Evening star., 1941-08-15
Fish-BuII Letter
Rediscovered
Maj. Richmond Submits to
Present Notice the Classic
Written by Senator Hoor

more content with my lot because of that
letter written fifty-one years ago. 1t
was in August 1890, that the Pittsburgh
Post Democratic paper, made a savage
attack on Republican Senator Hoar and
declared that he lived on terrapin and
champagne; that he had been an in
veterate Office seeker all his life and that
he had never done a stroke of useful
work"
Senator Hoar was a great deal an
noyed by the attack but followed his
sportive' instinct by sending to the
editor of the offending journal a COM
munication which I commend to lieu
tenants and generals, to civilian clerks
and dollar-a-year men who are new or
old in Washington.
CARL G.. RICHMOND.
Major, Corps of Engineers. L. S. A.
August 10. 1890
The text of Senator Hoar's letter fol-
lows:
ITO The Editor.
The Pittsburgh Post.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
My dear Man:
Somebody has sent me a copy of your
paper containing an article of which Won
do me the honor to make me the sub.
ject. What can have put such an ex-
travagant yarn into the head of so ami
able and good -natured fellow? I never
said the thing which you attribute to
me in any interview. caucus or anywhere
else. never inherited any wealth or had
any My father was a lawyer in very
large practice for his day. but he was a
very generous and liberal man and never
put much value upon money My share
of his estate was about sl0.500. All the
income producing property have in the
world, or ever had, yields little less
than 81 800 year; $500 Of that is from
a life estate and the other thousand
comes from stock in a corporation which
has only paid dividends for the last two
or three years, and which am very much
afraid will pay no dividend, or much
smaller ones, after two or three years to
come.
With that exception the house where
I live, with its contents with about four
acres of land, constitute my whole
worldly possessions, except two or three
vacant lots, which would not bring me
$4,000 all told l could not sell them,
not for enough to pay my debts. l have
been in my day an extravagant collector
of books, and have library which YOU
would like to see and which would like
to show you.
Now, as to Office holding and working,
I think there are few men on this con-
tinent who have put so much hard work
into life as I have. I went one winter
to the Massachusetts House of Repre-
sentatives when I was twenty-five years
old, one winter to the Massachusetts
Senate when I was thirty years old. The
pay was two dollars day at that time.
was nominated on both occasions, much
to my surprise. and on both occasions de-
cllned a denomination. I afterward
twice refused nomination for Mayor of
my city Worcester. Mass, have twice
refused seat on the supreme bench of
Massachusetts,, and refused for years to
go to Congress when the opportunity
was in my power.
Il was at last broken down with over
work, and went to Europe for my health.
During my absence the arrangements
were made for my nomination to Con-
gress, from which, when got home. I
could not well escape. The result is that
I have been here 20 years as Repre-
sentative and Senator, the whole time
getting little poorer year by year If
you think have not made q good one.
you have my full authority for saying
anywhere that entirely agree with YOU.
During all this time have never been
able to hire house in Washington. NY
wife and have experienced the varying
fortune of Washington boarding houses,
sometimes very comfortable, and a good
deal Of the time living in a fashion to
which no mechanic earning 81 day
would subject his household. Your
''terrapin" is all in my eye. very little in
my mouth. The chief carnal luxury of
my life is in breakfasting every Sunday
morning with an orthodox friend. a lady
who has rare gift for making fish
balls and coffee.
You unfortunate and benighted
Pennsylvanians can never know the ex-
quisite flavor of the Goldfish, salted, made
into balls and eaten on a Sunday morn
ing by a person whose theology Is sound,
and who believes in all the five points
of Calvinism I am myself but an un-
worthy hereto, but I am of Puritan
stock, of the seventh generation, and
there is vouchsafed to me, also, some
share of that ecstasy and dim glimpse
of that beatific vision. Be assured. nv
benighted Pennsylvania friend, that in
that hour when the week begins, all the
terrapin of Philadelphia or Baltimore
and all the soft-shelled crabs of the At
lantic shore might pull at my trousers
legs and thrust themselves on my notice
in vain.
Il am faithfully.
GEO. r. HOAR."