt in granting his request
Colcr finally won his point and Senator
Jones famous letter declaring that as the
Chicago set of principles madc up the ma
tional platform for four years, state reiter.
alton thereof was not essential, was writ
ten. Mr.. Colcr's influence in getting that
letter was highly approved 10y David b
Hill, Edward Murphy and their friends
and it is said that his name was put for
ward for comptroller largely because Of
pressure applied by them in return for
what he had done with Jones.
Mr.. CoIer u scholar.
1t Is no reflection on the incumbent Off
cials in this city to say that few of them
are scholars. You may say that of most city
officials, regardless of location or politics
They are necessarily too much engrosscd
in practical politics rs rule, to devote
any great amount of time to the study OF
books
But Mr.. Color is an exception TO the
rule. He is an enthusiastic and discrim-
mating collector of rare books, and his IL
Irs,v 81, 4 4
such volumes to be found anywhere The
collection is domicilcd in his Brooklyn
house, where it occupies the choicest Of all
the rooms, room, by the way, to which the
comptroller is prone to retreat whenever he
wishes To forget the cares Of Office and
brush the cobwebs from his brain.
1t might be difficult for MIR. Coler 10
tell which one Of the treasures he keeps in
that library he would be least willing TO
part with should necessity arise There
are several which he would retain rs long
as he possibly could, but there is one, a
manuscript compilation or set OF tables
showing the suns longitude for every day
in the year, done with his own hand by
Thomas jefferson, who later served his
fellow citizens rs third president Of this re-
public, which the comptroller would surely
retain after other seemingly more valuable
lHlDRS ndu Dttn SAcflllttN. lie Keeps the
precious tables, which were written i'm al
most faultless Chirography, framed behind
glass on the mantcl Of his library and is
more than proud of his possession.
Naturally he has some rare editions of
Shakespeare. Every book collector Of
consequence tries To get hold of few spe-
cial Shakespeare volumes, and, though
they come high, there arc enough of them
in existence TO give all the collectors
more or less of chance. Mr., Colcr has
some other volumes which he prizes far
more than his Shakespeare and almost as
much as his jefferson tables. Among
these more valued possessions are "A volume
on John Law, 1.-THE original promoter, "
and finely engraved old portrait of Law.
The book is illustrated with line engrav-
ings in copperplate. Though the text of the
book is in English, the artist was Dutch
man, and the work was published in Hol-
land. OF the pictures-which might be
termed "cartoohs" in the modern jour
nalistic sense of the word-it may be said
that they have all the strength and vigor
of the work of Hogarth and are even bet
ter drawings, but lack the Hogarthian
coarseness. 1t would take n column even
briefly to indicate Mr. Coler's book treas
ures.
He is a member of the Grolier club
which is composed exclusively of book
lovers and experts in photography.
MIR. Golfer Is n Methodist.
Besides being a scholar and a biblio-
phile Mr. Coler is n member of one of the
Methodist churches of Brooklyn, and his
standing in the denomination is evidenced
by the fact that he is one of the stewards
of his church.
Bird S. Coler made his first forward
step in politics in 1889, the year he was
admitted to his fathers banking firm.
Then he met John L. Shea, unknown to
fame outside this town perhaps, but a big
gun here, especially in the borough of
Brooklyn, owing to his connection with
bridge affairs, and through him speedily
became a factor, though at first not an
important one, in local public matters
Mr.. Coler's father was a lawyer before he
BECAME banker. He must now be well
advanced in years, since he served Uncle
Sam in the Mexican war. He was also a
soldier-on the Union side-in the civil
war.
Personally Bird S. Coler is one of the
best fellows in all New York, say those
who know him best. He is q good look
ing chap He tried for the seat of an
alderman at largo in Brooklyn some years
ago, but was showed under by majority
of not far from 20, 900. He has been a
member of one local Democratic commit
tee or another for several years. He work