Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-10-15

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He was born in New Lisbon, Colurnbi-
ana County, in the State where he now
lives. His father was Leonard Hanna,
and by profession doctor.
1t would seem that DR.. Leonard Hanna
was not in the business of the balsam
and bandages for any love of his fellows
or riotous taste for a public's health.
He distinctly longed for dollars. And
whether the sturdy brood of citizens
about him were of too rugged a condi-
ton to permit pills to pay, or what the
reason, DR.. Leonard Hanna at an early
day lapsed into keeping country store.
And he kept it well, and as it hourished
his profits swelled.
Mark Hanna was not the only son.
There were at least three others. 1t is
said that they were remarkable as men
of refinement and elevation; something
those who have met the present Hanna
will find hard to believe
Mark Hanna was at common school
then briefly at the Western Reserve Col
lege. This latter temple of learning
only detained him a. year. He might
have stayed longer, buthewas.impatient
to plunge into business. He was thirsty
to drink dollars for himself.
EARLY LIFE IN CLEVELAND
1t was in 1852 the elder Hanna invaded
Cleveland, mere village then camped
on the banks of the crooked river which
gave it first existence. The Hannas
opened a wholesale grocery store. AS
soon as the younger Hanna was old
enough to keep an account against his
fellow-man and to push resolutely for its
collection he joined his father in the
grocery. This was in 1857. Hanna was
20 and as famished to make dollar at
the age boys usually prefer to spend one
as he has ever proved since.
Hanna was % when Fort Sumter fell.
When others rushed about the torn stand
ard of their country to save it, Hanna
stayed indomitably at home. And he
thriftily.took government contracts of the
coal and iron kind, and so insthat dark
cannon-shaken hour of the nations peril
Hanna filled his pockets while others
emptied their veins. Such lack of pat
riotic purpose, such love of self and pelf
had their reward. Hanna is worth over
$40, 600, 600.
In 1864 Hanna carried to the altar the
daughter of Dan P. Rhodes, himself a
coal prince and the founder of the ID.
P. Rhodes Coal Company" The old
man is gone, and the concern today is
the Mark Hanna Coal Company.
From groceries to coal and from coal
to every other fashion of money trapping
went Mark Hanna. There are two sorts
of business men. One is hunter, stark
and bold, who seeks his profit at noon
and by direct approach. winning, when
he does win, by dint of personal skill
and strength in his employment. Such
never grew rich. There are others, shy,
furtive, not lacking in courage, but
strong most in foxy cunning, who are
the trappers of trade. They set money
traps and then go about skinning their
game.
Such as the last is Hanna. He wins
his wealth by indirection. He has the
sordid instinct that points the hidden
dollar to some covert of trade, as setter
points bird. Hanna can take dollar,
make it into money trap and catch a
dime with it. He can set and attend to
millions of these dollar traps at once.
And the decoyed dimes caught by these
dollar traps to die for Hanna are as the
sands of the sea every year. That's how
in thirty years Hanna heaps up almost
as many millions.
Hanna not only succeeded to the
Leonard Hanna grocery and the D. P.
Rhodes Coal Company, but he organized
the Buckeye Oil Company, the Union
National Bank and the Woodland Avenue
and the West Side street car lines of
0. Hanna owns iron, copper
and coal mines in Michigan, coal mines
in Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. He
has fleets of vessels on the great lakes car
rying coal up the lakes and iron ore down.
He has shipyards and builds his own
boats. He has interests of all kinds
scattered from Duluth to New York !:
from the Pictured Rocks to the Thou
sand Islands, with business offices and
in every city, on either
shore, of all the lakes.
Hanna is the dominant spirit of every
he is involved in. He con-
trolls or he gets out. Worth twenty mil
lions personally, he decides the policy
Of ten times as much and can march two
hundred millions of capital upon any
battlefield of business to be as absolutely
at his beck and order as an army to the
baton of its commander-in-chief. This
makes power of Hanna, even without
a courage that never pales and heart
as hard and cold as hail, and as remorse-
less.
BATTLE WITH SEAMEN.
Hanna in his enteTpriSe euonIovs