Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-01-13
RICH MANS GENEROSITY.


he is worth under heaven. Nobody viii
claim that this man Vanderbilt has any
other value for mankind.
And this value he largely inherited. He
happened to be born the favorite son of old
Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Old Cornelius put his big head to making
money. Not that he made it exactly. He
did not earn it No man ever earns a
million dollars. But he had a brain adapted
to seeing advantages, and he got not only
one million but several millions. Many a
man had to sweat for it, but Cornelius
got it.
VIM. II. Vanderbilt was begotten into
this getting. And he inherited, along with
the getting. the old mans propensity for
getting. He has not let his talent lie
wrapped up in napkin. He has bartered,
bought and sold, managed railroads, and
manipulated stocks, till at last he has
grown to be as much oversize for heaven S
gate as a whole drove Of camels abreast
would be for the eve of needle.
Calculate bis resources for a moment
Say $50, ,OOO, 900, all at as low rate of
interest as 4 per cent. per annum. This
would yield him S6,000,000 a year; or
100000 a month; or Sl25, 900 a week
A man with an income of one hundred
and twenty-five thousand dollars q week
would need to have very unusual assort-
ment of poor relations if he could not be
generous to the outside world now and
then.
Well, General u S. Grant, the man
whose mighty leadership of the armies Of
the United States did so much to save the
nation, on the safety of which the security
of the Vanderbilt wealth depends, fell into
financial strait through the rascahty of
a partner in business, and borrowed $780,
600 of VIM H. Vanderbilt The rascality
developed itself soon after, and Grant was
rendered unable to pay; he was financially
ruined. Mr.. Vanderbilt allowed it to be
generally published in the newspapers to
his glorifcation that he should never re-
quire the payment General Grant should
have his own time and terms; and, if it
never became convenient for him to pay.
he should never be troubled about it.
This procured Mr. Vanderbilt applause.
Public sentiment approved him. His
leniency was looked upon as a handsome
generosity-but none too handsome. He
was General Grants friend. He was
abundantly able to lose the money, with
out ever feeling the loss. Itwas only about
a weeks interest on his enormous capital;
and he could easily afford, and ought to
be glad of opportunities, to give ten times
that amount every year to noble objects.
The freeing of the Great Captain from
pecuniary distress in his declining years
was regarded by the entire American peo-
pie as most noble object for so rich a
mans generosity.
But, after the lapse of several months Of
this understood relation of Vanderbilt to
Grant-understood to be so creditable to
the tormer-the astounding announcement
was all at once put into print throughout
the civilized world that Mr. Vanderbilt
had gone into court and taken judgment
for Grants entire Indebtedness to him,
with interest, and Immediately levied the
same in execution on all the Generals
estate, real and personal, including the
trophies presented him by his grateful
countrymen and the gifts made to him by
the admiring nations that he visited in his
journey around the world.
This unexpected action on the part of
the rich man brought about a sudden
revulsion in public sentiment toward him.
His enormous wealth and his Shylock exac-
ton in this peculiar case called down upon
him the anathemas of the press both in
this country and in Europe Mr.. Wander
bilt has been often represented as feeling
too rich to care what the newspapers said
about him. But the stings of journalistic
criticism have gone through his hide this
time.
Last Saturday he wrote letter to Mrs.
Grant, which, with the reply and the fur
tber correspondence, has been published,
as it was intended to be. He pretaces his
letter to Mrs. Grant with this apology: so
many misrepresentation have appeared in
regard to the loan made by me to General
Grant, and rejecting unjustly upon him
and myself, that it seems proper to briefly
recite the facts" Then he goes on to
state that, after the loan and the disaster
which followed it, the General and Mrs.
Grant sent him deeds of their joint proper !
ties and urged his acceptance OF them;
that he returned these deeds; that, during !
his absence in Europe, they mortgaged all |
their properties to him, and thst on his |