THE LATE MR. BAYARD.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") Sin,—" Mr. Bayard has the honourable distinction, rare among prominent American politicians, of having died a poor man." These words we find in the Spectator of October 1st, foremost and most powerful of all the organs which labour for the unity of our race. Never were more surprising words written. So far from Mr. Bayard being a poor man as "prominent American politicians" go, he was able to accept the Ambassadorship to Britain, which very few are, and was quite well-to-do. Prominent American politicians of his rank (Cabinet Minister, Senator, Ambassador) rarely die as rich as he. There is not in the Senate to-day more than perhaps half-a-dozen out of the ninety who have the assured income which the lamented Bayard possessed, and in the House of, Representatives not perhaps more than a score out of the three hundred and fifty-four. Consider even the past Presidents in our day. Lincoln had no fortune, neither had Grant, Garfield, Hayes, Cleveland, or Harrison. These were all very much like the present President, Mr. McKinley, very poor men; not one of them had sufficient income to live at the rate of £1,500 per year when they retired—only one of them had anything like that—and President McKinley is said not to be nearly as "rich." It is not seldom that the most prominent American politicians leave no provision for their families. President Grant's book provided for his. Mr. BlaMe's "Twenty Years in Congress" did the same ; but for President Garfield's family a public sub. scription was necessary. Ex - President Hayes turned poultry-farmer for a living. Ex-President Harrison and ex-President Cleveland have returned to the practice of their profession. Secretary of War Stanton, and his successor. Secretary of War Rawlings, left no provision for their families. There is one reason why the most ambitious public men de not seek wealth. It is fatal before a nominating Convention. No candidate for the Presidency, for instance, would be thought of who had a large income. There never has been a comparatively rich President since Washington (and I thinh Madison) who had Virginia estates. The choice of the people for any high office, and especially for the Presidency, mast have a record of had d work, plain living, simple tastes, aud honest poverty. The only rich Vice-President in our
time was Mr. Morton, whose extraordinary personal charm made him a universal favourite and excused his fortune. Some of the extreme Western States of small population have sent a rich Senator now and then, but this class passes away as the States become populous. In short., Mr. Editor, there is no record for "honest poverty" among prominent politicians in any country comparable to that of the great Republic. Whether it be well for the political leaders of a nation to die generally as poor as die the pro- minent public men of the United States may be a question, but that poverty has been, and is their lot almost without exception admits of no question. I have known many of the prominent politicians of the Republic, of both parties, and perhaps as much of their affairs as most, and I cannot recall the name of more than one or two who died rich, and not one who made anything but pecuniary loss through political life. They have had to live upon their salaries, and have done so, rarely leaving even modest provision for their families. If the Spectator will investigate the facts, I am confident it will regret the words quoted, which are bitterly unjust and cannot fail to sting.—.-I am, Sir, Itc.,
Shibo Castle, N.B., October 4th ANDREW CARNEGIE.
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