The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1889-12-07

In a recent issue of the TINES there
was published extracts Of exhaustive
statistics showing the decay Of the
farming industries. Farming is the
msia sub-soil of civilized life. II sup
plies nutriment and fertility to all 9TH
er voeations. 1t is giving nnmistake-
able and widespread indications OF
deep seated distress. The papers and
leaders of the party which has gov
erned the country for near 80
years past are poulticing the dis
ease with all manner of explanations
which do not explain. The true cause
Is. we believe, easily traeeable to the
vast load of these millions; under
which the farmer is struggling. Every
dollar of the amounts exacts its tribute
from the farmer. For not tithe. we
suppose, Of this bulk of wealth such as
the world never witnessed before, is
invested in or represents farming
property.
In spite of the rapid increase in the
number of millionaires in the United
States in recent years, the popular
notion Is that wealth is yet very much
more evenly distributed In this country
than in England. Mr.. Thos. G. Shear
man, the well-known New York statis-
ticisn, has been engaged for some time
in collecting facts to show as precisely
as possible the proportion of tho wealth
of the country held by few rich mon
and families; and he finds a greater
concentration Of wealth here than in
any other country. The results of his
investigation win appear in The Forum
for November, from advance sheets OF
which the following facts are taken
Mr.. Shearman makes the following
enumeration of owners of more than
$40, 100000 each:
| $i50O0O,00O: j. J. Aster, Trinity
church.
$l00,0O0,000; C. Vanderbilt, W. X
Vanderbilt, jay Goulds, Leland Stan
ford, j. ID. Rockeieller.
S70,000000: Estate of A. Packer.
$60,000,000; John /. Blair, Estate O
Charles Croker.
S50,000,000. VIM. Astor, w. w
Astor, Russell Sage, Il. A. Stevens, Es
tate of Muses. Taylor, Estate of Brown
Il Ives.
S40,000,000: r. ID. Armour, +. L
Ames, VIM. Rockefeller, ii. NJ. F1aglcr
J Powers II Weightman, Estate of 7
Goelct.
$s5,O0O000: G. p. Huntington, d
o. Mill, Estates of I. A. Scott, J. w
Garrett.
$30,000,000: G. b. Roberts. Charlie
Pratt, Ross Winans, Il. b. Coke, Clau
Spreckcls, A. Belmont, r. J. Livingston
Fred Weyerhauser. Mr.. Mark Hopkin'
Mrs. Hetty Green, Estates of s. v
! Harkness, II. w. Coleman, |. NJ. Singer
S25,0O0,000: A. j. Drexel, j.
Morgan, J. p. Morgan, Marshall Field
I David Dows, j. &. Fair, Il. 4. Gerr,
D Estates of Gov. Fairbanks, A. Il. Stew
art, A. Shermcrhorn.
$ $22,b00,000: 0. II. Payne, Estate
of +. A. Droxel, |. V. Williamson. W
4 L. Weld.
$20,O00,O00; +. w. Vanderbilt
Theo. Havemcyer, IL. o. lIavelncyei
u w. G. Warden, W. z. Thompson. Mr.
g Schenley,J. B. lIaggin, IL. A. lIutchin
!" Estates of W. Sloane, Il. S. Higgins,
1t Tower, VIM. Thaw, DIR. IIostotte
William Sharon, Peter Donahue.
le These seventy names represent a
l. aggregate wealth of s2,700,OO0,000, a
0, average of more than $375O0,000 eacl
&C Although Mr.. Shearman, in maxim
D this estimate, did not look for less tha
Il, twenty millionaires, he discovered IL
" cidentally fifty others worth more tina
Of $1O,000,000 each; aud he says that
list of ten persons can be made who's
rs wealth averages 100000 each, and al
ID other list of one hundred persons who
c. wealth averages $25,0O0,000. No su,
or lists can be made up In any other cou
Is, try. "Thc richest dukes Of dukes
IN England" he says, "fall below the ave
ry age wealth of dozen American eli
ry zens; while the greatest bankers, me
" chants and railway magnates of En-
land cannot compare in wealth wi
at many American"
)u The average annual income of d
re richest hundred Englishmen is abo
ks $450,000, but the average annual |
come OF the richest hundred Anne
Id cans cannot be less than 81 300 900, al
p probably exceeds 81 100000 The ric
est Of tho Rochilds, and the worl
i'm renowned banker, Baron Overstoi
las each left about 100000. Earl Du
ley, the owner of the richest iron min
left $2O,000,000 The Duke Of Br
cleuch land the Duke of Buccleu
carries half of Scotland In his pock,
left about $30,000,O0O. The Marql
- of Butte was worth, in 1872. about So
~ ~ 100000 In land and he may be nc
~ worth $40,000,000 in all. The Duke
o. Norfolk may be worth $40,0OO000 a
~ ~ the Duke of Westminster perhaps S5
100000.
T., Mr.. Shearman's conclusion is Il
=, $4,000 persons own one-half the wea
;na of the United States; and that
',ne whole wealth of the country Is prac
",a ',n cally owned by 100000 persons, or q
nv -, in sixty of the adult male populatie
,an and be predicts, from the rapid rec'
,@a '@ concentration of wealth, that unt
70 - present conditions 10000 persons v
-, ars practically own all the wealth of
,an country in thirty years-or less th
90 20 one in 500 Of the adult male popu
Iii ton.
and