The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-05-03

The total of the taxable property in this same
year was S555 OH. So that il appears that
the men already own about one-tenth Of all and
one hundred men might own the whole of the city
had their fathers. and they, done as these have
done. The highest tax paid on the list amounted
TO 1858 lao, and the lowest TO S22,67O-either OF
them very pretty fortunes in most quarters Of the
habitable globe. Together, these ten paid taxes
to the amount of 81 ,ls2 800.
To help the non millionaire to understand this
fling fully II is well TO say that these figures of
fifty one and half millions of dollars represent,
at least, one hundred and three millions of actual
property, and, probably, one hundred and City
millions; because hardly any Of this property is
rated at more than one.haf Of its mercantile
value, some of il very much less than that. So
that we may estimate Mr.. Astor to be WORTH ia
real estate alone, over So, 900 000 and Mr. Roose
welt over 81, zoo, 900. For myself believe these
fortunes are three times the taxed values. It is
curious TO observe that out of the two most per-
sistent, thrifty, money-getting tribes-Yankees.
pure and simple, and Jews-come but one each Of
this ten. The other eight are: -Four from the
great Germanic races, two from the Huguenot
French and two from the Scotch, or Scotch Irish.
The Germanic race has great industry and per
sistence, not much vivacty or enterprise but vast
capacity for holding on and 1t will appear, IN the
progress of this story, what valuable faculty
this il. The French race is the most alert and
viyscious in the world, but has not succeeded in
trade when pitted against the Germans and sax
ons. One Of our Gallo families, however. has not
been surpassed. The Scotch land the North Irish
are the same) are canny-that Is, they are wary,
skillful, pertinacious; they have hand to grasp
and hand TO hold unequaled among the sons OF
men.
Ii has taken two generations to produce eight
OF these millionaires-two only, Stewart and Lord,
having been architects of their own fortunes. We
find the Astor estate to be the result Of the traffic
of John Jacob Aston with the Indian tribes through
some half a century, This he seems to have begun
almost Immediately after landing on the shores Of
the new world in 1883, and TO have prosecuted
with a vigor and assduitY which never tired.
Aston had three things-health, a ney-getting
faculty, and an organizing faculty. Mr.. Aston was
knowing man. Buying his furs cheap, he sent them
10 Europe and 10 China, and sold them dear. He
bought teas and other productions cheap, and
those he again sold dear-as dear as he could.
But, no doubt, his main profit came from his deal.
ings with the Indians. In other words he organ
lied the North American fur trade so that it
should make money for himself and not the
Ind. ms and did it-did il largely. In due time
he had money TO invest, and then his sagaciOus,
money making faculty told him that New York
was destined TO become great commercial city,
and that real estate, judiciOusly bought, must in
crease in value. He bought, and he bought
largely. This appetite for accommodating mil
lions grew with what it fed on, and the power
to do IL grew vastly with the growing millions
and thus it went on for sixty ave years, until il
ls4S he was gathered TO his fathers, leaving an
estate TO his son estimated at twenty millions, q
legacy of $500, 900 to the city TO found library
and an annuity Of $500 year to the poet
Halleck.
Our present millionaire, then, inheriting his
twenty millions, had a task before him. He was
on one side ia a great fight, ell mankind on the
other; his. struggle was to keep, theirs to get.
He has beaten them. No person has ever beer
able TO inveigle him into any trade or speculation
or enterprise Of any kind soever. He has KEEP
what he had and he has invested in securities wheel
paid him 4per cent, or per cent, or per cent
or be has bought more and more real estate. III
has never been tempted by high interests or prom
Using profits to take any risk at all. This is hi!
secret-ths is the way that his twenty million.
have become sixty or eighty. and this the whole
of il. You who propose to become q millionaire
millions, by the sure increase Of compound inter
est became forty at the end Of ten years. sn(
eighty at the end OF twenty years; and IL is no
twenty yea since be inherited his twenty mil
lions. You have only TO inherit twenty millions
and do as he has done, and you will be Just a
rich and great as he is.
The career of our Rhinelander millionaire ha
been essentially the same. He, too, inherited tn,
beginnings of his fortune for the Rhinelande
peTe was 80 lucky, or so wise, as 70 own farm
along the East River, on Manhattan lssnd. HAy
ing the supreme faculty, also, of holding on,
came 20 his children, Of whom our millionaire l
the most distinguished representative. He, too
has had his struggle TO keep, and to get more
and he has succeeded so that he now holds 81 lot
innumerabe from Thirtieth street to One HUI
dred and Thirty first street." and vast properties
in Broadway. Park Row, Barclay street, etc.
The Goelets rank as one, not because il take
two GOelets 10 make one man, but because it i
said their property in good degree is one. Th'
Goelet milllonaires, too, had an ancestor, who
following the honorable craft Of ironmongery
learned in it how to turn iron to gold. aud tina
into city lots. The story goes, that. upon a time
they found themselves crsmped for pasture 70
their COW, and TO accommodate her they bough
q pasture lot Of some forty or fifty acres for
frifs. They held on, even after the COW died
A. Ia 4. I..-.aL