The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-05-02
especial Letter to the Dispatch.)


Nnat The other night with a man who has
niaue millions in buying pine lands and
cutting the timber off of them. He tells
me that there are millions to be made in
Ine same way to-day. The man l refer to
Is ex-senator Philetus Sawyer, who has
retired from business and politics and is
leading a quiet life at his home in Osh-
k0sh. Senator Sawyer is now over 50
years Of age. He was born in New York,
and his father was in such circumstances
mat he thought his boy ought to work
Tor him until he was q Young Sawyer
bought his time of his father at the
age OF II, and until he was p he worked
by the day and month. He told me this
last night, and also described how, when
he went from New York to Wisconsin.
his sole capital was about $1,000.
l asked Senator Sawyer how he came
to make so much money from such a
start. He replied:
MILLIONS MADE IN LUMBER.
''The most of my money was made in
buying and selling lumber. While lived
in New York State l could see that lum-
Der was worth great deal. The forests
there had been rapidly cut, and the prices
Wisconsin it was new State. 1T had
vast tracts of pine lands. and L believed
the day would come when these lands
would be very valuable | invested what
l had in pine. and bought more as
could. Later on / borrowed great deal
of money and bought pine. l made n
number of good deals, turned my money
over rapidly and bought more and more.
One time got hold of a tract for 900
/ had a partner with me in that pur-
chase. and we each made more than $780,.
900 out of the deal. AT another time
bought for $4,000 some pine lands which
l afterward sold for $4,000. 1 made
other investments which paid me $780,
900 and upward apiece, and in this way
a fortune was gradually accumulated.
After time l became interested in rail
roads. and made some money in them.
especially in the pine lands along the
roads. You see, all of my life has !eea
spent in dealing in lumber"
Suppose, Senator" said l, "you had to
go back to business again. What would
you do. or what would you advise u
young man who has a little money tc do
in order to nuke fortune?'
MONEY TO BE MADE IL PINE
"If l had small capital and wanted
to get rich," replied Senator Sawyer, 81
should 60 to the great timber regions Of
Oregon, Washington and California and
buy all the land could carry. There are
trees there which produce as much as
$4,000 feet Of lumber, and on some of the
western tracts, l am told, there are from
100000 to 100000 feet of lumber to
the acre. In the fir woods of Oregon and
Washington have seen it estimated that
the amount of timber on a single acre
would run out 200 cords of wood. and
the forests there are Of vast extent and
very valuable. They will be much more
valuable in the future. and the man who
can get hold of them will be rich
'How about the South?'' said /.
II think the chances for making money
in lumber in the South are equally good
In Georgia and the Gulf States there are
large tracts of pine and cypress. You
can get them for almost nothing now in
comparison with what they will be worth
in the future. We consume an enorm-
Gus amount of lumber, and we are using
more every year. There is nothing that
runs into money SO fast as lumber, and
it will surprise you when tell you how
fast trees grow in value. Why, the nat
ural growth of the pine tree is fair in
terest on the investment"
"But, Senator, are not the most Of these
forests already owned by large capital
lists? Don't it take lots Of money to oper-
ate them! You could do things when
you were young which cannot be done
now
Dv v,>-rT,xy or, nDDnDu>TrN-JyT~II, WIT,
"That is true to some extent" replied
the Senator "But there are plenty of
places where small amounts can be in
vested and a good, sharp fellow can
make his pile amount as well now as in
the past. The chances of fortune MAX
ing are always good for the man who
has the right eye to see them. / am now
so. but / feel that if | were to go back
into business / could make money as
easily and as rapidly ass ever
DO you think your success has been
due to any fixed principles or did God
make you a money maker"
Il don't know about that" said the ex-
Senator with laugh. Il think God has
a good dead to do with success in this
life by putting the right kind of mind
in the man who succeeds. AS to princi-
pies, have always been temperate and
have always looked ahead and trusted
myself
''But don't you think, Senator, we have
too many rich men in the United States
Is not all the capital getting into the
hands Of few? II this continues 1t may
imperil the Republic"
II think not" said the old Senator.
.You see, there is no law of entail in this
country. You can leave your property
to your grandchildren and see that they
have nothing but the income derived
from it. but you cannot keep 1T in the
family and carry it past them to unborn
children 1t is bound to be scattered
very soon after you die. This seems to be
the natural law of the rise and decline
of fortunes The children Begin where
the fathers leave off. We would not have
our children undergo the hardships
which we experienced, and they natur
ally do not want them. Now, have
given my two daughters the best half OF
Il million dollars, about S7OO,0OO apiece
and ] wish them to have all that i car
give them.
IF their children run through the mon
ey / leave, l can't help it. If they o.
so they must go back to work as l did
Why" here the old Senator grew yer.
emphatic-"if they do it will be no diff
ferent than what has been going on sine
the beginning of the world. There hav
always been great fortunes and the mel