The Writings of Carl Schurz/To W. H. P——, August 28th, 1892
TO W. H. P——
I have had some correspondence with Mr. W—— about a loan you wish to be made to you, and as I happen to have at present $5000 at my disposal, I informed him that I would let you have that sum on the terms proposed by you. On looking at those terms more closely I find that your offer of a one year s note of $5500 for $5000 involved the payment of interest at 10%, more than the legal rate. If you prefer the one year loan I shall ask you to reduce your note to $5300 which makes the interest the regular 6%. I do not wish to make any money out of you, the principal things I have in view being to help you and at the same time to be well secured in my investments—this because my fortune is very limited and my time for acquiring wealth past. All I ask therefore is that you secure me as well as you can—not as if I had not the most perfect confidence in your good intentions, but for the event of something unforeseen happening to you or your enterprise.
I hoped to be in New York about this time but my health is in such a condition that I am obliged to postpone my departure from here. How goes the campaign? I fear I shall not be able to do as much as I expected.