The San Francisco call., 1910-03-11
OCLAMOR HERE
TO ASSIST FELS
Local Millionaires Do Not Feel
Inclined to Give Up
Their Wealth
By MARY AsHE MILLER

to give away his money. he says.
- in order to case his conscience Of
| the burden of getting rich He ex-
I planned at great length to some people
/ who were dining at the University OF
Chicago settlement with him that he
has no desire TO be phiianthroptst
and that he does not believe in chart
ties. He has other schemes for setting
/ his mind at rest.
/ All the captains of industry are rob-
4 bers, he says, but they can not help
| themselves because the laws OF the
| country are unjust TO the masses.
! They are not personally dishonest, he
declares. these multimillionaires-
| In order TO revOlutiOnize things Mr..
/ Fels is going to devote all his money
/ to spreading the single tax idea, in
| paying lecturers to talk against land
monopoly and other things which he
did not mention
| Here in San Francisco Fels' ideas
are received in various ways. but no
one seems inclined to go hand In hand
with him to give away much money.
Even Joseph Leggett. attorney and
former police commissioner. who is
ardent admirer of the millionaire soap
man. does not Believe that his business
is going to suffer through his endeavor-
to revolutionize economic coalitions
! /. W. Hellman Jr. did not want 70
talk about it. but finally said;
This embraces the whole matter OF
socialism and is too large a question TO
be dealt with in a brief interview.
/ There is too much 10 be considered I
feel that ii would be absurd for me
1 to say anything"
| Henry T. Scott was inclined 10 be
amused at first.
/ will he sell his soap any cheaper?
/ he asked, and then said:
/ Well. he wants TO get up a scheme
/ to educate the world and revolutionize
| economic conditions, see, and says he
will be one of twelve to finance It. I
! think he had better make up his mind
/ to be the whole twelve / don't know
any other rich men that are going to
/ put up the money 10 do that sort OF
thing. If I had such faith in any idea
l should be willing to finance it, About
this single tax. I believe that is some
thing Henry George started to help the
/ real estate men. AS for land monop-
/ oly"-and he laughed-"I don't know
any monOpolist who is not anxious 10
/ part with his land Not one 1 Ger
/ tainly believe in the distribution OF
wealth. and / prove it by spending il.
1t is the rich man who refuses to spend
who is doing nothing for the world.
I do not care for money just for the
sake Of making it. II I had gone to
New York and into Wall street could
/ have made a great deal more than I
have now. I just want enough to pay
my bills, live happily and give my
friends a pleasant time. What / have
above my expenses try 10 give wisely
for philanthropic purposes
Andrew Carnegie 1 regard as one
| of the greatest benefactors of the
/ country When We built the old
| Charleston here We had TO pay cents
a pound for the steel 10 build it. Car
negie through his energy and foresight
/ was able to build up the steel industry.
/ employ more men, pay them better
| wages and sell US steel for our last
/ battleship at IL cents a pound.
I know that from my own experience. 1
| think Fels is unnecessarily nervous
about his money
Joseph Leggett could not saw too
many complimentary things about Fels.
L have known about Joseph Fels
for long time" he said, "and con-
slider him one Of the most valuable
persons in the world today. He Is
using his money in the most effective
way for the betterment of mankind
He has the. clearest ideas and is the
sanest man I know. He has the sanest
soundest conception OF any rich man
OF the present day.
He is not one Of the kind TO divide
/ his money among the worthy poor-he
is too wise for that. Fels in my tudg-
ment is using his money after study OF
conditions by which he reached the
/ conclusion that the only means by
which the worthy poor can be helped
is to put them on a basis on which
they may gain a fair opportunity They
may thus get on the road to freedom"
William Fl. Crocker of the Crocker
national bank was not disposed to be-
stow much Of his time or thought on
! FeIs.
He may be very good man. but his
IDEAS do not seem worth consideration"
\ ne said Il have no time TO put on
such things as he has discussed. All
/ OF my thoughts are concentrated lust
now on matters here What San Fran
ciscans should concentrate upon is
building up the philanthropies and Sc
curing certain necessary things for our
own city.
First of ALL let US work for the
worlds fair in 1915. Let every San
Franciscan work for that. Then an
auditorium is needed This is essen
TALLY convention city: we have three
! or the finest hotels in the world but
we have no meeting place
( Let the people ali get in together
and build an opera house. We are
forming musical organization here
which will bring some Of the finest
music to San Francisco. but where can
thing?
Why don't people go ahead ana
build the armory? The state viii give
s4OO,0OO 10 put up the building II the
city will supply the site. Another thing
tnat we need is fine building for the
Academy of Sciences. an organization
Tor which the state OF California
changed its constitution that 10 might
I be exempt from taxation
The Art Institute should be suitably,
housed. too. On that magnificent site
there should be an art institute which
would be an honor to San Francisco.
People here must get together and
! use their energy. their intelligence and
4 their time in securing these things.
/ There are others which do not come to
me at this moment. but LETT US think
| OF these rather than the ideas OF FeIs
| OF Chicago, who does not concern us
| vitality at the present moment"
| Father Crowley said: II think there
is a great deal of truth in what this
man says I believe that no man can
make more than $4,000. 900 and do II
| honestly. If he gains more he is TAX
/ ing advantage of the system prevailing
and using the talents God gave him
to secure the money which belongs by
right to those who have less talents