Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1905-11-15
FRUITS FROM A M)USE TRAP

By Lieut.-Col. J. a Watrous, L. s. A.
Less than MY years ago young tel
! low in Pennsylvania was making
stake" by selling mouse-traps.
He made money.
He was energetic; he drove sharp bar
gains.
In time he brought up in New York.
Suddenly he came to the front as the
controlling influence III great railroad en-
| terprises.
He was Jay Gould.
He bought more railroads and made
more millions.
He wrecked other roads and packed
away other millions.
The called him hard names; and he
doubtless deserved some Of them.
| When he died, about fifteen years ago,
he was hated by great many people and
| loved by but few, but he was worth
close to a quarter of a billion of dollars.
He left some likely children. The eld-
est bov. George Gould, has developed into
che of the best business men in the coun-
try
He is not railroad Wrecker.
He is a buider-up; he is 4 helper OF
cities in many ways.
His wealth is piling up.
While he makes good bargains for him
self he makes good bargains for railroads,
for cities. for men and states.
The enterprises that the Goulds con-
troll are adding millions of dollars yearly
to towns where they have investments.
Tens of thousands-pr probably not one
less than 100000 men-are given en-
ployment by the Goulds.
Their payroll goes up into the millions
of dollars month.
Take Richmond, Va for instance. They
own the street car and electric plant and
are extending lines to Petersburg and
Appomattox; to Ashland and other
points.
They arc building railroad that will
tap the rich Northern Neck, the beauti-
ful country between the Potomac and
Rappahannock river, where Gov. Fair
child and Gen. Bragg took the Iron
brigade the winter of 1863 they are soon
to invest $5O0000 IL a steel plant Oh
Belle Isle, where a great many northern
soldiers spent various months of the year
during the war.
That will give employment to 500 men
They are planning other factories for
Richmond, Petersburg and neighboring
towns.
These new enterprises, planned and
some of them under contract, mean 4
boom for Richmond such as any city in
the nation would be glad to receive.
1t is hard to tell what they do not
mean.
In view of what the Goulds have done
| nd bat how TO ic
not strange that the people of Richmond
are slow to engage in a move looking to
municipal ownership of street car and
electric light plant, proposed by some OF
her citizens.
But all of the Goulds are not men
There were girls in that family.
Helen Gould is one of them, and she is
one Of the grandest women of her time;
all OF the time watching out for chances
to do good with her great wealth.
Men of the army and navy have great
admiration for Helen Gould.
She has been very kind to them.
She has expended hundreds of thou
sands of dollars for their comfort and
pleasure. She has provided them with
a thousand or more libraries. OF carefully
selected books.
She gave Uncle Sam 100000 when the
last war began.
From her purse came much of the
money that sent representatives of the
Y. NJ c. \. to Cuba, Porto Rico and the
Philippines, where they wrought well fol
both the army and navy and the natives
All through the Philippines can be-
found the Helen Gould libraries, and al
ready thousands of the natives who have
been taught to read in the public schools
which are doing wonders for their far
away American possessions, are regula,
patrons of them, and by their reading
and schooling are fast becoming Ameri
canized.
When the good work in the way of de
velopment and the employment of vast
army OF men, by the Gould sons, and the
superb womanhood of Helen Gould. and
the blessings her efforts are bestowine
upon the world are taken into account
we need not regret, seriously. that THEN
father lived, wrought and left a vast for.
tune to be used by his children in many
desirable channels
We need not worry about the money
used by the new crop Of Gouds being
tainted.
For that matter, do you recall that
any one refused Jay Gould's cash be-
cause it was tainted?
Hasn't much good come to the world
from the efforts of that early trader in
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