The Washington herald., 1907-09-08

New York Sept. D.
Much in the mind of the politically oh
servant and looming large in the public
eve, as the Democratic candidate for
President. these days is The young lieu
tenant governor of the State of New
York, Lewis Stuyyesant ChanIer When
lis expatriated cousin. William Waldorf
Astor climbed the family tree some eight
years ago So high that he saw an ances-
tor, Pedro dAstorga. a worthy Castilian
don, dying a crusader 5t the taking OF
Jerusalem 9Co years before, and when
William Waldorf calmly placed before
the readers Of the Pail Mall Magazine as
so much fact, this result Of his genealog-
teal explorations. something like a sheer
appeared on the face of his cousin, Lewis
Stuyvesant Chauler, also a great-grand-
son OF the original John Jacob Astor.
"Grandfather was a good. honest man, "
snapped young Ch1nier. He made his
money honestly; he had no pride of birth.
and I don't believe he cared a rap
whether he was descended from a Span
ish duke or from the Duke de Calliak Of
the BaleaTic Isles; neither do any of his
American descendants"
The doubt entertained by Chanler was
amply confirmed by Mr.. Lathrop Whiting
ton and other eminent European gene
alogists who investigated the Pail Mall $
story, and event went so far as TO point
out that only by the Justification Of a
certain birth record could so amazingly
long lineage possibly be established.
When Mr.. Chanler was stumping the
State last fall and one Of the proletariat
accused him Of being a millionaire. Chan
Ter laughed out loud and Tetorted with
''Well, hasn't an American a right to be
rich so long as he gets his money hon
estly?"
No true scion Of the Astor family ever
talks Of his ancestry or his riches, let
alone boasts Of them.
The whole AstOr family was scandalized
when William Waldorf. in his unsuccess-
full race for Congress against Roswell
Petubone Flower, lavishly squandered
twenty-doIlar gold pieces upon the bar
room loungers IN the district
The younger and more sensible mem
bers of the family like Chanler simply
ducked when they saw good old Pedro
d'Astorga dragged from under a heap Of
saraoens. slain, undoubtedly, by his good
right hand and stood up before the gates
Of Jerusalem as one of their forbears.
AmerIcanism Same as ROOseVeIts.
In his Americanism the Democratic
lieutenant governor is quite as intense
as Theodore Roosevelt, and ike the
President, he is more interested in to-
day and tomorrow than in yesterday,
more absorbed in seeing proper things
done properly IN public affairs than in
contemplating mummies Of the past
When William Randolph Hearst picked
him for a running mate at the hide
pendence League convention last sum
mer. he didn't realize that he had Sc
lected a man who would oyershadow
him as the campaign progressed, other
wise his generosity might have been
less marked. When the Democratic
convention at Buffalo, a little later.
fused IN a confused sort of way with
the Hearst forces, Chanler was the only
man on the slate whose nomination
was received with appreciation by Dem
ocrats generally. He was known 10 be
an out-and-out Democrat, Ike his ia
Their before him. and in complete sym
patty with those principles of Jefferson
so cOnspicuOusly exemplihed in the
earlier history and management of the
party. AS boy Of twenty-three he had
organized the Barrytown Cleveland Club.
and stumped the Duchess district for
the ex-President Such attention as he
had paid to politics was on those same
proper lines that have been followed
by Roosevelt, Colby, Apgar, Churchill
Folk. and host Of others-Republicans
and Democrats, who have been dubbed
"cTanks,' and declared to be radical
irresponsibles because they wanted to
see common honesty practiced in gov
ernmental Offices
Some Of the Democratic editors who
plumed themselves on their ''old-fash-
toned Democracy" were visibly disturb
ed when they saw the son OF John Win
throp Chanler in the society Of Hearst
More in sorrow than in anger one Of them
painted his feelings in these words
''AIr. Chanler Is the last man In the
world who would be supposed to be found
consorting with such company. Like
Mr.. Hearst, he is a millionaire many times
over. He is descended from some Of the
first families in America, and is emf
nently respectable He has always been
good TO the laborIng man, and, as the
employer of many workmen, is held in
the highest regard As a landlord and
employer he approaches the ideal, but
as a subscriber to the tenets Of the In
dependence League we confess it savors
of incongruity."
Needless to say, this editor survived the
campaign, and he is to-day an ardent ad-
vOcate OF Mr.. CHAMBERS nomination next
year as the Democratic candidate for the
Presidency.
When the official sketches Of the candi-
dates were given out to the reporters last
year. that IL Chanler was one OF the
shortest Of the lot. Il contained no refer
ence to the Astor family nor 10 the Rev
dictionary stock Migrated thereon from
which ne was descended. He was only
thirty-seven years old, and he didn't see
that he had done enough in this world to
make any fuss about" About all there
was to it was that he was a lawyer. had
taken q course CT international law at
Cambridge. England, mixed in n little
with the LIBERALS In England and with
Land Leaguers in Ireland. was serving a
second term as supervisor for Red Hook
in Duehtess County, and that his father
was onee q member Of the State legisla-