Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1907-08-01

4
he has taken 1t. l never want my
family to have more than a million
dollars When he went into the Sea.
board AFFAIR, he explained to me that
it was to assist the Wilsons-they
were old friends, and he acted as their
solicitor for years-in building up the
| south. He discussed with me the
! right and ACCESSIBILITY of putting in the
| trust funds. He said he considered II
| his duty to employ them as he did his
| own in enterprises that would aid the
\ whole people of the south, instead Of
sending them to the north to be used
| in Wall street as betting for the 'Sys-
tenn grinder. These fortunes were
made in the south by men who loved
their section of the country more than
| they did wealth. and why should they
not be employed to benefit that part
| of the country which their makers and
owners loved? l remember WILDLY
how perplexed he'was when, at the be-
ginning, the Wilson's would show him
that the investments were returning
unusually large profits.
1T is not right, Beulah,' he said to
me one morning after receiving let
ter from Baltimore to the effect that
Seaboard stock and. bonds had a6'
vanced until his investment showed
over 80 per cent profit 1t Is not right
for us to make this money. No man
in America should make over legal
rates of interest and fair profit on
an investment, that is, an investment
of capital pure and simple particu-
larly in a transportation company,
where every dollar Of profit comes
from the people who patronize the
lines. / have worked 1t out on every
side, and it is not right; 1t would not
he legal II the people. who make the
laws for their own betterment, un.
derstood their affairs as they should
'11e was always writing to the VIII
sons to conduct the affairs of the Sea.
Beard so that there would be remain
ing each day only profits enough to
keep the road up and the wharVes in
Sood condition and to pay the annual
interest and a fair dividend. And
when the Wilson's came to our house
to lay before him the offer of Rein.
bardt and his fellow plunderers tC
pay enormous profits for the control
Of the seaboard, he was indignant and
argued with them that the offer was
an insult to honest men. II was he
who advised the trusteeship control
Of the Seaboard stock to prevent
Eeinhart from securing control. I sat
in the library when he talked to the
81 10
He appealed directly to John VIII
son to make an effort TO stop the
growing tendency to use the people
as pawns to enslave themselves and
their children. He said some man
Of undoubted probity, standing. and
wealth. some one whom the people
trusted, must start the fight against
these New York nends. whose only
thought Is to roll up wealth. And
he told John Wilson he was the man.
since he had great wealth, honestly
got by his father and grandfather;
no one would accuse him OF being a
hypocrits. seeking notoristy. and his
standing in the financial world was
SO old and solid that II would
have TO listen to him. remember
how Smphatically father said: tell
you, John. even tho discussion Of such
. proposition a. that seOundrOl Rom
hart makes IL degrading to an Amor
leans honor He said II didh't make
the least difference II RoiAhGrt count
ed his millions By the score. and was
director in 30 or 40 great Institutions,
and gave \ fortune every year for
charity to the church=sthat he was
q blaekleE Just the sama And 20 Is
any man, he said. wfH Gares to say
he will take the s'"'$ Of h trans
portation comra9y, whlch represents
a certain amor Of money Invested
and double or miltiply II b. Eve and
ten. simply because 10 car compel
people to pay SxOrbitAAt fares and
freight rates and 10 get press 81 this
fraudUlsntly Increased eADttal
TT was the dOcisioA arrived 4 BY
father aAd the Wilson's At thia meet
InE. a decision u refuse IN any cir
cUmstAness to allow eur southern peo-
pie To ~ blsd ~ the 'WaH StFSsk 'sys-
tenn that started RsAnhASt and his
A0llAr-noads On the wGr-vAtA. You
can zee frSz what Gsll yoa u my
father the terrible eOAditioh Ne il
in now. AZ AiEht. when I get to
thinking Of him, hoHizB AsAiAhk hope
with no one u hsID him. no SAs With
whom he can talk ovsF hin A&airs
when / thInk III his hoblanShk In de-