National Republican., 1882-12-26
STATESMEN WITH STAMPS.
A Chapter on the Wealthy Men in This Con-
gress.
Quite a List OF Them Who Run Into
Millions.
An Account Of the Way in Which Some Of Them
Made Their Money.
Altogether n Very Interesting Batch or
Personal Information,

A correspondent sends to the Bradford,
(Penn.) Star an interesting batch of gossip
about the rich men in the present congress,
of whom there are more than a casual glance
from the gallery would lead one to suppose.
There is Roswell p. Flower, Vanderbilts
partner, who has more millions than he has
fingers and toes, and who has been one of the
leading capitalists of New York for years.
He succeeds Levi p Morton, who is now
spending more than his salary entertaining
our Paris minister, and who, like Flower, is
also rich New York banker. Mr.. Flower
started into life early. At sixteen he was
engaged in merchantile pursuits, and he has
kept in them. He is now only forty-seven
years old, and is one of the richest men in the
country. He has never been in office before,
and he makes quiet congressman, doing
good committee work, but not much speaking.
He lives very nicely in New York, and has
avilla on Lake Ontario
Millions in paper bags is what might be said
of George West, of the Saratoga district He
is the great paper millionaire of the United
States He made his money out of paper, and
brown paper at that. He manufactures more
of those manila paper bags which grocers and
confectioners send home their goods in than
all the rest of the firms of America put
income of $150,000 a year, or nearly 5000
day. George West is an Englshman by birth,
and he looks like an Englishman. He is fat,
with rosy cheeks, which vie with his little
nose in their outward extension. He has
a full gray beard and iron gray hair, dresses
in plain black, and has the plain style OF
sound business man. He is now fifty-nine
years of age. He came to this country when
he was twenty-seven, and only owned one
paper mill when he entered the New York
legislature. He facetiously says he added
one mill a year for the five years he served
there. But he did not make his money out
of the legislature. Paper made him, not
politics. Mr.. West is a republican, is gener-
Gus, liberal, and makes good member of con-
gress.
Every one mas heard of August Belmont,
the great New York banker and the leading
agent for the Rothchilds. The world is be-
ginning to hear of his son, Perry Belmont, of
BROOKLYN, though mere boy in looks and
only thirty years of age, is leading factor on
the democratic side of the house. He is the
heir prospective of many millions, and when
his father dies he will roll in wealth. Perry
Belmont is slender, well dressed young man,
with fair complexion, light blue eye, and
well kept brown mustache. He has an in
tellectual forehead, a thin voice. and Heidel-
berg student-like air. He lives well here in
Washington, is a club man, and'a pretty fair
congressman as we'll If he were not the son
of his father he would be greater man; as it
is, Harvard has no reason to be ashamed of
him as one of its graduates
Abram S. Hewitt has q goodly amount of
this worlds goods. He is great iron manu-
facturer, and he owns valuable lands in New
York and New Jersey. He is the son in law
of old Peter Cooper, which makes him a
richer man prospectively than Perry Belmont
Belmont has, however, the better prospects,
for he is only half the age of Hewitt, whose
:. n,,l yI,pcn hnor tG
frosted silver. Peter Cooper is an old fellow
of ninety and he sang a nursery song to
Christine Nilsson few days ago. He is as
lively as cricket, and he bids fair to reach
hundred. Hewitt is just sixty, and when
men get above that they sometimes die. But
Mr.. Hewitt appears to have frame OF
steel and he bounces about the house as
though he were twenty. The roses on his
face show his blood is full of iron, though he
lacks il in his hair He is strong member,
and is reelected this year. Abram S. Hewitt
was professor of mathematics i'll 1S44, and
was admitted to supreme court practice in
New York in 1S45. He left the law to go into
the iron business with Peter Cooper, and
since then his path has been lined with gold.
He organized the Cooper institute in New
York, and is one of its managers think, at
the present time. He has now been in con-
gress three terms, and has been elected to the
coming one. He is a strong man outside Of
his money and an able member.
Ben Wood is also very wealthy. He is n
democrat and he possesses much influence
among the boys in New York city. He
comes originally from Kentucky, and is one
of the owners of the New York EuGiRg NeCS.
He Is not an active member of congress by
any means. and attends more to his own busi-
ness than that of the nation. He has not been
in his seat this session and the number of
times he has attended congress during his
term could be couuted on the fingers of your
right hand. He has not been renominated,
and suppose congress will seeno more of him
this season than it did last.
A Minnesota millionaire is the Hon. Will
lam D. Washburn, of Minneapolis, and he has
made his money in the Touring business in
the great northwest. He owns several mills
ut st. Paul and Minneapolis, and is also
largely interested IN railways. Mr.. Wash
burn was originally a farmers boy in Maine,
He went to school in winter and worked on
the farm in summer at last got through col
lege, and after reading law went to Mime
sofa He is interested in other manufactures
in Minneapolis, and is president of the Min
neapolis and ST. Paul railroad company. He
is a prospective candidate for president.
George NJ. Robeson, of New Jersey, Presi-
eent Grants naval secretary, is thought to be
wealthy, but whether his wealth is actual or
fictitious is a question. Common report puts
him at good deal more than million. When
10 married his wife sweetened the match with
fortune He has built a fine house here in
Washington, and he entertains with a good
deal of elaboration. Mr., Robeson is one of
the most liberal men in the house, as well as
one of its most active members, lie is open
handed and generous, and Washington has
no more companionable man than he at "
dinner table. His wife is prominent in all
charitable movements here, and together they
form quite factor in social Washington.
George Robeson is college bred man.
He graduated at Princeton in 1917, then
practiced law in New Jersey for twenty years,
where he was made attorney general of the
state. Two years later Grant put him in his
cabinet and he continued there until Hayes
came. In 1879 he entered congress, and at
once took the stand as one of the republican
leaders, which he has maintained ever since.
He is now fifty-three years of age, fat and
healthy, would make good persOnatiOn of a
roast-beef well-to-do English lord His red,
fat checks are covered with gray whiskers,
and his bright eyes shine from under heavy
gray eyebrows His clothes fit well his rOtund
form, and he looks the prosperous man that
he is,
A money making German is William He'll
man, of Evansville, Ind. He is worth sew
eral millions. Some of this he has made in
real estate some in cotton, and some in iron
works. He has large foundry at Evansville,
and is the president of cotton mill which
turns out 25000 yards of sheeting every day.
He Games from the Rhine lands of Germany,
likes good wine, can appreciate glass of
Bavarian hook and is good natured fellow
generally.
Charley B. Farwell is a Chicago million
aire. He belongs to the dry goods firm of
John V, Farwell q Co., which is one Of the
largest in the country. Mr.. Farwoll is now