Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1908-04-18
"REMINISCENCES OF
FIFTH AVENUE HOTEL
Hon. L. Bradford Prince, Very Fa.
mliar With Celebrated Hostelry,
Gives RecoIections Of It.

4 lSGtllCtS vi lllc FlllH avenue lOlel lLe
great New York caravansary which
has finally succumbed to the demands
OF the business community and been
closed. Knowing that the Hon. L.
Bradford Prince was very familiar
with that celebrated building, a repre-
sentative of the New Mexican called
on him for his recolections of it.
Yes, indeed" said the ex-Gover-
nor, Il have been familiar with the
Fifth Avenue hotel ever since it was
built, and even of late years have
never been in New Yorn without Wis
iting it. In many respects it was vast.
~ superior to any of the newer hotels
which are more pretentious. It's splen.
did situation, where Broadway and
Fifth avenue come together, with the
open space of Madison Square in
front, and with the dignity which at.
taches to great building occupying
the entire front of block added to
the solidity and beauty OF its architec.
ture, while ,he great amount of space
devoted to the main entrance. the Of
ice. reading rooms and parlors, was
very noticeable in these days when
every square foot is economical.
For many years, when | was in ac-
tive politics in New York, it was the
headquarters every fall of the Repub-
lican state committee, and therefore
the center of party activity. The com.
mittee always had the same suite OF
rooms on the first floor and they were
known to everyone in the state. Dur
ing almost half a cent"v public men
from all over the cour -oDped at
tue flith Avenue when k
and you could scarcely pass
the wide corridor without seer.
statesmen of national reputation. Gov
ernor Fenton, when senator, always
met his friends there, much as Sena
tor Platt has done in more recent
years. The last time that met Gen
efal Grant was at the Fifth Avenue
ana | remember his speaking most
pleasantly of visit he had recent,
made to Santa Fe and of those whom
he met here.
by far the most interesting per
sonal recollections that I have of the
great hotel were in connection will
the proceedings for the Impeachment
OF the corrupt judges. Barnard, Car
dozo, and McCunn in 1872. Tweed hat
just fallen, and the call for reform O
all kinds was most pressing. The las
stronghold Of the era of corruption
was on the bench, and the Bar Associ
' alton of New York presented gray
charges against these three Judges on.
e demanded their trial and removal.
"The charges were referred to tn
judiciary committee of the assembly
OF which | was chairman, and it wa
' directed to make full investigation
: 1t was by all odds the most importan
e proceeding of that nature against higl
8 judicial officers ever seen in the Unit
e ed States. We sat for thirty days il
n the Fifth Avenue hotel, with tn
d highest legal talent-men like Davi
g Dudley Field and George Ticknor Gun
e tis and hosts of others, arrayed fo
= and against the accused judges, an
! with the leading railroad and busines
e men of the day, including Gould,
y T. Stewart, Fiske and scores OF equa
reputation as witness. The Democrat
members of the committee were San
uel j. Tilden and David B. Hill, bot
afterwards very prominent in natior
:. al affairs, and the Republican men
bers included men of great ability.
n Every effort imaginable was mad
to save the judges from trial; mi
lion dollars could have been had a
= any time for report which in som
4 way would shield them. The proceed
. ings every day drew crowds Of intel
,. ested persons and the press of tn
!, country watched every movement an
q the arrival of every witness with kee
h activity. The accused Judges had thei
), friends, some open and some secre
n in the committee, and inodious move
q were constantly being made in thei
4 behalf, which required the utmost vi.
;, lance to cOunteract. The news {
:. these things and Of the revelations {
witnesses, which some how leake
through the closed doors of the con
mittee room, kept the newspapers fu
of all kinds of reports and crowded tn
: Fifth Avenue hotel every evenin
with the legal, political and journali
tic lights Of the day.
n "rhe result, in the only completed
), successful part Of the work of reform
= was the impeachment and convictio
is of Barnard, the report against Cardoz
"a and his resignation 10 escape tria
# and the trial and removal Of McCunl
e is all part Of history, but connecte
g with Albany and Saratoga rather tina
# with the hotel; but the real work We
N done there; and, rightly or wrongl
Il always look upon it as the most In
portant accomplishment Of my lif
and feel real sentiment for the ol
9 Fifth Avenue within whose wal
those stirring thirty days were spent
n