Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1870-04-16
THE MILLIoxAIREs IN NEW YORK.


In the extent of the influence 1t con-
fers, is without n parallel in the his
tories of aristocracies, or is paralleled
only by that Of the few Roman fami-
lieswhich united to hereditary station
in the republic the command of mas
ses of treasure and armies of debtors.
There are men as rich in England,
and men, perhaps as INSCRIPTIONS In
Europe, but for men as unrestrained
in the use Of their power as defiant of
opinion, of the law, of their own re-
putation, of all that limits the appli
cation of extraordinary means, we
must seek in the East or in the histo-
ry of the old Pagan world. A 1so
man Senator would destroy pro
vince to recover his interest on loan,
or raise civil war to rid himself of
his debts, and the American "ring"-
leaders seem willing To force on a ma
tional bankruptcy, or ruin an army Of
shareholders, as mere incidental
strokes i'm some grand "uperation,r
or rather game, for in many cases
seemed actuated by determination
to win, at least as much rs by any
thirst for profit. What does Mr.. Van
lderbilt-with, It Is said, e15,000,0 600
sterling-want with the few scores of
thousands he makes when I'm some
huge railway campaign he brushes a
thousand families? Yet he crushes
them. In Europe iirst-class mill
iOnarie of thats sort would dread
financial disturbance as he would
dreadan earthquake. In America he
makes one. The game, the excite
ment, the notority seem to he the
temptations of these men, even more
than the profit, and the whole scene
suggests that in America, as in Rome,
safety comes quick to the very rich ;
that for the man of millions life has
few interests; that the hunger for ex-
element has reached the height
where nothing will crafty IL but bat
tie, or orgy, or huge mad gambling,
perhaps the most dangerous SYMPTOM
which community can exhibit
The Cooperation which has recently
convulsed New York and shaken
American credit throughout the
world was not in itselfa very extra
ordinary one. American currency is
paper but all duties must be paid in
gold, and good many contracts
must be fulfilled In one way or anoth-
er by transfers of bullions. A few
rich men, therefore, thought that Il
they could get possession of all the
available gold, they could get theil
-own price for ityand the gold in stock
being everywhere very limited
quantity, they fancied themselves
rich enough to do 1t. Given few
men sufficiently confident in one an
other, and sufficiently rich to begir
the game, pledging their gold as they
got IL, and there Is nothing very ex
traOrdinary orvery far-seeing in sucl
\ plan, which was, indeed, very i'm
perfectly organized, the ring having
, either forgotten or been deceived 10y
: the largest bullion holder in thu
country, the Treasury OF the United
States. The really extraordinary
thing is that men of such of wealth
and such capacity should have beer
!, willing to run such risk, and en-
ddnger the commercial safely of tn,
. Union in such spirit OF reckless
! ness. Gamblers do very mad thing
F, sometimes, but in Europe vast wealth
seems to sober men, and the cit,
. could no more think of the Roth
,childs or Earrings or any first elias
bankers play rouge et-nOir after tina
I, fashion than of their trying to shu
, the Bank of England for the sake q
; studying the physiognomical mark
? of despair on a plendid scale. Tn
efforts to do such thing would cos
the millionaire more cash In the con
sequent depreciation Of his credi
than he could hope to make by hi
operation. ff
= s.h@ 90
i, The American press Is already ask
!, ing anXiously where the remedy fl
y this state of affairs can be found, an
!, ii has reason for its anxiety. Their
4 is not the slightest security that tn
n experiment may not be repeated b,
# men much stronger than Messrs
+ Fisk & Gould, and the government
: cannot he always descending in
!, shower of gold to the relief of man
p kind. Even If gold were mot tn
subject, men so rich and imbue
e with such thirst for gaming NIGH
i still work irreuievable mischief.
D Marquis of Westminster can d
d much, but threat from him to NJ
It set the city would only provoke
: smile. A. Mr.. Vanderbilt in Eng
n land, If he chose to work mere mi'
@ chief, might reduce us all to stat
Of barter, and work more ruin tina
y an invading army; and IL we judg
o from all we hear of New Yori
o would be just as likely to do 1t a
u not in order to feel his power to max
e " Strokes" and generally to EMO
the the excitement of superb fori
d of gambling. Fortunate of Englan
!. n man Of that kind would in no shol
d time provoke the community, an
'e the community through Parliament
II absolute but in America we see notl
II ing to prevent the development I
} the millionaire into q virtual MOI
)f arch, the state of whose digestio
It would he important to millions, VII
d could no more be controlled than
shah could be controlled, and VIII
if he could not send his adversari,
the bowstring, could send them a
eqally fatal decree of conflscatiol
D. We fail to see what n man with fifl
n millions could do In New York,
Of why successful chief In the "ring,
\ any man with a million, head I,
finance, aud no scruples should M
r. make fifty millions. We expect "
T. to see Mr.. Urquhart's strange dreai
I, fulfilled, and single mallionai
20 gain possession ofas,tate, make whI
le laws he pleases, and live In n free n
pr public as much "A sovereign as II |
Of were an Asiatic king. Vanderbilt
" who, we should say, behaved we
II i'm this affair could buy New Jerse
E. London Spectator.
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=, Benz. SrILLIGFLEEr always apea
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