The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-11-02
GRAND RECEPTION OF ALEY-
ANDFR MITCHELL.

4
Alexander Mitchell, the millionaire,
of Milwaukee and the Northwest, was
welcomed home to Milwaukee on Fri
day last, after an absence of months. |
His reception transcribed, if possible, |
that ordinarily given the President. |
A large committee OF citizens selected
from Milwaukee's best intercepted
Mr.. Mitchell at Chicago, on his home
ward bound way from Europe, to es-
cort him home. Arriving at the depot
in Milwaukee, he was met by great
assemblage of people, bands of music,
military on foot and on horseback; a
grand and imposing procession was
formed and m arched to the Academy
of Music, where there was much
eloquent speaking. Hon. e. ID. Hol-
ton was the chief orator on the occa-
sion, and made one of his best efforts.
Mr.. Mitchell, although not himself a
practiced public speaker. appeared on
the stage and bowed a few appropriate
acknowledgements. The exercises at
the Academy of Music being over, the
invited guests, to the number of 125,
repaired to the Plankinton House,
where each had seat assigned him on
the programme. Supper being ended,
toasts and good speaking followed. It
was great day for Milwaukee, and
one of the sort for which the people of
that city have happy adaptation.
So far as the acquisition of an i'm
mense fortune goes Mr.. Mitchell has
made life a success; it is equally true,
he has shown himself great fnancier.
Since his residence in Wisconsin, he
has risen from comparatively small
beginnings to princely wealth, and is
the railroad king of the west. He is
well remembered in early Territorial
times as visiting Madison yearly as
the agent of George Smith, the Scotch
banker. The members Of the legisla-
ture and Territorial officers were usu.
ally short of funds, the app OPERATIONS
of Congress for the pay of members
were generally behind and no money
in the Territorial treasury. Mr..
Mitchell was prompt on hand carrying
a little carpet bag, supplied with the
bills of George Smiths bank, with
which to buy the pay scrip of the mem
bers. The scrip was of course bought
at discount, but at rate not unusu-
al for those early times.
Mr.. Mitchell has been largely in
fuential in building up the city of
Milwaukee, placing it far i'll advance
of all other cities in the state. The
people are proud to recognize him as
one Of their leading citizens and the
richest man in the west. Some of
them, it is said, are ardently hoping he
will leave some monument behind him
of greater value to the future of the
commonwealth than banking houses,
palatial residences and great railroad
enterprises. There are noble exam
pies in our country of millionaire
whose deeds of charity, and institu-
tons founded for the lettering of thel
race, will live in coming ages-when
will be moss-covered and
and the rich men, whom
they were intended to commemorate,
will be forgotten. There are million
aires who need no costly mausoleums
to transmit their memories to coming
ages; such were Peter Cooper, William
E. Dodge and others. Mr.. Corcoran,
of Washington City, is a model million
aire; his Louise Home" a spacious
and handsome edifce, well furnished
and endowed, where homes are pro-
vided for old ladies who were once in
affiuent circumstances, but became i'm
poVerlshed by reverses of fortune; his
splendid art gallery open and free to
all, which is enriched from time to
time from the paintings of the great
masters in Europe; the churches built
by his liberality for the masses of the
people, and many other benefactions.
The fragrant recollection of such men
will travel on to the latest generation.
There are millionaires in the west,
who as yet have founded or endowed
no colleges, established no benevolent
institutions; their only noticeable
achievements have been, as currently
reported, to buy their way into the
United States Senate.