Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-11-13
MILLIONS.
They Were Represented at Meeting
IN Hanna's Rooms Tuesday
Night.
The Popular Result accepted by
Them as a Flattering
Testimonial.


there gathered in Mr.. Mark Hanna's
rooms at republican headquarters, to
receive and rejoice over the election
returns, twenty-four gentlemen whose
wealth aggregates $25s, 100000. A
contemporary which fought hard
with these gentlemen to make Major
Mckinley president appears to be an
noyed at this spontaneous rally of the
millionaires, evidently deeming it
fact disadvantageous to the party
which during the campaign set up a
claim to the exclusive possession of
honesty, patriotism and solicitude for
the national honor, 1t is ground
less fear. There was no reassn what
ever, in policy or otherwise, why j.
Pierpont Morgan, Coils P, Hunting
ton, Andrew Carnegie, George Bliss,
d. o. Mills and the remaining nine
teen of the twenty-four money grand
ees should not have gone to Mr.. Han
mas rooms and made merry over the
returns. The news as it came in
proved to them not only that they
were not to be deprived OF the solid
advantage of the gold standard, but
that a pretty widespread delusion as
to the unpopularity OF millionaires
had been dissipated. A priori. one
would say that in a country of man
hood suffrage the circumstance that
all the wealthy men of the land were
with one party would cause the mas
SEES to be suspicious of it, and incline
them, on the principle of self interest,
to take the other side. But assump-
lions cannot stand before facts. The
election shows that the millionaires,
instead of being distrusted and dis
liked are trusted and respected. The
newspaper criticism to which they
are SO constantly subjected, because
of their combinations for profit and
the methods by which they prevent
competition and control production,
appears to have made no profound
impression on the public mind. 1t is
even probable that the fire of criti-
cism excltes sympathy for the gentle
men who form the trusts. Anyway
they are not unpopular.
In an industrial civilization such as
ours, where money is the prize fol
which all but an insignificant fraction
of the population is struggling, as
men in other civilizations have
striven for military or literary and
artistic distinctions, it is natural
enough that the great winners in the
universal contest should be looked
up to and admired. To this country
the millionaires are what the nobility
is to the monarchies. The law that
to him who hath shall be give1
brings them further honors. Being
captains Of industry, they are also
accepted as social and politica
leaders. The United States, with it,
government, is theirs by the willing
gift of the people at the polls.
The election was won under the
generalship of Mr.. Mark Hanna, 6
popular millionaire. notwithstanding
his occasional combats with tn,
workingmen in his employ owe
wages, and scores Of millionaire
were his active lieutenants in the fgh
the outcome of which was decided b,
the farmers and wage workers. TIL
twenty-four gentlemen who togethe
possess $25s, 1000, 900 were fully entitle
} to their happiness at republica
: headquarters on Tuesday night. No
merely had everything gone their wa
politically, but the popular verdio
was justly accepted by them as
flattering vote of confidence in tn
millionaire class. 1t was the country
, reply to their critics, who must som,
: times be very annoying.