The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-01-31
DANGER EHEAD.
The Feeling l'p-(;rOwing Between
the Rich and the Poor.
10 Howard In philadclphia Press.


the very rich and the very poor, and
the middling classes Of reputable, in
dustrions. fair to-do people are gradn-
ally disappearing, gong mp IN tho scale
OF worldly wealth or down in o poverty
and embarrassment. II seems iii lues-
toned that between these classes exists,
and is rapidly growing, under intan-
tional fostering and nurturing of evil
men, distinct, pronounced, III lignant
hatred. The sneers ut Mr.. Vanderbilt
III the public press meet the appreciation
Of hundreds Of thousands Of people.
Why? He is not lad man, although
he never does any good. To men who
are sensitive Us to what other people
should do with their money. he appears
hoggisl, but while as the repre- sentative
of corporate selfishness Mr.. Vanderbilt
stands supreme, per Sc, he is an easy
going, well enough kind Of a person,
not good looking, not educated, in no
sense refined, but, on tho other hand,
not evilly disposed
But should be very sorry to he in
Mr.. Nanderbilt's boots if such times MS
we had here in 1863 should be repeated,
and Mr.. Vandcrb It i q type Of thou
sands-I nse the term advisedly-who
are rich beyond their ancestors dream
of avarica. There are men here worth
SIC, 600 and S2O,Oo0,OOD Of whom
you know nothing. | know one lady,
living in magnificent house. whose
life is as quiet rs that of minister
should be, who has given away not less
than S3,Oo0,OoD in five years, whose
benefactions prior to her death will
reach not less than 81, 100000, who has
in her home paintings, statuary,
diamonds, precious stones, exquisite
specimens OF gold and silver, with
costly works Of every imaginable art,
an inside estimate of which is 1.5OO,-
OOO, and she is not rs rich rs many Of
her neighbors by several million dol
lars. There are men here who twenty
years ago sold clothes on Chatham
street, who to-day live at an annual ex-
pense of 100000, who wear jewels
upon their person costing III reasonable
stores S25,tO1.
Come with me in n Madison avenue
car any day. rain or shine, between the
hours Of 10 o'clock in the morning and
5 or o'clock in the afternoon, and l
will find yon CIR after ear closely
packed with ladies' in whose ears are
diamonds worth from 500 to $4,000
each, on whose ungloved hands, red
and fluffy. sparkle fortunes. Walk with
me from Stewards old store, at the cor
ner Of Ninth street AMI Broadway, to
Thirtieth street and Broadway any day.
l do not mean Sundays, holidays, or
special occasions. but all times, and
will show You on block after block
women in sealskin circulars down to
their heels, worth from $500 to 81, 1000
each, with diamond earrings and with
diamond fingel-rings, and otter pre-
cious stones rs we'll, carrying in their
hands dainty poeke.-looks stuffed with
money. They represent the new rich
with which New York is filling ZIP.
On that same street, at that same
time, I can show YOU men to whom q
dollar would be fortune, whose trou-
sers, torn and disgraecful in their tat
tiers, are held about their pinched
waists 10y ropes or Irvine or pins, whose
stockingles, feet shuttle along the pave
ment in shoes so ragged that they dare
not lift them from the pavement, whose
faces are frecklel, whose boards are
long and struggling, as is their hair,
while their reddening hands taper at
the nails like claws. How long before
those claws will fasten on the newly
rich? Make no mistake about it, the
feeling is born, the feeling is growing,
and the feeling, sooner or later, will
break forth. Only last night / walked
through Fourteenth street. ON which
there are but few residences left, and in
front Of one, leading from the door to
the curbstone, was canopy, under
which charmingly attired ladies', ac-
companied by their escorts, went from
their carriage to the open door, through
which floods Of light and sounds OF
music came. l stood with the crowd
big crowd-a moment, and there WAS
born this idea Of an inevitable out
break, unless something is done, and
speedily done, to do away with the
prejudice which not only exists but is
Intentionally fostered against the very
rich by the very poor. 1t would make
You shudder to hear the way the women
spoke. Envy, jealousy, malignant
ferocity, every element needed, was
there. All that is wanted is leader.
In a public building, under the charge
of one Of the great departments in this
city, there are S2.UOO,O0O worth of
valuable property, in everything per-
tanning to the upper realm of art.
Within few months an organized at
tempt was made to sack that building.
The injudicious utterings of man on
Blackwell's island suggested the idea
to a quick-Wittel reporter, who COM
municatcd with the officers Of the de-
partment, and, by timely police ar