Litchfield enquirer., 1868-06-25

1Tm. B. Astor, :516, 114,OO l Wm. c. Rhinelander, 7,745, ,00 A. T. Stewart. 6,091 ,50 Peter and Robert Goelet 4,417,00t James Lenox, 4,260, ,0O Peter Lorillard, (siace dedd,) 4,245, ,O0' J John David Wolfe, = 3,997, ,00 M. M. Hendricks, 1,69O,00' | Rufus l.. Lord, 1.500,00t c. V. s. Roosevelt, = 1,346, 0Ot | Total, -- $51, ,4O5, ,5Ot 1 The total of the taxable property in thi same year was 555, ,442, ,O12. So that it ap pears that ten men already own about one tenth of all; and one hundred men migh own the whole of the city, had their fath CTS, and they, done as these have done The highest tax paid on the list amounted to $35S. 40, and the lowest to $22, 670 Eli ther of them very pretty fortunes in most quarters of the habitable globe. Togeth CT, these ten paid taxes to the amount oi $1, 1S2, ,326 sr...
 To help the millionaire to under stand this thing fully, 1t is we'll to say that these figures of fifty one and a half mil lion of dollars represent, at least, one hun dred and three millions of actual property. and, probably, one hundred and fifty mil lions; because hardly any of this property is rated at more than one-half of it's mer- chantable value, some of it very much less than that. So that we may estimate Mir. Astor to be worth, in real estate alone, oy- CT $32, ,o00,000. and Mr. Roosevelt over S2, 100000. For myself I believe these fortunes are three times the taxed value
 Now, then, we come to the question How did these ten men get to be million aires? That is the question which every body wishes solved, so that they may go and do likewise. Briefly then let us sec how we can answer this important question without prying into the sanctities of pri- vate life: s4F
 First, then, note, that no one of these was professional man or producer of anything; nor were their immediate ances- tors. They were, or their ancestors were, merchants, traders, buyers and sellers of other mems productions.
 Second, It is curious so observe that out of the two most persistent, thrifty, money getting tribes-Yankees, pure and simple, and an JeWs-come but one each of this ten. Hl-~ ~II-or ~oht A-4- Ia-.a-. f..e-,e Il. Germanic races, two from the Huguenot- French, and two from the Scotch, or Scotch-Irish.
 
 and persistence, not much vivacity or en- terprise, but vast capacity for holding on; and it will appear, ill the progress of this story, what valuable faculty this is. The French race is the most alert and vivacious in the world, but has not succeeded in trade when pitted against the the Germans and Saxons. One of our Gallic families, however has not been surpassed. The Scotch land the North-Irish are the same) are canny-that is, wary, skilful, pertina- cious; they have hand to grasp and 8 hand to hold unequalled among the sons of men.
 Third, It has taken two generations to produce eight of these millionaires-tw only, Stewart and Lord, having been the architects of their own fortunes. Coming a little to detail which will assist our solu- tion of the question, we find the Astor es- tate to be the result of the traffic of John Jacob Astor with the Indian tribes through some half century. This he seems to have begun almost immediately upon land ing on the shores of the new world i'll 1793, and to have prosecuted with @ vigor and as- siduity which never tired. Astor had three things-health, a money-getting faculty, and determined o1yanizng faculty. This last is the key note to the successes of the great trading and manufacturing minds Itis quite distinct from the producing fac- ulty.
 The organizer, then, inspired by love of money, sets other people to work for him, the profits of whose labors he desires to appropriate to himself. The purpose of all trade, as now understood, is to get much for little; it is not an exchange of value for value, but it is to give little and get much. No trader feels bound to enlighten the ig- norance of the other party, and inform him that he is selling too cheap. Merchants would laugh at the man who did that, and might call him him disparaging names. It is understood that Mir. Astor was no excep- tion to this custom, and 1t is understood that he violated his own sense of just dealing by doing so. zaal #.sr,t f-s.
 A slight incident is told of 8 Boston tra- der engaged in this businss, which may bear re-telling here. It appears that lie was in the habit of having manufactured a very cheap and worthless cast-iron musket to sell to to the, Indians. Some brother ot his church learned this, and was pained by it. He went to our trader, who stood high and, indeed, had a sort of conventional conscience which he valued. .
 ''How is this, Brother A? Do you think 1t quite the thing to sell these things to these poor, ignorant heathen? Consider that the guns are sure to burst, and that their lives will be required at your hands t3.ya
 'sOh! Brother B., thought of all that that was all provided for. Far be 1t from me to injure these poor children of oul common Father. No, they are quite safe I gave strict orders not to have the touch holes bored quite through. You see they are entirely safe!''
 Now. this story is not intended to apply to anybody in particular; it is q sort of cru cial illustration of the way the fur trade has been carried on, and, indeed, may apply te all trade to some extent It is always safe for knowing man to trade with anignorant one-safe for the knowing man-and MT astor was knowing. man. Buying his iurs cheap, he took them, or sent them te Europe and to China, and sold them dear
 lie bought teas and other productions cheap, and those he again sold dear-as dear as he could. But no doubt, his main pfont came from his dealings with the In dlans, In other words, he organized the
 North American fur trade, so that it should make money for himself, not the Indians and 1t did it, did it largely. In due time he had money to invest, and then his saga clous, money-making faculty told him that