Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-03-20
Jaw GOuId's Millions.

showed to q Wall street committee OF
brokers some days ago securities owned
by him worth $5S, 900, 900. This, how
ever, was only moiety of his wealth,
which is estimated at 800, 200, 900.
Most of this fabulous sum has been
accumulated by him within the past
twenty, and the great bulk of it within
the past ten, years. Exactly how he has
succeeded in smassing It so rapidly no
one knows, but it is presumable that he
has been neither over scrupulOus in plan
ming his schemes for making money, nor
over merciful in carrying them out 10
successful cor summation, and that much
Of his more than princely fortune repre-
sents hundreds and thousands Of dollars
wrurg. by means of skillful manipula-
ton of stocks and railroads, from the
pockets of many a man who was entire
" unable to stand the loss, but yet VINO
was reckless enough to venture into
speculation, and unfortunate enough
to be on the opposite side from the great
Wall street manoeuvrer. Still his course
is not condemned by the world, for it is
a rigid rule that all is fair in business,
even if sharp practice, deception and even
fraud itself is resorted to, and no matter
how much suffering is inflicted. The
truth Of the assertion made by ore Of the
two retiring partners in the well known
play Of The Bankers Daughter,
what heartless, selfish creatures We solid
business men are" is conceded, yet in
these money wershiping days 1t is a
matter Of little difference how selfish,
heartless or INSCRIPTIONS man may be
in the accumulation of wealth. If he
has it no more is needed, and, no matter
how it has been obtained. cringing
world is always ready to fall at his feet
and do him homage.
1t is therefore time lost to 60 into con-
sideration of the question Glow did Jay
Gould come by his vast possessions"
aud what is of far greater import to the
people of the United States at large is:
els not the concentration Of such i'm
mense wealth in the hands of few men
pIejudicial to the future welfare of So
ciety and the country2" This question
is already exciting alarm in some quar-
ters. and not wholly without cause. 1t
has been well said that "Gould, Wander
bilt and half dozen others are in posi-
ton to conspire successfully against pub
lie interests. 1t is entirely within future
possibilities that the entire railroad inter
ests of the country may be consolidated in
their hands. There is no corporation, no
set of stockholders, who can resist any
attack they may see fit to make. They
can run railroads at loss-haviDg album
dant resources at command to work out
such policy-until they crowd out re-
sisting shareholders and force rival cor
porations to yield to the terms they may
choose to dictate. Then they can put
on the screws and twist rates so high
| that they can soon reimburse themselves
for their temporary losses, fix the prices
of the agricultural and industrial pro-
ducts Of the country, and proceed to the
very verge of confscation. Such sys-
tenn of plumber will impoverish the coun-
try only to pile up more millions and
new power for themselves.
We, however, do not anticipate any
such serious consequences, even from
the concentrated wealth of the Goulds,
the Vanderbilts and other hundred-mil-
lionsires in this country so long as laws
are enacted and enforced for the protec-
ton of the people in accordance with the
spirit of the Constitution. The Repub-
lican party has, since the war, done
much to excite apprehension through its
tendency to encourage political favor
itism, foster privileged classes and
Iegislate for few favored individuals at
the expense Of the many tax payers. If
the people do not demand a cessation of
all class legislation. and that no law
Csuch is our protective tariff exactions
for instance) shall remain upon the
statute books the effect of the operation
of which is to make the poor poorer and
the rich richer, then there may indeed
be reason to fear that in few years we
shall be cursed in this country with that
most disgusting and selfish of all sO-called
aristocTacies-an aristocracy of vulgarity
and shoddyism, based on the possession
of mere wealth and nothing else. If,
however, the people of the various SOW
ereign States which compose this Union
will consult their interests, and demand
of Congress and their public servants
generally that class legislation shall cease,
and that the rights of all men-the poor
est as well as the richest in the land
shall be maintained, there need be no
fear. All the wealth of all the fortunate
money getters of America combined can
never be successfully welded to the op-
preston of the masses or the injury of
the great body polite.