The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1884-12-31
Several VerV Rich Men Declare That
There Is Little Comfort In Great
Possessions.
They Do Not, However, Offer to Di.
vide With Their Brethren Of
Slim Bank Accounts.
an AneedOte of Ben ButIer-HOw Boo Bur.
detts Was OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Cos
sipy Notes.

"but times are so bad We can't afford TO
strike. Ii times was better there would be
strikes all over the country"
told him it was IA odd thing that strikes
should occur IN flush times rather than in
hard times.
because in flush times If men get out Of
work, !" he said, they find something else to
DO. That Hooking Valley business was a
mistake. Men strike generally, not because
they can't live on what they are gettin', but
because they think they're entitled to a
larger share of the profit coming from their
work. Seer"
Yes ! told him, saw: and I bad read
Grunland's new book on "a Co-oDerativs
Commonwealth" that puts bad cause in
its most striking light, and If q law could
be passed and enforced compelling employ
would be no more money paid for wages
than there is now.
II don't see how that could be so, at
al, he said, III workMen got $40 apiece
every day.
Only few men would be employed. in
that case, I reminded him, and all the rest
EO1ld be idle. Capital, finding its pros
psctiVe gains diminished, would retire from
manufacturing and money would be simply
slowed away in safes and old stockings, aud
the land would soon be filed with poverty
intsad of Wealth-idleness intesd Of IN
dustry.
is Inst what Grunland ssys?'' he asked.
Not at all what Grunlsnd says, I told him;
in fsct, the very opposite; Grunland Is q
champion OF that Acadia in which the pro-
rector of q bank shall have the same wages
IS hOd-CaTrier or q scullion, and the Presi-
dent of q railroad company shall be paid
the same as the brakeman. The agrsrisn
theory puts premium on stupidity and q
penalty on brains.
The man was clearly right about the Bre.
valance OF strikes during flush times; aud If
stocks were up today and commercial con-
fdence restored, the wages question would
De hercely pressing for settlement. One
thing that makes laborers dissatisfied with
the wages that fall to their lot in the uner-
ring operation of supply and demand is the
fact that the value of wealth is constantly
overestimatsd. As the rustic said when sit
ting for the first time in the gallery of the
United States Senate, why, / thought these
men would be larger" so poor men are al
ways attTibuting mysterious sort OF hap.
piness to the rich. The hard fact is that
enough to eat, to drink, to wear, is about
all any man needs; all else is an illusion OF
the imagination. Vanderbilt has an in
come of five millions, we will say. Ali that
he can use for his own personal comfort is
some five or six thousand dollars; the rest
goes, whatever he may wish, to promote the
comfort and happiness OF others. I asked
Jay Gould once about this.
The notion of deriving comfort from
great wealth Is all nonsense" he said,
Wealth increases ones worry, sense OF re-
sponsibility and peril, without any compen-
sating pleasure of any sort. The Socialists
have suggested law prohibiting any man
from being worth more than q, 900, 600.
think such law would be prepostereus and
harmful to industry, bat wouldn't care as
far as ] am concerned. A million is
eDOugh-st any rate, 1t is as much as de-
Gently economical nan can spend the in
come Of"
1 asked him why he didn't go o0t Of
business.
II have often resolved to do it." he said,
'but it is 8 difficult step to man right in
the Whirl of business. Rich men try to get
more, | suppose, not for the sake Of the
money, generally, but for the sake of eZ-
celliDs-jUst as boys, in climbing trees,
will Try and see which can climb the high
est without falling"
/ called on Russell Sage, worth fort : or
fifty millions. He IA always neatly but
plainly dressed. / don't believe he ever paid
more than b25 for suit of clothes in his life
and be is frugal in ali ways, not because be
loves money but because he takes no pleas
ufe N having anything not required by COM
fort.
Wealth" he said, sis travelling under
false pretsnses. 1t confers no such advant-
ages as those who don't possess it suppose.
Men who are making money keep at it, be.
cause they like to have credit for sagscity;
but there's nothing in the money itself
worth struggling for. For example, have
more money than you have, perhaps, but in
all really essential things you are IS rich rs
am. You have as good things to eat as do;
you dress better than I do; you sleep as web
as do; you have as many friends as have
perhaps more real friends 1t isn't sky
high philosophy am talking when I say
there is no happiness in the mere possession
of money; it is the solid fact, aud I am talk
ing buslness.n
know another example Of great wealth,
and l might allude 10 him as sn awful ex-
ample. / refer to Joseph Richardson, a
wealthy contractor here, known to every
body as "Uncle Jo." He is now building
the extension to the Grand Central Depot.
AS be hurries about his Work-he slwss bur
richie looks like some old-fashioned miller
belated with country grist. Uncle 10 is
worth, probably, some i've or six millions,
bat be once boasted, in my hearing, that he
never paii more than S12 for a suit of
clothes in his life. He is seventy-fVe years
old this winter, think, but he never
bought himself an overcoat in his life and
never possessed one till he was out among
the Mormons. when they gave him one to
keep him from freezing TO death. he was
building the Utah Northern Railroad over
fhe mountains in the winter and Brigham
Young gave him the overcoet. He wears it
now, and is quite proud of IL He is q staver
to WORLDWIDE 10 Is. When the Third
avenue horse-car stables burned, Wander
bilt sent for him, and said. "Uncle Joe, il
your life depei ded upon il how quick could
you rebuild that block; give you all the
money you vant2' "In thirty DAYS." said
the old man; and he did IL. Bat IL isn't
nice to be q workman under Uncle 10
"Why don't you make 'em jumpp be asked
OF the boss of gang of hands. THAT chap
over yonGer has been leaning on his shovel
for az much ss two minutes. Make 'em
JumpI" Uncle 10 voted for Blaine, Il be-
ieve; but he said the other day:
It's Just as well; Just ss well. know
Grover. and he'll be easier to get along
with n Blaine would be. He always drinks
a f7e-cent glass Of beer with me; but
Elaine was President / should have to
set 'en mp to the tune of 81 so. at least, for
champaeae. There's saving of S1.40.
1HE WIDOWS WIDOW.
heard q good story of Ben Butler the
other day, which believe has not got into
print Last year Butler got a pension al
lowed the widow of one Of his Massach usetts
soldiers. The local inspector reported her
es "bousekeeper" for q man whom rumor
said she ought TO be married to; so letter
was sent 70 Butter from tho bureau stating
that the pension, although allowed, was
withheld for the reason given, Ben IN