The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1904-02-10
An American Gentleman.

A"AOAAOuR UCuJkeEsbus
vii lam O. Whitney died In New
York City last Wednesday at the g oil
o2, HE caught a cold while helping a
neighbor to subdue q fire ia Aiken, s.
.. and later appendicitis developed.
Mr. Whitney was secretary of the
navy during Mr. C~levelapd's first term.
Under his direction the building of the
new American navy began and to him
more than any other man is due the
credit for the fact that this country was
ready when the war with Spain oc-
CURED.
Mr.. Whitney was q busioess man vi
marvellous capacity. He was a thor
oughly educated man, a man of modest
and elegant manners, a man of uncom-
mon tact and unconquerable energy.
His father before him was a Democrat
OF Democrats and he was always un-
swerving in that political faith and
always an aggressive worker for his
party. His private life was clean and
wholesome, he was tenderly devoted to
his children and they were devoted to
him. His eldest son was his intimate
companion aud friend; the two men
liked each other, they were bosom
friends. His first wife, when she died,
left to him without any qualification
all OF her handsome fortune, of mil
lions. Later he married again and his
second wife died before him. There
were no scandals in the Whitney
family, no divorces, no unseemly per-
formances which delight the morbid
newspapers and their readers.
Mr.. Whitney was guilty of being the
posessor of vast wealth, some of which
he inherited and most of which he
made. He spent his money freely. With
in the last fewyearsh he invested in thor
oughbreds and expended millions in
breeding and racing. His influence in
racing circles was always to elevate and
cleanse. His efforts were to drive from
the tracks and paddocks fraud and vul-
garity and in q large measure they
succeeded. Whatever Mr.. Whitney
touched, politics, sport or business, be-
came more respectable and more de-
cent. In Aiken, s. c., where he spent
his winters in late years, it is said that
he was always eager to help the de-
serving poor and that he was a liberal
citizen in the affairs of the town,
Able, industrious, modest, a lover of
sports, liviog a private life without
blemish, a rich man too aud giving his
best service to his country, it is no de-
eel to e%xaggeration to p%araphrase
the description of a former Prince OF
Wales-He was the FIRST Gentleman of
America.
1t is said tina. Mr.. b. A. Morgan of
Greenville will be a candidate for lieu
tenant governor against Col. Sloan. 1t
is hoped that the report is not true.
Mr.. Morgan is q strong man and has
friends here VINO would like to vo.e
for him but Col. Sloan has held the Of
flee only two years. The ADVERTISER
has never believed that election to one
term entities a man to hold it two but
this Office is all honor and no money.
The campaign expenses come to more
than the salary for a year. Col. Sloan
is a good man, he was a good soldier,
going 60 the war as o mere boy, and he
is a good enough lieutenant governor.
In fact, n man fills this Office as we'll
as another, provided he has q fair
amount of intelligence and knows how
to behave properly; T,be vaplyX reason
Colonel Sloan this year is to help some
other towards a higher office and THE
ADVERTISER does not believe that Mr..
Morgan will be a candidate.