The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1889-11-14
Who Owns the United States

the number OF m1ll1Ona1reS 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.. Shearman, the we'll
known New York statistician, has
been engaged for some time in col
lecting facts to show as precisely as
possible the proportion of the wealth
of the country held by a few rich
men and families; and he finds a
greater concentration of wealth here
than in any other country. The re-
suits of his investigation will appear
in Tie Forum for November, from
advance sheets of which the follow
ing facts are taken. Mr.. Shearman
makes the following enumeration of
owners of more than $40, 900, 900:
S15o,ooo,ooo: J. J. Astor, Trinity
Church.
S1oo,ooo,ooo: C. Vanderbilt, w.
K. Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, Leland
Stanford, J. D. Rockefeller.
100000 Estate of A. Packer.
500, 600, 900: John I. Blair, Estate
of Charles Croker.
$50, 900, 900: VIM Astor, w. w.
Aston, Russell Sage, E. A. Stevens,
Estate of Moses Taylor, Estate of
Brown & Ives.
$40, 900; P. d. Armour, F l..
Ames, VIM. Rockefeller, H. M.
Flagler, Powers & Weightman, Es-
tate of P. Goelet.
$4,000, 900: C P. Huntington,
D. o. Mills, Estates of T. A. Scott,
]. w. Garrett.
$3o,ooo,ooo: G. B. Roberts, Chas.
Pratt, Ross Winans, E. B. Coke,
Claus Spreckels, A. Belmont, R. ].
Livingston, Fred Weyerhauser, Mrs.
Mark Hopkins. Mrs. Hetty Green,
Estates of S. V. Hardness, R. w.
Coleman, l. NJ. Singer.
SIS 1000, 900: A. J. Drexel, ], S.
Morgan, ]. P. Morgan, Marshall
Field, David Bows, ]. G. Fair, E. T.
Gerry, Estates of Gov. Fairbanks,
A. T. Stewart, A. Schermerhorn.
S22, 5oo, 900: o. H. Payne, Estates
of F. A. Drexel, l. V. Williamson,
w. F. Weld.
$40, 900, 900: F. w. Vanderbilt,
Theo. Havemeyer, H. O. Havemey-
err, w. C. Warden, w. P Thompson,
Mrs. SchenIey, J. B. Haggin, H. A.
Hutchins, Estates of w. Sloane, E.
S. Higgins, C. Tower, VIM. Thaw,
DR.. Hostetter, VIM. Sharon. Peter
Donohue.
These 10 names represent an ag-
gregate of S., 700, 900, 900, an average
of more than $37,5oo, 900 each. AL
though Mr.. Sherman, in making
this estimate, did not look for less
than twenty-millionaires, he discov
cred incidentally fifty others worth
more than $40, 900. 900 each; and he
says that list of ten persons can be
made whose wealth averages
$1oo 100000 each. and another list
of one hundred persons whose wealth
averages S., 1000, 900. No such
lists can be made up in any other
country. "The richest dukes of
England" he says, fall below the
average wealth of a dozen American
citizens; while the greatest bankers,
merchants and railway magnates of
England cannot compare in wealth
with many Americans.
The average annual income of the
richest hundred Englishmen is
about $780, 900, but the average an
nual income of the richest hundred
Americans cannot be less than ST.
100000, and probably exceeds ST.
900 900. The richest of the Roths-
childs, and the world-renowned
banker, Baron Overstone, each left
about $I7,ooo,ooo. Earl Dudley,
the owner of the richest iron mines,
left S2o,ooo,ooo. The Duke of
Buccleuch (and the Duke of Buc-
cIeuch carries half of Scotland in
his pocket left about $3o,ooo,o 900,
The Marquis of Butte was worth, in
1872, about $28,ooo,oo in land; and
he may now be worth $40, ooo,o 900 in
ALL The Duke of Norfolk may be
worth $40, 100000, and the Duke of
Westminster perhaps $50, 900.
Mr.. Shearman's conclusion is that
$4,000 persons own one-half the
wealth of the United States; and
that the whole wealth of the country
is practically owned by 100000 per-
sons, or one in sixty of the adult
male population; and he predicts,
from the rapid recent concentration
of wealth, that under present condi-
tons $4,000 persons will practically
own all the wealth of the country in
thirty years-or less than one in 500
of the adult male population.
Mnrif Wins