Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-01-07
Two Men...A Contrast
Chicago Tribune.

miser, IS lead. Henry II. Taylor, OF
Chicago, who was born poor and
lived one of natures noblemen, pre-
ceded him by few days into the
Unknown Land upon which only
eyes once closed by death can open.
There was certain marked contrast
between these two men, which it is
worth while to point out. VIM. b.
Astor inherited s2O,OOO,OOO upon his
fathers death. That sum, in fact,
was presented to him by the people
Of New York The right of bequest
is purely artificial one, and not a
natural one, and not a natural right.
1t is one which has no existance out
side the pale of the law. When a
man dies, every natural right over
lis property dies with him. But the
law, from motives of public policy,
permits the dead hand to still clutch
its whilom wealth and distribute it as
the dead brain once willed. Thanks
to this, and to this only, Astor got
his S20,O00,00 a quarter of centu-
ry ago. He has done nothing to re-
pay the people to whom he owes his
vast gift His whole life has been
spent in adding million to million.
He has wrung the last cent from his
$500 tenants, has drawn money from
some of the foulest tcnements that
reek III their rottenness on New York
alleys, has clutched with shaking
hands at gold. He leaves behind
him, still subject to his miser's
grasp, sl5O.OO0,000, two-thirds of
which is in real estate that will prob
ably be worth, within ten years,
twice what it is now. The sl3O,000,-
600 he has added to the bequest which
the people of New York allowed his
father to bestow upon him is mostly
what English economists call the
''unearncd Increment" He did moth,
ing to get it. The talent, the skill,
the capital, the labor, concentrated
in the metropolis, have increased,
year after year, the value of Astor's
lots and rentals without his doing a
solitary thing. His colossal fortune,
both the bequest and the increment
was given him by public concent,
expressed in the laws Of the State of
New York. II was the largest unin-
numbered fortune in Christendom.
No entail tettered It. No charges
cripple / his disposal of it. 1t was
absolutely his by law. 1t was
equivalent to 1000 fortunes Of $780,
900 each, SO that this one grim Old
monev-grabber had one thousand
times the money that would have
amply provided himself and his fam
lily with every comfort and every
reasonable luxury. He held it all by
public concent, and most of 1t was i'll
fact a donation from the people.
What has he done for the public i'll
return? Practically nothing; There
are millions Of Americans who have
been infinitely more generous than
this Crpsus Astor He gave few
pititul thousands to the library
founded by his father and that bears
his family name. The whole sum
probably did not amount to weeks
income Yet this is pretty much all
that panegyrists can find about which
to sound his praise. He died worth
/ sl5o,ooo,ooo, gold value, yet deeply
indebted to the world, and dies with
out dlscharging scarcely a penny of
his debt.
Astor had it in his power to build
the grandest monument OF private
munifcence the world has ever seen,
and vet has left his family with SUI
per-ample provisions for their every
luxury. But, with diabolic selfish
ness, he sacrificed his fame to his
mlserly folly. The good that might
have been is not to be. His son, an
aged man who already has one foot
in the grave, clutches the tremend-
Gus wealth in his palsiei hands. HUI
manity is cheated Of its rights. No
wonder Communism thrives while
Astor lives on.y to grab.
a few years ago, a citizen of Chi
cago known to a limited but grow
ing circle of appreciative friends,
suddenly died in the primest years of
life. Henry Hobart Taylor was still
young man, no older than William
Is. Astor's' grandson. He WAS born
with no vast fortune waiting for him.
The fortune of which he died possess
ed he made. No man has ever ques-
toned the morality ofthe making.
Mr.. Taylor left to those dependent
upon him all the money that they
can possibly need, and presented the
bulk OF his property 100000
to trustees, to be used in such Il
way as ste do the greatest good, and
least HARM If the trustees do their
duty, in the spirit of the bcqucst, this
gift can be so utilized that Mr.. Tay-
lor's will live in grateful hearts in
this city for centuries 10 come. lie
has won his fame, for he has done
what he could right nnblv He has
set precious example. His gilt is the
largest ever made by a Chicagoan;
but men with hearts and larger means
stimulated by his good deed, will i'm
itate it. Henry II. Taylor has richly
repaid the world for all 1t may have
done for him; William Is. Astor shlrk-
ed his debts to the world, and SO
died its debtor-in the esteem of
none, i'll the contempt of all.
ConCeit