The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-07-28
BARON DE RoTHscHILD.
The Great European Financier.


born III 1872, and was the son OF Mcy-
er Anselm Rothscllild, the founder Of
the great banking house which has
made kings and princes tributary to
its treasury. A brief account of the
rise and progress of this moneyed fam
lily, which we find in Hayper's Weekly,
will be interesting in this place.
Meyer Anaelm Rothschild was born
at Frankfort-on-the7Maine, Germany,
in 1743, and died there in 1921. He
was q money-changer and exchange
broker in easy circumstances. In the
first campaign of the French Revolu-
ton, General Custine, at the head of
the Republican army, took Frankfort,
and the Senate, in order to save the
town from pillage. agreed to pay a
heavy ransom. To meet the emergen-
cy, Meyer Anselm Rothschild obtain
ed 4 loan from his friend the Land
grave of Hesse-C -Cassel.
This was the beginning of series of
transactions which continued through
the war; and in this connection the
house Of Rothschild acquired the first
standing in the financial affairs in Eu-
rope. This landgrave, William TX,
was one of those German despots who
sold troops to England during the
American Revolution, and afterward
during the wars of the French Revo-
luton. lie accumulated immense
sums Of money, but his tricky politics
excited the Indignation of Napoleon.
After the battle of Jena, Napoleon de-
creed the forfeiture of the States of
Brunswick and Hessc- Cassel, and the
French army was put III motion to en-
force the decree. The landgrave was
forced to fly but he had in his vaults
twelve millions Of fiorins (about five
millions Of dollars) III silver. To save
this vast amount of money from the
Frenth was Il. difficult matter, as it
could not he carried away, and the
landgravc had no confidence in his
subjects. He sent for NJ. =. Roths-
child, and cntrcatcd him to take charge
Of the treasure, giving him the use of
the money without interest. By the
assistance of some friends, Jewish
bankers at Cassel, the money was care
fully slowed away; those who desire
say that it was hidden in Rothsch;ld's
gardeii. But, howeN er, it may have
been secreted, it was the stepping stone
10 the immense fortunes of the house
of Rothschild. Meyer Ansclm at this
time had five sons, three of whom
Anselm, Nathan, and Solomon-wcre
| Of ace. Anselm was-sent to Frank
! fort, while Nathan was established in
England: first i'll Manchester and sub
sequently in London-and Solomon
became the travelling agent of the house
visiting the various courts aid princes
Of Germany wl-o needed loans. By
enterprise and industry the original
capital Of this financial establishment
rapidly increased. Thus in 1913 its
managers were appointed agents for
the aymcnt by England of twelve
millions sterling to Russia, Austria
and Prussia-an operation which was
the source of very considerable profit
to the Rothschi!ds. When the allied
sovcreigns in the same year were pur-
suing Napoleon, after his defeat at
Le:psc, and had reached the banks of
! the Rhine at Frankfort, the depleted
condition Of the Austrian treasury
con? ?cllcd Prince Metternich to bor-
row from Rothschild, Jew, because
the merchants of Frankfort would not,
or could not, respond to the imperial
demands. - The prpmptness. and the
grace with which the request was grant
ed was not forgotten. NJ. a. Roths-
child was ereated Il baron Of the Aus
trian Empire; his son Nathan was ap-
pointed Austrian Consul General in
Great Britain, and the whole weight
Of Austrian influence was devoted to
extend and secure the moneycd inter
csts of the house of Rothschild c
The Hessian landgrave's money was
retained ut the paltry interest of two
per cent. until his death in 1923. NJ.
A. RothschiId died i'll 1921, at which
time his five sons were at the head of
five immense establishments, at Frank
fort, London, Paris, Vienna, and Ma
! pies. Between the brothers there was
a copartnership and perfect unanimity.
The foresight and enterprise of the
house, together with this cooperation,
made it almost dcspotic in the finan
cial affairs of Europe. Such was its
influence, that it frequently decided
the issues of peace and war. In 1880
Anseim Rothschild, at Frankfort, was
bold enough to declare :: '"The house
OF kustria desires war, Eut the house
of Rothschild requires peace" Again
in 1910, when WIZ was on the point of
breaking out between the Porte and
Mehemet, Ali, the Rothschilds pre-
served the peace of Europe by argu-
ments more potent than could be ur-
ged by the most eminent statesmen.
James Rothschild, the subject OF
our sketch, was the last surviving
brother of the original house, and now
that lie is dead, the third generation
of Rothschilds conduct the business
James opened the banking house in
Paris in 1915. He had been appoint
ed Consul-Gcneral for Austria in
France. He had no taste for politi-
cal life; TO be the central figure of the
most powerful commercial house that
-ever existed, satisfied his ambition
| He gave cons .dcrable attention to rail
road affairs in the carly part of his
French connection, and was noted for
the boldness Of his ventures in the
channels cf speculation. He was
charged with having been the occasion
of much suffering in the famine of
1877, by hrs transactions in grain and
other agricultural products, and be-
came the object of popular malevo-
| lencc TO such an extent that. when the