Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1867-12-20
The Rich Men of Con.

\
The Washington correspondent oi
the Cincinnati Commercial thus sketch
es some of the moneyed men OF Con-
gress:
There are from half dozen to doz-
en- men of great wealth in the present
Congress. Sometimes riches represent
great and sterling qualities in the pos
sessors--oitener they are the result ot
acquired or Inherited good luck. In
outlining tor your readers "a few of the
milliUnarps of Congress, Il is not with
Il view of exaiting any man because of
| his wealth, but To platify reasonable
and all most universal curiosity to
know the personality of conspicuous or
successful men.
Hon. Oakes Ames, of Massachusetts,
came into Congress In 1862, being then,
as now, the head of one of the heaviest
and wealthiest manufacturing firms OF
New England. Everybody who
lDows anything about the hardware
trade land who does not?l Is familiar
with the fact that "Ames' spades and
shovelsn are leading staple of the
business. without u stock of which no
up. country store or cross roads grocery
in all lhe States and Territories OF
America is considered completes.
| Having early got a reputation ior ma
| king a good article the firm have made,
the most of il, ami tile stamp of 'Ames
Oh a spade is a guarantee of excellence
so universally trusted, that from Cape
Sable TO the Rio Janeiro you will find
them In universal use. The headuuar-
ters OF this manufacture are at Easton,
n little obscure town in Eastern Mas,
sachusetts, and the profits OF the enor-
nous manufacture are So large that
! Oakes Ames returned an income of
! Sal 900 i'm 1866, and about as much
more i'm 1867 AT the same time, three
other members of the Ames family net.
ted an income of tS255,0U0, or u quarter
OF a million between them. r.
With all this good fortune, Oakes
Is not one OF your pulled up or purse
proud aristOcrats, but u homely, hearty
man OF business, whose wife and fam
lily dress as plainly as possible. The
Congressman himself is Radical ol
Radicals, believes not only i'm negroes
rights hut woman's rights, and
though he never made speech, (not
being given to that particuIa lar vanity J,
is always found voting with the van.
guard of the Republicans. He Is sixty
years old, and a bluff, hearty built,
good humored, off: hand, man, who
has just taken the biggest contract
at railroad building, To ease of his su.
perHuous capital, that was ever under
taken In the world. IL is the construe-
ton of the Rocky Mouift,tiiI section of
the Pacific railroad, anu involves over
thirty millions of dollars.
1t would, doubtless, surprise some
very knowing persons i'm the political
world that Fernando Wood is "A mil
lionare. Yet the! worldly possessions
of the ci deraat Mayor OF New York
and present member of Congress from
that imperial city, were reckoned at
S3, 600, 900 in 1868. Here is an instance
of that rapid growth of fortune of
which New York hus witnessed so
many. In 1880 Fernando Wood was
a poor cigar manufacturer Tor man
ufacturer Of poor cigais. whichever tile
reader pleases), In one Of the lower
wards of New York city. A few
years later he pushed himself into "a
pioprielorsliip of one of the most luc-
rative corner groceries in Washington
street, then fronting on the North
River, as West street does now. lie
sold slip stores, chandlery, and last,
not least, liquor, The latter eDmmodity
being then, ms now, in prime demand
among boasmen, anil steve,iores. and
MIR. Wood having made advantageous
arrangements for selling To these thirsty
customers on credit, anti taking 10 oul
OF their weeks wages every Saturday
night, lie dispensed more liquor than
amy other shop, and the profits Were,
Of course, "upwards OF considerable
From this beginning Wood brancied
out into the business of a general mer-
Chant and ship uwnei, AMI, being
gifted with great shrewdness. he soon
got command of very considerable
means. In lS4l lie ran for Congress,
anu was elected. He was twice '.lioseii
Mayor of New York from 1894 to 1856
it IL not commonly believed ia that
immaculate city that his political Gu
reer contributed to impoverish him In
the least.
In marrying the accomplished and
we'll educated daughter of Drake Mills,
one. of the merchant princes of New
York, Fernando Wood achieved anoth-
er step i'm his successful career as
woman OF wealth and Of tile world.
Ii was Drake Mills brother who gave
his name to the celebraIed M las House
in Charleston, and Drake Mills hlin
self, when in the great wholesale grO-
Gerry honse of Smith Mills d Co., used
To be the New York consignee OF huge
crops of rice from the Carolina marsh
es-a highly profitable trade.
Fernando Wood ~ personally precise
Iy the reverse OF the style OF man oppu-
larry associated with his name. Tall,
slender. 1.-THE, pale fitred. almost silver
haired, with fashionable cut griEied
mostasche, smooth shaven face, high-
IL polished manners, aud sleepless en-.
ergy and will. Fernando Wood repres-'
ents at sixty-five years, life long
struggle 10 conquer fortune, position
and a name, I'm tire miIst OF obstacles
and i'm the teeth of a reputation which
would have quickly ruined an ordi-
nary man. He W now, for the third
time, in Congress. and seems to- have u
permanent affinity for political life.
A NEWSPAPER. was Bishop
riorne's own opinion that there was no
better mo-alist than the newspaper.
He says: The folIies, vices, and con
sequent miseries OF multitudes, dis
played in newspaper, are SO many
beacons continually burning TO others
from the rock on which they have been
shipwrecked. What more powerful
dissuasive from suspicion, jealousy and
anger, than the story OF one friend
murdered 10y another in duel? What
caution more likely to be effective
against gambling and profigacy, than
the mournful relation oil AN execution,
or the fate of despairiBg suicide
What finer lecture on the necessity OF
economy than the auction of estates,
houses and fmrnifure? Oniy take 4