The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-04-29
The Melbourne Age says:

The Melbourne Age says:
For years the world has been amaz-
ed at the riot of wealth in America
lat the spectacle of hundreds of pre-
datory millionaires Selling their vast
riches without one modicum oe public
service rendered. and would-he mill
tionaires by the hundred thousand
! could be captured by the tricks of the
professional Spectator. The marvel
| was that so much unscrupulous roSu
| ery could be carried on with SO little
conflict with the law and SO. few pub
| lie scandals. Recent events begin to
throw q lurid light on the cause of
| this immunity os wealthy rascaldon
| from disgraceful exposure. The bold
! est of these plunderers made it their
| first business in any enterprise to get
| the law under their control. The agents
specializing in this form of criminality
| having become a large professional
body. growing greedier every year. the
situation has now been reached when
the blackmail they exact is equal to
the whole possible profit of any nefar-
ious deal for which their services are
engaged. Such a position could not
exist indefinitely. A rupture was
bound to come. just as it must between
payer and payee of hush money. The
man who has once successfully drawn
hush money from a victim is never
twice satisfied with the same sum: he
always sucks bigger gorge OF blood
at each return till his prey is dry. Such a
rupture between millionaires and their
parasites has been taking place pretty
freely in America, thus precipitating
rush of those scandals which We're
avoided as long as both classes OF
rogues could agree in their division of
the spoiIs.
The revelations now made correspond
exactly with what was expected from
the symptoms. The aggressive luxurf-
business of wealthy Americans in a re-
sort like Newport is possible only
among people who acquire money by
a hard ferocity. Americans themselves
describe the magnificence of Newport
in the season as barbaric; it is barbaric
with an element of dfabolic added. be-
cause the display is organized with the
ruthless keenness of intellect misappil-
ed to Sclf-advertiSement. Such fam
boyant extravaganza once ruled IN
Babylon and Tyre; it is impossible to
match it in modern life outside of Amer
lea. 1t is one outcome of idolizing the
dollar not wisely but too well. Prob
ably never before in any country have
so many wealthy men at one time been
under examination by courts and legis-
Iative committees for felonious prac-
tees.
Perhaps the worst symptom of ali is
that brought out by the Investigations
at New York into the huge insurance
companies. Such corporations dealing !
with SO virtuous a business .as that of /
making provision for the widow and !
fatherless according to the careful I'M I
biased calculations of the actuary, |
would be expected to be on the highest |
plane. Yet the American insurance in
ouiries have revealed all forms of COM |
mercial immortality at their Dutrefac-
tive work. among the directorates of
leading insurance companies in the
American continent. 1t IS impossible |
to give an idea of the numerous indi-
yidual exposures of rich men with
which the American papers have been
overlooking unless by considering N
detail a typical instance.
Under cross examination Mr. Jordan.