Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-04
EXODUS OF THE RICH
Millionaires Who Are No
Longer New Workers.
AVOID PAYING TAXES
HUNDREDS OF PALATIAL HOMES
ON LONG ISLAND.
Vast Fortunes Spent on Big Houses
and Fine Grounds-Hospital
on a Lavish Scale.
AVOID PAYING TAXES
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
Not so many weeks ago when Father
Knickerbocker got peep into the tax books
of 1903 and suddenly awoke to The fact that
all except seven of his hundreds of reputed
milIionaires had utterly vanished officially
he rubbed his eyes in amazement, while the
country at large took a keen delight in
poking a bit of fun at the bewildered old
gentleman. Henceforth, said the ribald, he
should take good care not to allow himself
TO be inordinately pulled up with pride over
a large multi-miilonaire family that did not
exist in fact. They said many other things.
too, and then when they had done with the
old gentleman with one accord they all
asked: Where have the New York million
aires gomez
Well. in order to escape heavy personal
taxation. all Of New Yorks famous million
aires except Andrew Carnegie, John d.
Rockefeller, Russell Sage, f. w. Vanderbilt
Alice T. Vanderbilt W. X. Vanderbilt, ST.,
Daniel 6. Reid and Sadie Crane White. have
taken up their legal residences in the coun-
try round about the metropolis Newport is
a favored city of these wealthy tax dodgers
Tuxedo i another of their stamping
grounds. but above and beyond them all
Long Island IS the paradise of the man of
millions fleeing from the assessors of the
corporation within whose limits his fortune
is materially augmented every working day
In the year
Long Island is, indeed, fast becoming an
island OF milliouairCs, and one by one even
those families whose pride it has been that
their farms have been in their hands since
the settlement of the island in the early
days Of the countrys history parting
with their property at fabulous sums. and
their modest homesteads are rapidly giving
way to baronial-like estates representing, i'll
many instances, an expenditure of million
dollars and upward.
A MilIionaires' Migration.
The migration Of the mllionaires to Long
Island first began some years after the
Meadowbrook Hunt Club, the most ex-
elusive and famous organization of its kind
in America was established on the island.
This was In 1876. Some of the more en-
thusiastic huutsmen. i'm order to be near
the scene of their principal line of activity,
built themselves more or less pretentious
mansions on the surrounding Hampstead
plains Here they were supremely happy
until the fiat country palled on them; then
there began exodus TO the north, into
the Wheatley hills, where the hunt had fire.
quently led them. For many years the
growth of these estates was normal then
in the 9H's there came what the New York
milIionaires looked upon as oppressive tax
alton and in order TO kill two birds with
one stone-to establish a country estate and
at the same time secure legal residence
outside the city and thus escape taxation
other members of the Meadowbrook and
those VINO were MOI iHeHluSiS peSdH HOCh-
ing TO the north shore in great numbers.
looking about for suitable sites for homes.
This quest has kept up TO this day. some
millionaire every little while founding an
estate somewhere beyond the eastern
boundary of Greater New York and gen
orally not farther east than oyster Bay-a
stretch of about fifteen miles, not counting
shore line that has been almost wholly d.
verified 10 the uses of New Gorks former
wealthy citizens.
Paid Fabulous Prices
AS a result of this influx many original
Long Islanders have become wealthy be
yond their fondest boyhood dreams. When
the millionaires first began purchasing
farms for their estates the farmers thought