Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-03-01
HAYM SALoMoN, PATRIOT.
Jew Broker Was Real Financier of
Revolution.


native of Poland, the land of Pu-
laski and Kosciusko, the brave fell
lows who unsheathed their swords for
human liberty, writes DR.. Madison C,
Feters, in the Washington Post.
Solomon was born at LISA in 1740
of Portuguese descent. His family
was highly respectable and learned
After visiting many countries and ac-
quiring various languages, Salomon
came to America, probably soon after
the partition of Poland in 1772.
In 1878 he was taken prisoner in
New York by the British general, Sir
Henry Clinton, on charges that he
had received orders from Washington
to burn fleets and store houses, and
had made the attempt.
But Solomon got into trouble ear
lier than this for his patriotism. AS
early as 1875 he had made himself
obnoxious to the British. He was
confined in the prison known as the
provost" which stood on the spot
now occupied by the old hall Of rec
ords in City Hall park. In this loath-
some den he suffered inhuman treat
ment. He was liberated through the
influence Of a Hessian commander
named Heister, and made his way to
Philadelphia, and there married
Rachel Frank, sister of the distin-
guished Col. Jacob Frank, of the Rev
olutionary war.
He became an uncompromising
foe to British domination. He was
engaged in banking and money lend
ing, and several European financial
houses did their business through
him. The hand of Solomon was
beneath every pecuniary help this
country received from abroad. He
was intrusted with the negotiation OF
all the war subsidies of France and
Holland ION his own personal secu-
rity," which were disposed to the resi-
any loss, at a credit Of two and three
months, for which he received only
one fourth of / per cent.
When Count de la Luzerne became
Ambassador for France, Solomon was
made banker for that government
He was appointed by M. Roquebrune
treasurer Of the forces of France in
America, and made paymaster gen.
eral, which Office he filled without
salary.
He had confidential relations with
all the foreign representatives at one
| time or another. His Catholic ma
jesty of Spain was under heavy obli-
cations to Haym Solomon, the Jew
Solomon, out Of his own private
purse maintained this ambassador
for years. His name was Don Fran.
cesco Rendon. Writing to the Span
ish governor of Cuba, Rendon says
Mr.. S. has advanced money for hi:
| most Catholic majesty's agent here
and without it l would not have beer
able to render the protection and as
|
which his majesty enjoins and my
duty requires" More than $4,000
was thus advanced, which was never
paid.
1t ought not to be forgotten that
although he endorsed a great portion
of the bills Of exchange for the
amount of loans and subsidies oul
government obtained in Europe, OF
which he negotiated the entire sums
and the calculation of which duty oc.
cupied a great deal of his valuable
time from 1871 to 1888; still there
was only charged a fractional per.
centage to the United States, although
individuals were willing to pay him
| And 1t is known he never caused
| the loss to the government OF
one cent of those many millions OF
his negotiations, either by his owr
mismanagement or from the credit he
gave to others on the sales he made
or those who commenced trading
after the account of the United
States.
Immediately after the peace OF
1888, when foreign commerce could
again float unmoested on the
ocean, Salomon engaged as a trading
merchant to European ports. He
had several ships upon the sea, bu
through the failure Of merchants ir
whom he placed confidence he suf-
fered great losses.
He was always eager to help hi:
fellow man. He gave every assistance
to those who commenced trading af
ter the war.
To the president Of the nationa
bank, whose partner was the super
intendent of finance, he gave two
loans of $4,000 and $4,000, ant
never received a penny Of interest
This firm was known as Willing
Morris & Swaneck. 1t is doubtful Il
he ever got any of his money back.
In Madison'S letters to Virginia II
1881, he writes: MY wants are Sc
urgent that it is impossible to sup.
press them. The case of my breth'
rem is equally alarming" and later
he declares that the kindness of oul
friend in Front street (Mr. Solomon
is fund that will preserve me from
eXtremities, but | never resort to Il
without great modification, as he OBJ
stinately rejects all recompense. The
|necessitous delegates he gratuitously
spares from his private stock" Called
on to advance the entire pay for en-
suing years to Jones. Randolph, and
| Madison as members of the ReVOlu'
tiOnary congress, it was i'm writing
allotted that Madison should get E5t
less than the other two, but Solomon
seeing in Madison. then only twenty
nine years of age, great talents. fOi
which he became afterward distin.
guised. presented him from his owl
private purse the $50 and the equal
lied pay of the whole delegation.
Jared Sparks, the historian. de-
clared "the person who did loan the
cash to a member to relieve his dis
tress in that day. was in no eXpec-
tatiOn of ever getting repaid
To- cfN,. -,