Evening Star Newspaper, September 6, 1931, Page 50

(] THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, SEPTEMBER 6, 1931. Morris, Financier, Was Prisoner Here ‘BY JOHN CLAGETT PROCTOR. «f T is rcally nice to take a vacation and go away from khome for awhile and see some of the wonderful places in America that cannot be duplicated elsewhere, but after you have feasted your eyes to your heart’s content, and are privileged once again to behold your own fair native city—the Capital of the United States of America—you cannot help but say to yourself that, even though we are disfranchised he e and not permitted to enjoy the full fruits of liberty for which our Revolutionary ancestors fought, yet to us it is the grandest place on earth. And the writer will admit that, when he returned to this city, after a tour of the West, dear old Washington surely looked good to him. Perhaps, though, wiien wec look at our beau- tiful city—for which we arc assessed about four-fifths of the running exvenses, without any say as to how that moncy should bz spent —we little dream of the trials and difficulties of the men who first came to the aid of the Federal Government and invcsied their for- tunes in Washingion City real esiate, only, in & number of cas to lose it all. Most natural ol >, these m=n were speculators but they were induced to come here, and many vould have fared better had they stayed away. Thomas Law, America’s rich man of that per who married the grand- daughter of Mrs. Washinzion, lost about one- haif of his vast forti hers lost all, as was the case with Rcobe:t financier of the American Revol 1t scveral mil- lions on the deb. iger, and who, i Gu g s and a half delphia r the old law which {ors to pr 1 for not meeting their financial cbligatio Much of this ¢ hed man's indebted- ness was (tr abie, d y or indir to his ventures in real perty in the Distiict of Columbia, particulaily ia association with Nicholsen and Greenlzaf. BORN in Liverpoo! Er nd, January 20, 1734, Robert M s came to the American Colonies when a lad 13 ycars of age and first settled in Oxford, Md.. where his father, Robert Mo:ris, sr., had prcceded him to this country and established himself in business. Subse- quently the father sent the son to Robert Green- way, a merchant of Philadelphia, who agreed to take care of him and give him an education. In 1750 the elder Morris was fatally injured with a wad fired fron a gun engaged in giving a salute. We are told that “his memory was so highly esteemed that the gentlemen residing in the vicinity solemnly enjoined in their wills that his tomb should be prese:ved inviolate,” and that “his favorite dog could not be enticed from the body of his deceased master, and died upon the grave, thus affording another feeling example of the affection which warms the most faithful and least fickle friends of man.” An- other account of this accident says: “Morris went out in a small boat with a party of friends to meet the vessel. He had some premonition of disaster, for he asked the cap- tain on thnis occasion to dispense with a feature the men that the complimentary shot should be omitted, at which the sailors quite generally expressed dissent. Each mariner was accus- tomed to receive a glass of grog after the salute. The captain mentioned the fact to Mr. Morris, whe, in this time of general good feeling, yielded, although it was stipulated that the gun should not be discharged until the sallors should receive a prearranged signal from the yawl in which the company was being eon- veyed to the shore. One informant tells us that the sign was the captain’s laying his and in a few days the patient died, before the boy in Philadelphia knew of his father's in- ground, in St. Peter's County, Md., is a memorial to him which reads: “In Memory of ROBERT MORRIS, a Native of Liverpool, in Great Britain, Late Merchant of Oxford In This Province. Punctual Integrity influenced his dealings. Principles of honor governed his actions. With an uncommon degree of Sincerity, he despised Artifice and Dissimulation. His Friendship was firm, candid and valuable. His Charity frequent, secret and well adapted. His Zeal for the Publicke good active and use« ful. His Hospitality was enhanced by his Conver- sation, seasoned with cheerful wit and a sound judgment. A Salute from the cannon of a ship, The wad fracturing his arm Was the signal by which he departed. Greatly lamented as he was esteemed, In the fortieth year of his age, On the 12th day of July, MDCCL.” The son Robert, 17 years of age, was now " employed in the counting house of Charles Wwilling, thren one of the leading merchants of Figure in Revolution and Signer of Declaration and of Constitution Was Held as Debtor —Lost Much of Great Fortune in Washington Speculation. e o P — & Residence of Thomas Law, Sixth and N streets, NW. One of the buildings erected by the Morris, Greenleaf and Nicholson Syndicate. Philadelphia. Here his anxiety to promotg the interests of his employer gained for him that gentleman’s esteem and confidence, resulting hesitate, but immediately eontracted could procure at the low quotation Robert Morris. advanced the price, for which he was highly commended by his employer. Of course, Mr. Morris’ greatest achievement was the notable part he played in obtaining of American independence. No doubt it has beeri a common expression for ages that no man is indispensable, and that every man’s place can be filled. In millions of cases this is true, and yet even in our time, note, upon rare occasions an exception to the rule. And so today, Jook- ing back to the Revolutionary War, we ean single out a few leaders whose places could not have been filled by any one eilse. Wash- ington the soldier and Franklin the diplomat were surely indispensable, as was Robert Morris the financier, and perhaps others. are few merd who would be will- ing to starve to death for their country. Nor would they be willing to engage in battle with