The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-01-03
American Millionaires.

The New York World has published
list Of Americans who are worth $4,000
600 or over. The list Is long one and
it says there are thousand persons in
America who are worth s ,000,0 900 or more.
The richest individual in Europe is the
Duke of Westminster, whose fortune is
$50. coo, 900. 1t is the inherited accumu-
lations of centuries of an entailed estate.
The richest men in America are John ID.
Rockefeller and William Waldorf Astor,
each estimated to have Sl25,000,O00.
Every cent of Rockefcller's money has been
made within few years in standard oil.
He originated the pipe lines for petroleum.
He began life as newspaper reporter, and
when the happy thought Of doing some
thing in oils struck him he was the keeper
of a small store in Cleveland, o.
The Rothschilds of Europe are together
worth nearly Il billion dollars, but there
are so many of them that no individual has
over SI0,000,00O. The Vanderbilt pro-
pcrties are valued at S250,000, 900; but
held in so few hands that, of the younger
generation, Cornelius has $50 ,OO0,OOO and
William K S75,00O,000.
The United States is the richest country
in the world and contains more millionaires
than probably all the nations of Europe
together. We are not the most wealthy
per capita Of population. however. Aus
tralia has that distinction. But there are
numerous American citizens, plain or 9TH
erwisc, according to the degree OF snobbery
to which they are inclined, who are richer
than any monarch of Europe, Queen Vic
toria herself not excepted, and she is the
richest ruler in the world.
Jay Could, the strange, silent man OF
iron, heaps up wealth with as much deter
mnation a. he did when he began life as a
partner in Il sawmill that shortly became
bankrupt, causing Mr.. Gould's partner to
commit suicide Jay Gould is already
worth Sl0O. 900 600, but it is his ambition
to become the richest man in the world.
For this he tolls on day by day, and there
is every reason to believe his modest ambi-
ton will be realized if he lives long enough.
The richest man of modern times, perhaps
of any time, was William II. Vanderbilt,
whose possessions amounted to Sl60,000,-
600
The Astors' estate is in lands and real
tiles They draw their rents. Their es-
tate is the oldest great one in America, and
perhaps managed in the most conservative
way. "Only an earthquake devastating
Manhattan island could wipe it out Col
lis p Huntington, down in the list at
S40,O00,00O was the son of a small farmer
in Connecticut He began life as peddler
of Yankee clocks and then went to Cali
fornia when the gold fever broke out.
Many of these miIlionaires have done
good with their money. They have cul-
tivated and refined the taste of Americans
by bringing into the country noble works
of art. They have also improved American
live stock to an unreasonable extent. The
jersey cattle, blooded sheep and turf horses,
as well as the magnificent Clyde and Per-
cheron horses owe their general distribu-
ton over the United States largely to the
interest American rich men have taken in
improved live stock Let us give them
their due.
Among persons in the VorhfS list worth
$4,000, 900, or over are two preachers,
Rev. Charles Hoffman and Rev. Dean Hof-
man. who have $4,000 900 each. Here
is the list of those who have rs much as
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