The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-29
AN AMERICAN CAD ABROAD.

The London Daily Mail recently
printed an anonymous communication
from an American millionaire, which
purports to give the reasons which
cause so many rich Americans to settle
in England. In the communication he
says:
One of the real reasons that so many
OF us are escaping from America is the
desire TO be let alone
In London people are accustomed to
mind their own business. Private gossip
ana scandal are at a minimum here, not
only In houses, but in clubs, and your
newspapers do not print it, There is. in
TACT, no curiosity with regard to rich
people in England.
The absence Of class feeling in Eng
land Is another reason. The rich and
poor are not divided into hostile factions
There is not the rush, envy, malice Of
New York society, with its continual
struggle Of western and Pittsburg people
70 get into that curious circle-the -Four
Hundred New York City is not what
II was in my early days. When old Mrs
AstOr reigHed supreme I'm New York City
society was not at all unlike society in
London. There was no Ostentaton ard
any persons Of birth. brains OF breeding
were freely admitted. Today II Is merely
a question of money and such charm
/ ing salons as exist in London, where
lalh- illOIeA ana uEdlllS occupy ABOUT the
same position. are now impossible in most
American cities and certainly in New
York
In London 1 am not perpetually stared
at telephOned at, written at, Photographed
at and libeled at
It's too bad that this American mil
ionaire" has to go abroad to find con-
genial society. where persons of birth,
brains and breeding, principally birth.
we suspect, are recognized to the fullest
extent But the recognition of these
persons Of birth, brains and breeding
by society is limited to the natives, and
If the American millionaire" had not
the good American dollars TO jingle in
his pocket it's mighty little recognition
he would receive at the hands Of the
smart set" in London.
William Waldorf Astor expatriated
himself and became a British subject
because the United States was mot
nit country for gentleman to reside
in" and he had hopes that on account
Of his great wealth he would be able to
buy a title. Moreover, he ran for con-
gress and was badly beaten, which
soured him not a little Astor has
something like $500, OOOO 900 of property
In this country, and the eyes of the
lawmakers are beginning to turn in
that direction. There are other rich
Americans VINO reside abroad in order
TO escape the process server and the in
terrogatOries of too inquisitive grand
juries. Whitelaw Reid, the American
ambassador will remain in England
after his successor has been appointed,
his daughter having married the first
groom of the kings stables, which raises
Whitelaw Reid once ran for vice pTesi-
dent and got left at the post, as his
friend. King Edward. would say.
Many American women have traded
their dollars for foreign titles in the
last few years, and they too. imagine
that society abroad is superior to that
in the land of their birth. But there
are 90, 900, 900 Of American citizens. great
and small and the loss of the insignii-
cant few will not affect the social
status of the rest Of us. The American
millionaire" who belittles his own coun-
try and wisely hides his name Is to be
pitied. It is to be hoped that by rea-
son of his wealth some day he may be
allowed to hold a noble lords horse or
secure a place near the royal enclosure
at the races. where he may feast his
eyes upon the king.
Real American gentlemen have no de-
sire to humble themselves and when
abroad hold their heads high in the air
The cads truckle and abase themselves
for social recognition.