The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-11-01
GOSSIP OF
I.ROPOL|[.l'||'S';''
Municipal Vote No Test Of
Party Strength.
4 PRlNCELY GENEROSITY
Financier Bought Stock, After Drop,
from Lady He Had Advised to In
vest in lt-Corsets for Men
Seem Assured.
eyJOHN 5MARTHoL.
Especial to The Times Dispatcll.).

BY JOHN 5MARTHOL.
Especial to The Times Dispatcll).
NEW YORK, Oct. 31.-tf the eyes OF
the country are turned toward this city
the chief objectlt attract attention is
the grand political battle for the mayor
atty. It is unnecessary to predict the
winner. BY Wednesday the result Will
be known. All predictions are useless.
The winner will have narrow margini
it will not exceed five per cent Of the
total vote. which means that two and
half per cent. of all the voters will de-
eide the question of victory or defeat.
In the five boroughs there is an enor-
nous silent vote. No leader can canvass
it. The silent svote-the voters when have
fixed Ideas, votes that are not moved by
tailcart campaigners or hall orntor:-Will
decide the question. There Is only Gre
thing certain and that is the Democratic
vote will decide, 1t matters not whether
it is polled with Fusion or against Fusion.
New York city citizens have come 10
the conclusion that municipal eleatinns
are not party matters, and are not TO be
determined by party vote. Hence the DE-
feat of a Democratic candidate Cor the
mayoralty Is not an indication OF parry
strength: but the election of a Democratic
candidate when SO many of his party are
led away in Fusion movement Is GER
tainly extraordinary evidence Of party
strength At the present time Democrats
OF unqestioned loyalty to the State and
national ticket are giving their unqualified
support against the regular Democratic
organizations in the five boroughs.
The inquiry into the promotion and
failure OF the U. S. Shipbuilding Company
Is uncovertng many secrets. 1t is put
forward with all that is spectacular. and
the evidence is tyled-"revelation." All
this Is rank stuff and nonsense. The
placing on record for the observation OF
all methods which have been known to
prevail, is. perhaps, information to that
portion of the community which has taken
no special interestiin the creation of cor
porations. There was nothing done in
floating the Shipbuilding Trust which has
not been done in almost all the other corr
porations. Acertain formula is followed
by all. The weakness OF the Shipbuilding
enterprise, like that In ventures OF like
character, lay in the fact that the BUSH
ness behind the corporation was not prop.
erly conducted, and did not Justify the
arrangements into which 1t entered. The
result was jar In the machinery. A
corporations outfit is like suit Of
clothes; 1t may be too large or too small
or tit business. The business outlined
by the promoters of the Ship Trust did
not fit snugly into the clothes prepared
for 1t. and made In the State of New
Jersey. In its illmade clothing it came
to grief. 1t made foolish arrangements.
1t was weakly handled and 1t came TO
grief. Rubber, Asphalt and others shared
the same fate.
+ am told on good'authority an incident
Of princely generosity which makes one
feel that all the great tinanciers have
not been painted. with tar brush. 1t
seems that E. j. Berwind, the financier,
advised lady to invest In certain block
OF stock. She did SO. After two years
the company became involved, and Its
shares declined, In fact, the value in them
was almost wiped out:s To her surprise ons
day she received a note from Mr.. Berwind
asking her for her stock and enclosing her
check for the stock at the figure she
had paid for 1t. The loss was a heavy
one-one which she could III afford, and
Berwind feeling nice sense of RESPONSE
bity for the advice, he had given her
made good the loss and assumed the bur-
den himself
Mark Twain owing to the delicate con-
dition of his wife's health, has been
compelled to leave the city and set up a
home In Florence, italy, where he will
abide indefinitely. writing as the spirit
moves him. The "Innocents Abroad" was
Marks first notable work within covers.
The kernel Of 1t was a series OF letters
to the New York Tribune, which he wrote
while member OF the Plymouth Church.
,l,,, roll n the EO1v land.
These. he expended into book. for which
his purchaser agreed to pay him $1,000
and a royalty. He wrote 1t In Washirp-
ton city. At the time he had no idea that
the royalty fund would run up to tens
OF thousands OF dollars.
Experts In fashions for men have de-
creed that the corset has to come, II,
indeed. 1t has not already arrived. This
long and expensive advertisement in
some OF the newspapers, In which tho
benefits, beauties and advantages OF the
garment, hitherto sacred to the other
sex, were fully and graphically set forth
as an article OF male attire. The thing
scenes absurd, hut that is perhaps the
best assurance OF Its, Success.
The city's educational bill for next year
will amount to the enormous sum OF
.twenty-three million dollars: that. at
least, Is the sum asked for to run the
schools, and It will certainly be granted.
IN no other branch OF the administration
do the people get as good a return for
their money, and there Is no growling
over the bill, big as 1t is, But this
really Is not the grand total for the
schools The Episcopal Church. for In
stance. supports several big schools OF its
own, all of which are free; while the Ro-
which are supported by their respective
parishes Tho Catholic school children
number upwards OF sixty thousand.