an enemy without being equipped with arms and ammunition. Even the bravest of men likes to have a show at least for his life, and whenever the American Army found itself in a desperate situation due to the lack of the necessities of war, it was to Morris that the appeal was generally made. This distinguished patriot served in the Con- tinental Congress from 1775 to 1778, during which time he became one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence—men who mutually pledged to each other their Mves, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Prom 1778 to 1730 he served in the Penn- sylvania State Assembly, and in 1781 he was elected by the Congress the Superintendent of Finance of North America, which office he held for three years, rendering invaluable service to the cause for freedom. of 32, five of 28 and three of 24 guns being adopted, a naval committee was formed, of which Mr. Morris was & member, with full i axe 341 in complete igneranee of their designs, and that a cettain sum specified was absolutely necessary to the safety of the Army, and to enable him to obtain such intelligencz of the movements and precise position of the enemy on the opposite shore as would authorize him %0 act offensively. This pressing application, and appeal to the feelings of Mr. Morris, which,’ from the urgency of the occasion, was dis- by a confidential messenger, was re- a time when compliance was almost chief. From the time he rec:ived the dispatch until evening he revolved deeply and gloomily in his mind the means through which he might realize the expectations which had bzen formed from his patriotism and influence: his usual hour of retiring from the compting room ar- rived, and as he was proceeding s!lowly and sor- rowfully home, he accidentally met a gentle- man of the Society of PFriends, with whom he was intimate, and who placed implicit confi- dence in his integrity. He injuired the news from Mr. Morris, who replied, ‘The most im- portant news is that I require a cerizin sum in specie, and that jou must let me have it.’ His friend hesitated and mused for a moment; ‘your security is to bz my note and my honor,” continued Mr. Morris—‘Robert, thou shalt have it,’ replied the friend; and this per al lean, causing a prompt and tim:cly c ce with the demand, enabled Gzn. Wa-l Trenton, which not oni cal force of the encm and impo:tant results of an of patriotism and checking the dictions of our enemies. It also de ¥ hi impression which the reputed prowess of the conguered foe and the experience of their ferocity over the unprc nd dcfenseless had made among the p e L Even during the gloomy d of 1777 when the Army was encamped at y Forge, as a member of the newly formed Committee of Commerce, he visited Washinzton there, and had a “private, confidential consultalion with the commander in chief, to consider the best and most practicable means for conducting a Winter campaign with vigor and success.” YEAR or two later, during the mcst dis- tressing period of the war, Mr. Morris was approached by Richa:d Pcters, who then filled an important and confidential position in the Department of War, who informed Morris of a letter he had reccived from Gen. W ing- ton giving a most alarming account of the scar- city of the military stores and urging immedi- ate exertions to supply the deficiencies. As afterward related by Judge Peters: “There were no musket cartridges but those in the men’s boxes, and they were wet; of course, if attacked, a retreat or a rout was inevitable. We (the voard of war) had exhausted all the lead ac- cessible to us, having caused even the spouts of houses to be melted, and had offered, abor- tively, the equivalent in paper of two shillings specie per pound for lead. I went, in the eve= ning of the day ot which I received this letter, to a splendid entertainment given by Don Mirailles, the Spanish Minister. My heart was sad, but I had the faculty of brightening my countenance, even under gloomy disasters; yet it seems them not sufficiently adroitly. Mr. Morris, who was one of the guests, and knew me well, @discovered some casual traits of de- pression. He accosted me in his usual blunt and disengaged manner: ‘I see some clouds passing across the sunny countenance you as- sume; what is the matter?’ After some hesi- tation, I showed him the general's letter, which had brought from the office with the inten- tion of placing # at home in a private cabinet. anxiety, which he did not . At length, however, with great and sincere delight he called me aside Holkar privateer had just 90 tons of lead, which . It had been landed ballast had supplied its place; but this had been put on shore and n in. °‘You shall have my this fortunate supply; there are the owners of the other half’ (indicating gentlemen in the spartment). ‘Yes, but I am already under heavy personal engagements as guaran- tee for the department to those and other gen- tlemen.” ‘Well,’ rejoined Mr. Morris, ‘they will take your assumption with my guarantee’ I, instantly, on these terms, secured the lead, left the entertainment, sent for the proper officers, and set more than 100 people to work during the night. Before morning a supply of car- tridges was ready and sent off to the Arry.” PON another occasion when the Army was desperately in neced of food, he pledged his own fortune for the payment of several thousand barrels of flour in order to obviate the necessity of the commander in chief seizing all the provisions of the nearby country. Re- garding this imcident, a letter writtcn by Mr. states: that Gen. Washington is now in necessity for some immediate sup- and I must either undertake or the laws of necessity must force, which I shall ever study to void and prevent. I must, therefore, request immediately use your best skill, industry in purchasing on the can 1,000 barrels of sweet, flour and in sending it forward to camp expeditious and least expensive contrive. To obtain this terms I know you