The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-06
MEN WITH MILLIONS.
Some of the Money Kings of the World
and Their Wealth.

and Their Wealth.
From the Negcark Advertiser.
NJ. c. de Barigny has been recently re-
calling the readers of the Revue des Deux
Mondes with some account of the richest
mon in the world, the value of their posses
sions, and the salient features of their ca
reer. His descriptions are not altogether
perfect, and it is very certain that some OF
the details that he gives are not to be relied
on; but the article is interesting enough,
particularly in the matter of physiological
details, and in its explanation of the meth
DDS by which colossal riches have fallen into
the hands of individuals.
The writers answer the question who is
millionairem by referring to the English
definition of the word This confines the
term exclusively to the class who possess
one million pounds sterling $4,000, O00)
According to British authority, there are
in the entire world only seven hundred fortu-
nate, or unfortunate individuals, who come
within this category; but this, it is very
clear, can only be an estimate. or these
rich men England has the largest mum er,
200; next comes the United States with 100;
Germany and Austria have 100 divided be-
tween them; France has rs; Russia and In
dia each so, and all the other countries on
the face Of the globe have to content them
! richest of these richest, according to a list
published in 1884, the following are men
| toned:
Jay Gould, American, capital, s275, 000,-
| 600; annual income S14, 100000; j. W.
Mackay, American, capital, $50, C0O,O00;
| annual income, $l2500,000; Rothschild,
| English, capital, $4,000, 600; annual in
come, io,0 900; c. Vanderbuilt, Ameri-
can. capital, Sl25, 100000; annual income,
| ST, 25l 800; j. P. jones' American, capital,
100000, 900; annual income, $1,000 900;
Duke of Westminster English, carital,
$50 600, 600; annual income, 100000;
John Jacob As,or, American, capital, S50,-
| 100000, annual income, 81. 100000 James
Gordon Bennett, American, capital, 800,
OO0, 900; annual income, 81 sos, 900; Duke of
Sutherland, English, capital, $50 000,O 900;
annual income, 81 800, 600; Duke of North
cumberland, English capital, $25, 900 600; an
nual income, 81 ,250, 900; Marquis of Butte,
English, capital, so 600, 900; annual income,
81 900, 900.
Assuming this list to be approximately cor
rect, 1t will be observed that the two very
richest people in the world to-day are not
Jews, who are generally credited with the
desire and the ability to make great for
tunes, nor are they titled persons who have
inherited great wealth. They are two
Americans whose beginnings, as everybody
knows, were of the humbleSG SORT and who
have exalted themselves to the ranks of the
''plutocrats" by means with which the pub
lie, in each case, is tolerably familiar. The
statistics of great Euglish fortunes also es-
pecially show that the richest men i'll that
country belong TO the same class as do those
of the United States-either themselves or
their immediate ancestry, who aId the
foundation for their wealth, having been
| persons of lowly origin, who have by native
ability of one kind or another succeeded in
zoe tot
In the rauks of the millionaires The same
statistics also show that the 'aristocracy of
birth" at the present day, in the best of
cases, is barely able to hold the largest for
tunes that have been inherited, without the
ability too add to them. Very often, in
deed, old families lose their possessions while
the new corners into the realm of riches
show their capabiity, generation after gen
Grafton, of adding to the wealth that has
fallen into their possession. The numbers of
the old rich nobility in England have grad
ually grown smaller, while the millionaires
of the upper middle class have long since
exceeded them and will continue to in
| crease. 1t is easy to learn from this fact
that in the present condition of the world
the mobility" of Britain does not contain
that element of strength within itself that
enables it to cope successfully with the
powers of commerce and industry and re-
tain its hereditary position.
The writer in the Revue DIES deltc MondeS
tells some very good anecdotes about our
American millionaires and points a moral
as to the heavy weight that is always laid
upon the shoulders of those who possess enor-
nous wealth. He quotes the late William
II. Vanderbilt as saying to one of his
friends that "a fortune of $500, 900 900 is a
burden too great for any man TO carry. Its
weight bends me and kills me. | will not
permit any one of my sous to suffer as l do
| obtain no pleasure out of my money and
its wins for me no happiness. In what way
am better off than my neighbor who only
has half million2 He enjoys far more
than do the real joys of life. HIS house is
as good as mine, his health is better, he will
live longer, and at least he can trust his
friends. When death shall relieve me of
the responsibility that carry, l have pro-
vided that my sons shall share between
them the cares that this money entails"
These, truly, are pathetic words that reveal
the very secrets of the heart of money
prince. and may be accepted as further
proof of the old saying that "all is not gold
that glitters." 1t certainly would be better
for everybody if this worlds goods were
more equally divided Meanwhile, let us
wait patiently for the millennium.