Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-25
NEW YORK LETTER.
4 BUDGET GATHERED m rHs GREAT
METROPOLIS.
Begging Letters To Millicnaires-Jay Gould
and Russell sage-vanderbilrs
New Cook.
rc.pOuacnc. Of the Richmond Dlspa,ch,i


NEW York, March "a. 1883.
New York millionaires are over
wheimed with begging letters IT is one
of the strangest facts in the daily expe-
rience Of busy and hard-headed finan-
ciers These letters come from all
parts OF the country, and request
the loan of from five TO one hundred
thousand for every conceivable pur-
pose, and the man who "scorns to
beg" illustrates the interesting fact 10y
begging the largest sums The Don
.Quixotes or Sancho Panzas who
write these letters actually suppose
that the millionaires will not only
grant their Astonishing demands, but
will give the matter personal attention.
Some experiences of Russell Sage were
recently cited as instances OF the amazing
folly OF the writers of begging letters
acting under the delusion that the age OF
miracles had returned and that blood
might be pressed from 8 stone though
She misapprehension as to Mr.. Sage's
charitable inclinstions is due largely
60 reckless misstatements sent to
number Of out-of-town journals, to
the effect that this frugal old gen
4lernsn, who, with more appropriate
ness than elegance, has been termed the
stump-tailed fox OF Wall street, WAS ac-
tually studying ways and means to give
away large part of his enormous for
tune in charity. IL the character and
the icy environment of great millionsires
were generally known they would re-
.ceive few letters from professional
sharpers and those phenomenally unso-
phisticated persons who write touching
communications in perfect good faith.
None OF these persons seem to know
that every big millionaire of Wall street
has a private secretary, who looks over
his letters every morning, throws aside
those appealing for charity, and lays be-
fore his employer only those OF strictly
business nature the average private
secretary would not dare to do other
wise. 70 mark these begging letters
"private" and "personal is useless.
A secretary who would lay begging
letters before his master would be
coldly rebuked for annoying him. he
is expected to make his employers
mail as little burdensome as possible.
But think of appealing for charity to
Russell Sage. His life has been de-
voted simply TO mOney-making from the
time when he was storekeeper IN Troy
10 the present, when he is understood to
have accumulated $50, 0O0,0 900, a midas
store of gold held with the clutch OF n
miser. who would fain, when he can no
longer use it here. make freight con-
tract with old Charon, the sombre boat
man, to ferry it across the Styx to Sage
elysium of sure profits and countless dol
lars.
JAY GOULD.
jew Gould occasionally subscribes TO
charitable objects, but begging letters
sent to him are so much fuel for fire.
He would never see them. When 1t IS
known that he is to take cruise in his
yacht he sometimes receives very sug-
gestive letters from adventuresses, which
used 10 be the subject of light banter
from Washington T.. Conner and SignOr
Morrisini, his former partners, and the
usually taciturn fnsncier would smile at
their sallies, well knowing that they
recognize the correctness OF his private
LIE. Mr. Gould, however INSCRIPTIONS
SIS fnancier. Is not considered small
minded enough to be stingy, but he has
neither the time nor the disposition
10 respond to begging letters. be piles
up his millions as a general would col
lect powder, shot and shell, arms and
heavy ordnance, for his campaigns. He
wants them in order TO extend his power.
He is an imDassive engine OF finance,
with steam always up for the work Of
railroad conquest. He has as much re-
gard for obstacles in his way as a loco
motive. The sending of begging letter
to such a man might well be considered
evidence OF a disordered mind.
VANDERBILT.
Young George Gould. the heir to
many millions. is considered close and
stingy. Cornelius Vanderbilt, the head
of the Vanderbilt family, indulges in
very moderate charities Seekers for
aid need not presume upon the fact that
he is religious man. He knows how
TO keep a firm grip on his money. He,
moreover, aids and abets the schemes
of the livestock ring through a marked
discrimination in freight rates against
shipments of dressed beef, whereby
the cost of meat, and thus the
cost OF living, is materially III
creased, the poor suffering accordingly.
He has contributed something to pro-
mote the interests of the operatives Of
the Vanderbilt system at New York, but
is no more Peabody or Howard than
as If he were not the pet of sycophantlc
and fashionable clergymen of New York,
ss little interested i'll the charity as the
Voltairean abbes of the last century.
Leland Stanford spends moderate sum
in charities every year, but begging let
tiers are invariably thrown into the
waste-basket. As financler he
has no more conscience. no more
moral sense, than Metternich or a
Machievelh in politics, but he is ready to
endow great university in memory OF a
noble son, canonized III the grief of
idolizing parents, and be may do much
good by teaching the useful arts to thou
eands OF young men to whom such an
education may be the avenue 70 fortune.
Cells Z. Huntington Is not naturally a
kiluRN ludu ilc 10 u heiNi"l AOotDi "
men, a man of broad statesmanGke cast
OF mind, and though unscrupulous in
carrying out his projects, he is far
above the sordid level of mere money
grubbing, yet his charities are much
smaller than they would be If he were
o man OF education or OF less rugged
and calculating temperament. The
writers OF begging letters will save paper,
postage, time, ard disappointment by
leaving this iron-willed fnancier undis-
turbed. or rather his private secretary,
who will appreciate the favor. The
actors give something to institutions, but
aside from this little or nothing. John
j. Rockefeller contributes to the sup
port of institutions, but as to in
diyiduals be has ruined 50 many in the oil
business 10y his Standard monopoly that
Il is improbable that be would notice the
appeal OF those persons who write beg
ging letters In short all the wailing
from the cave OF Eolus, all the tears of
Eiobe would not convert New York
millionaire into . philanthropist of the
sort that the writers OF begging letters