OF JVEW  YORK CITY.                     135
 

CHAPTER XVIL

It does not seem possible to the author of these chap¬
ters that nearly three months have passed away since
he penned chapter sixteen, the last written. The eminent
name of Frederick Gebhard was last upon the list.

For three months the entire city as well as nation has
been engaged by politics. That is all over now. Many
of the merchants of the city, whose names will unques¬
tionably figure in these columns hereafter, have been
actively engaged in the recent political campaign. It
was somewhat unusual. Merchants rarely trouble their
heads about politics. This jnnr two merchants were up
for Congress. One was nominated by Tammany Hall-^
Udolopho Wolfe; and the other, Augustus F. Dow, by
the Republicans. Through the instrumentality of an¬
other'merchant, Joshua J. Henry, the Beaver street
merchant, Mr. Wolfe, was forced to back down to give
place to a regular politician. Gen. Ward, who wai
elected.

A commercial city like New York ought to send mer¬
chants as her delegates to Congress at every election.
They are the proper persons to represent her. By com¬
merce she lives, and moves, and yet she sends all classes
to legislate for her except her merchants. This ought
not to be. Since the Constitution was adopted, or for
more than eighty years. New York city has had but
few  merchants to represent her in Congress.    M. H.