New-York tribune., 1911-12-24

we're the architects of their own fortunes
The formers father was a combination ho-
telkeeper and farmer, and his son never
knew poverty, but the latter was no strdh-
ger TO the hard lot Of the early pioneer MS
home was of the humblest and his oppor-
tunities were Of the scantiest. Both cnose
the law as a stepping stone to future lnue-
pendence. Fillmore doing office work ana
teaching school 10 pay his expenses, neither
having the advantage Of a college educa-
ton. but both becoming winners of large
fortunes.
II was necessary for James Buchanan TO
become a breadwinner, and his Scotch-Irish
ancestry endowed him with the thrift and
energy demanded. His father was poor
Scotchman who came to America about
ten years before the birth of the only
Pennsylvania President, but he appreciated
the value Of an education as business
proposition, and determined to make his
son a scholar. He lived TO see his boy
graduated with the highest honors at
Dickinson College at the age or eighteen.
In 1872 James Buchanan opened law office
at Lancaster, Penn, and from the start
clients came to him in ever-ncreasing
numbers until at the time Of his election
to Congress in 1920 he had one OF the larg-
est and most lucrative practices in the
state. Buchanan was a free spender, and
always kept up a large establishment.
| though he remained a bachelor to the end of
his days.
OF the twenty-six men who have won
| first place in this nation the two whose
efforts at breadwinning up TO the time
they went into the White House had
proved less successful than all the others
were Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses 5.
Grant Both had been more or less ac-
tive in the pursuit Of financial independ
ence, and both had accomplished great
things, but neither had met with adequate
| financial return for his effort. Most of the
earlier Presidents had fought their finan-
cial battles before going TO the White
House. and went up TO receive their su-
preme hOnors as victors. Even the
Adamses, father and son, less affluent than
the Virginia planter class, had more to
| show for their long years of faithful SER
vice than had the two men who. next TO
! Washington, were nearest 10 the great
throbbing heart OF the American nation.
| It is a fact that at the time OF his first
! election to the Presidency Lincoln was
| only just beginning TO emerge from the
| slough OF financial uncertainty which had
threatened 10 engulf him ever since he en-
| tered the race. His energy had been tre-
rnendous, his labors herculean, but be had
| little 10 show for IL all IL was only at
| the beginning Of his second term, when
| the war was over and the fearful strain
which had bowed him with premature
age had relaxed, that he could say 10
his wife: Mary, we have had a hard
time OF 1t since we came TO Washington,
but now the war is over and. with Gods
| blessing. we may hope for four years OF
peace and happiness, and then We will go
back to Illinois and pass the rest OF our
| days In quiet. We have laid by some
money. and during this term we will try
| to save up more. But We shall not have
enough to support us. We will go back
to Illinois, and l will open law office In
Springfield or Chicago, and practise law.
| and at least do enough to help give us a
| livelihood
| At the time of his coming into the Pres
! idency Andrew Johnson was practically
| I'm Easy street" although his property In
| Tennessee had suffered somewhat from the
Civil War AS a breadwinner he had
passed from the condition of absolute pow
erty-he had begun active life as a tailor's
apprentice-to one OF financial independ
ence.
AS breadwinner General Grant was
| conspicuous failure. When he left the
army. In 1851 after serving with distinc-
tion I'm the Mexican war he tried farming
! in a small way near his wife's home in
Missouri. but was compelled to abandon it
as a hopeless undertaking. Nor was his
brief experiment with mercantile life, at
Galena. ILL.,, in company with his brother,
productive OF encouraging results.
Never spendthrift. his subsequent ex-
alted position as Chief Executive demand