Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1895-11-14
THE LANDED LORDS.
MEN WHO CHARGE OTHERS FOR
THE PRIVILEGE OF LIVING.
The Landlord Class Is Growing in Its
Holdings and Power; tho LandIesS
Glass Has Lost Its Iudependence-Hal
Of tho American People Homeless.

GeOpBe MOnLTOrQ SlmOnS0n, WTitini
In Munsey's for August, describes thu
remarkable growth of the great landed
estates in America and discusses the
cause Of the movement and its possible
meaning for good or i'll. We have &
landed aristocracy, and a correlated
class called the proletMiat, or landles'
class. The latter class now number
over half of the 100000 of our popu-
lation. The landlord class is growing
in its holdings and power, the land
less class has lost its independence.
We recently referred to Lord Scully,
the alien rack renter, who, with rents
from his original purchase Of 100000
acres in Illinois in the SOS, has been
increasing his holdings until he now
owns in addition an entire county in
Kansas, $4,000 acres in Gage county,
Nebraska, 10000 in Nuckolls county,
and other large tracts. In this arti2
Gle, using Mr. Simonson for authority,
we will call attention to some other
landed gentry.
The Vanderbilt family is naturally
taking the lead in grasping the basis
OF all power and authority, the land.
George W. Vanderbilt, the youngest of
William H. Vanderbilt's sons, lis max
ing OF Baltimore, near Asheville, North
Carolina, one Of the most remarkable
mansions. This Vanderbilt has bought
10000 acres there land that made
many small farms, and has put up
mansion, the foundation Of which cost
100000. The top Of mountain was
leVeled OFF to make the site, and i'm
mense quantities Of rich soil for the
gardens were transported by rail
from distant valleys and river bottoms.
A temporary railroad was constructed
to convey building material to the site
OF the mansion. This vast Vanderbilt
estate is to be devoted to tree culture
and a game preserve. The raising Of
wild deer and foxes is more important
than the rearing Of men.
John Jacob Astor has similar es-
tate In Florida.
Still greater in extent is the manor
Of DR.. William Seward Webb (whose
wife was the William H. Vanderbilt's
daughter) in the Adirondacks, an es-
tate Of $4,000 acres, including part Of
two counties. OF this amount $4,000
acres has been incorporated by DR..
Webb under the name Of the Nehasane
Park Association, as the manager Of
the estate says, Gin order to facilitate
the perpetual holding in a solid body
Of so much Of this land as DR.. Webb
should finally decide it desirable to
devote permanently to the purpose Of
private park and game preserve"
Much Of this estate will be fenced to
conflne large game, moose, elk and
deer having already been placed in the
enclosure for breeding purposes, with
a view to the final stocking Of the
whole park. Net men die; let millions
Of families be homeless; but provide
the rich range to breed wild animals,
that they and the English dukes and
marquises who come to trade names for
fortunes may have the fun Of shooting
them.)
DR.. Webb has also one of the finest
country seats in America on the east
side Of Lake Champlain. 1t contains
10000 acres, and twenty-eight small
farms, homes, were absorbed to form
this single family estate.
NJ. Nick. Twombly, another son-in-
law Of William H, Vanderbilt, has an
estate adjoining Webb's in the Adiron-
dacks which contains about 100000
acres, besides a splendid country seat
at Madison, N. j., containing several
hundred acres Of ground.
Austin Corbln, president Of the Long
Island railroad, has vast estate in
New Hampshire, containing $4,000
acres. The declared object Of farming
this great game preserve is "to pro-
vide a living book on natural history.
for the instruction Of his son." How
fine a thing it would be for the whole
United States to be bought up by mil
lionaires and converted into private
parks to furnish shooting and instruc-
ton for their sons in natural history!
Corbin has had thirty miles Of barbed
wire fence placed around his park, at
a cost of $4,000, and has placed within
reindeer from Labrador, wild boars
| from Germany, moose from Montana,
[ while elk from the northwest, deer
from the Maine forests, cartridges from
Virginia and hares from Belgium. A
herd of American bison which Corbin
had previously kept on his 600 acre
farm on Long Island he has also taken
to his New Hampshire preserve.
The William Walter Phelps estate at
Tea Neck Ridge, New Jersey, COM
prises $1,000 acres and extends from
the Hackensack river to the Hudson,
where it overlooks the northern boun-
dairy Of New York city. The home
stead is a series Of connected cottages
with gables and peaked roofs Of quaint
design. Sixteen miles Of drives cross
and recross the estate. There are FIVE
miles Of tree lined avenues in a single
stretch, and over 100000 large trees,
the majority of which were replanted.
William Rockefeller Of the Standard
Oil trust has started out to beat all