The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-09-08
The MILLION LIMIT.

that there are eleven Thousand of them.
all told. II is hardly probable that the
estimate is right. In any case. the
figures that assume to make u count
Of m~i!iionaires in America must be
highly speculative. as there is no way
whereby an census of the
country's money magnates can Ice
taken. Mr. Sherman has evidently given
the subject u great deal of thought. but
we suspect that his enthusiasm
heightened rs he advanced i'm his inves-
tigation. as is the habit with mel who
pursue hobbies.
Regarding the estimate quoted above.
the Boston .idrtTtis,r says: 1t would
he only reasonable tn suppose that this
state could claim mt least five and
half per cent. of the millionaires: which
would make more than six hundred. III
Massachusetts has six hundred. Boston
liould have ut least one-third of them,
or two hundred" and the .idrerfiser
adds that il would be very difficult tn
find fifty men i'm Boston worth u mil
lion
Several weeks ago n party of gentle
men in u drawing room car on the line
of the Northern Pacific fell into con-
versation about the millionaires of
Montana. One enthusiastic son of the
territory persistently claimed hat the
city of Helena alone could produce
thirteen men, each with a round million
i'm his inside pocket, and that the total
for the territory wOuld run to twenty.
1t is Easy to roll up the roster of mil
lionaires when you are i'm a drawing
room car. and il was not difficult for
the gentleman in question to impress
his hearers with the idea that his esti-
mate was close tn the truth. Most of
them were eastern tourists. Probably
they carried the glowing story of Hell
ena with its string of millionaires to
eastern men who. by some strange
hole is a bonanza and every mine II
mint.
IL is idle to assert that Montana has
twenty men worth IA million apiece. 1t
would he very difficult tn find "a dozen
whose estate reaches the siN-cipher
limit. 1t is probable that the list of
Montana m~illionaires will lengthen
rapidly. for the territory is immensely
prosperous and many business under
takings. now young and promising.
will realize fortunes before many years
have passed. But the STANDARD
probably gets very close to a correct
estimate when il ssum that there are.
all told. possibly less than a half dozen
thlSh ~ u stNtttuitN IvpSStSS.
to-day. property amounting in value to
a million. These figures probably run
to h popular opinion on the
subject. yet We believe that they are
not below the safe line. But if this es-
is correct. il must he admitted
that Montana has less than her share
millionaires. Doubtless the mistake
is on the other side of the column. and.
in all probability. the figures submitted
by Mr.. Shearman must he submitted tn
a very serious cut. If they should
more than fifty per cent il would
be surprising, for "a million is "A
great deal of money land there he few
that have it,"
THE AUSTRALIAN SYSTEM.
The STANDARD commends to its
readers who are interested i'm election
reform an instructive article on the
Australian ballot system contributed
by Charles Chauncey Binney to Lippin-
Magazine for September. The
causes that led to its adoption are CON
cisely sketciied by Mr.. Binney and the
reform i'm its historical development
is presented in an instructive and en-
way.
The system of open polling through
out the British dominions. half IA century
ago. was the fruitful cause of corrup-
ton. intimidation and violence. Land
lords coerced their tenants and manu-
~facturers their men. of all the British
possessions. .Austraiia's reputation was
the worst in this respect. Abiding love
of order could not be expected To con
troll the young colony and under cir
cumstances favorable to violence. the
Irregularities incident to lawless cleo
tions found their worst development
there.
The claim set mp in favor of the Aus
traiian system is the absolute freedom
of the ballot which i; assumes To Sc
cure. lit is true" MIR. Binney re-
marks, that elections cannot be free
unless electors can vote without the risk
of being called To account for SO doing.
To attain this AN absolutely secret bal
lot is Indispensable" From the ethical
standpoint. the claim MAID. fortle Aus
traiian system is that il tends to i'm
press upon each voter IA sense of re-
sponsibi.ity, 10y compelling him To make
the ultimate selection of candidates by
II for himself. There may be serious
question whether an based
Oh this idea is of account. at the same
tttnn IL 10 IN fa,s chat -, u.