The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-05-19

man of the Democratic national COM
mittee that body had nc headquarters,
and when Zachariah Chandler was
chairman of the national Republican
committee il had but one clerk. That
Is all changed. Politics in our country
Is a game that resembles war, in that
organization is necessary to success,
and money is requisite to organization
Hence IT is becoming saying with us
that just as victory inclines to the side
with the heaviest battalions in war be-
tween nations so victory comes to the
side with the largest campaign fund in
struggles between parties. And 1T fol-
lows that both political parties are
busy before the conventions finding
out who of the candidat es can COM
mand the fullest camp chest.
Mr.. Perry Belmont is convinced that
the only way to better politics is to ele
vate the idea above the man, or the
dollar, and to that end he is striving
20 secure legislation that will force
publicity in the mater of contributions
of money for political campaign pur-
poses. He believes that the one way
to improve conditions in our elections
is to first improve conditions in party
organizations. The way TO do that is
10 nominate for office men for what
they believe and for what they are
for the idea they stand for rather than
the money they can command. He re-
cognizes that political campaign funds
are necessary. but he would make po-
litical ideas ever more essential He
would have a party to appeal TO the
reason and the conscience rather than
TO the passion and the greed of the
electorate. And where is the patriotic,
honest man who has read and pom
dered the revelations touching the ma
tional campaign of 1904 who is unwill-
ing to aid Mr.. Belmont in this endea-
vOr? William J. Bryan has expressed
his approval of it and nobody has
openly opposed it. For some reason or
other. that it is not difficult to conjec-
ture the animus of the Fifty-ninth con-
gress refused to enact the legislation
Mr.. Belmont suggested.
x x
Perry Belmont is the eldest son of
August Belmont, who was so long
prominent in politics. diplomacy and
finance. Born in Alley, Alsace, in 1916,
the son of the leading citizen of that
province, who was a republican, but
not terrorist. when the mighty revO-
luton of 1889 burst upon Europe and
later, appointed to a political position
of responsibility by Napoleon then
first consul. August Belmont received
an excellent education, and when
very young man entered the banking
house of the Rothschilds at Frank
fort. So ready was he to master the
science that ere he was 20 he was ap-
pointed at the head OF the Rothschilds
bank at Naples, Italy. At the age of
81 he went to New York and there
opened the house of August Belmont
company, which became the CORE
spOndent Of the Rothschilds in the
United States. Not long after he be-
gan business he became an American
citizen, Joined the Democratic party.
and was active in behalf of Polk and
Dallas in the campaign of 1S41
There We're two factions of the New
York Democracy At the head of one
was Martin Van Buren,. with Siias
Wright and Samuel ]. Tilden for lieu
tenants. These became the Barn
burners. The other faction was head
ed by William L. Marcy, then, and for
years later. the best-fitted man in the
entire country for the office of presi-
dent of the United States Belmont be-
came partisan of Marcy, and when
the latter was appointed secretary of
state he selected Belmont for minister
TO The Hague. While James Buchan-
an. minister to England; Pierre Soule,
minister to Spain, and John Y. Mason
minister to France. were writing the
Ostend manifesto. Belmont was enter
ing into conventions with Holland that
opened the, Dutch East Indies to our
trade and resulted in incalculable adj
vantage to American commerce. that
began 10 grow about that time. He
also participated in the diplomatic con-
gress at Paris and his discussions of
the practice of privateering in time of
war commanded the attention and ex-
torted the admira ton of every Eu-
rODean chancellery.
;; x
When Marcy ceased to be secretary
PnlF ont 4
He was now active in politics-not for
office, but for ideas. He might have
been governor or senator had his am
bitiOn been in that direction He had
gone TO The Hague only with the view
TO serve the country in a diplomatic
capa city. for which he was splendidly
equipped. When Buchanan and Doug
las parted company, Belmont followed
the latter, and supported him in the
Charleston convention TO the end, and
later was active in his behalf at Balti-
more. No man in the country had a
clearer vision of the situation when Sc
cession came than August Belmont
His letters and speeches of that period
are models OF strong. terse. convincing
logic expressed in perfect English that
any one born to that tongue might we'll
envy In the light of subsequent his
tory they read like prophecy. No man
AT the north was a better friend to the
south. Few men of the north saw the
inevitable result as clearly as he. But
his warning fell on deaf ears, and at
Appomattox the south was crushed
About 1882 the government sent
Archbishop Hughes and Henry Ward
Beeeher to Eegland to make public
opinion for the north. At that time
Lord PalmerstOn was prime minister
He was a southern sympathizer A
typical Defeating Englishman, he was
10 craftsmanship what Tow Sayres
was to pugilism. He hoped the south
would win, and believed It would win.
Two sentimentalists like Hughes and
Beecher We're only calculated to irritate
such man as Palmerston, but the cool
heads at Washington requested August
Belmont. a man of as much common
sense as PalmerstOn himself to talk
the thing over with the British foreign
Office. He soon convinced them that
the cause of the south was hopeless as
long as the north was determined. and
II was manifest to all that the north
was determined. No man did more to
prevent English interpOsitiOn and no
other man did so much to place United
cOVqrT1u-ppt