Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-10-05
MILLI0NAIRES, AND HOW THEY
COME.
From Lhe Toledo BIade,s Tarilf Primer.

From the Toledo Blades Tariff Primer.
MoDOC, IND.-Our Democratic friends
claim that there were not more than
half dozen milliOnaires in the United
States 25 years ago, and that the "robber
tariff has fostered mOnopolies until our
country is dotted With men who have
grown wealthy by grinding down the
poor laboring man. Please explain this
matter at length. REPUBLICAN.
We expect nothing less than that
some Democrat will claim, before
the campaign is over, that the yell
low fever at Jacksonville is because
of the "robber tariff" We don't
know how many millionaires there
were in the United States % years
ago, but there were more than half
dozen. It's not to be agreed that
all milhOnaires are made by "grInd-
ing down the pOOr.p IL Is a fallacy
to suppose that if enc man has a
million dollars, that it is obtained
by unjust means. 1t is a common
article of belief; but none the less
false. A man may become very
wealthy by perfectly honest means,
without injuring any other person.
The larger portion or the recent
millionaires IN this country have
become so in one Of several ways
First, through the development OF
the railways of the country sec.
Ond, through the manufacture OF
patented articles like Singer, The
sewing machine man, for instance,
or Edison third, through buying
real estate in or near cities Of rapid
growth, and holding it for years
fourth, through discoveries OF pc
troleum fifth, through legitimate
business, buying when things are
cheap and selling when they are
dear sixth, through stock specu-
lation, railway wrecking, aud other
Objectionable methods. The fact is
that we have far fewer milllOnaires,
in proportion to the population, than
has free trade England. Her
"merchant princes, made immense.
~ wealthy through commerce, have
passed into a prOverb. There are
no milllonaires in this country who
have become so in consequence Of
anything with which the tariff has
to do, except those who have
gotten wealthy through manutac-
turing articles protected by a duty.
Where there is one Of these, there
are a dozen who have gained their
money in other ways. If the tariff
makes millionaires, how does it
come that milliOnaires are more
numerous in free trade England ?
The fact is, there Is a greater dis
tribution Of wealth in the United
States than IN England. She has
the very wealthy and the very
Door. Here we have an enormous
Is larger number of men who are
moderately wealthy, made so
through economy and honest ieglt'
innate business, because OF the
better opportunities here for c
poor man to rise. It comes with
an I'll grace from a Democrat to
rail at millionaires. Look at Col.
Brice, the chairman of the Demo.
cratic national committee, who
made a clean million dollars
through the Nickel Plate railway
steal. The Nickel Plate railway
runs from Buffalo to Chicago, pa
raleIing the Lake Shore Wander
bilt) system. There was, and is,
not business enough for both and
TO save a rulnouS rate war, VAN
derbllt bought in the Nickel Plate,
which was the object aimed at by
Brice and his confederates. Brlce's
share of the profits was a million
dollars. He is an example Of a
Democratic millionaire, not made
so by the tariff, but by deliberate
steal