The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-07-26

tation, It has been arbitrarilv :.
sumed that the millionaire -.
returns OF 10 per cent Al -.
classification has been worke6 ~
from that hypothesis. Douhtles.
there are many possessors of n
100000 earning but 5 per cent -
their fortunes. II this clsssif,cs.
ton be included, the total numhs,
OF millionaires is greatly svelleaN
more than doubled.
OF the $50, 900 income class.
per cent yield on 1000. 900 thsrs
were 5,16l in 1914. These addss
to the 2,34S Of the higher clas,ss
would give a total Of 1909 for I'M
Tho figures for the other yeara q.
these millionaires are: e,Si7 ID,
1915 or a total when added to ths
spper classes OF 1851 all told.
"a, 452 for 1915. or a total Of l70S5:
12,439 for 1917. or a total Of ls.loa:
1896 for 1918, or total OF 14AsS.
Il, 23o. Tor 1918, or total of lS3le:
1908 for 1920, or a total Of lS.
TAI
The figures show that the groupa
Of lesser millionaires, that Is thoss
having estates ranging from 81.
000, 900 to S10.0o0, o0o, has held their
fortunes through the war better
than the super-millionaires win
above $4,000, 900.
When Poor Milli0naires Flourished
m fact the high point for single
millionaires, that is possessors Of
81 ,000, 900 yielding incomes Of $loo..
900 a year was not reached until
1918 which was three years after
the high point for the super.mil.
lionaires has been passed. In tact
every class Of lesser millionairU
from the impoverished POSSESSION
of a mere million up to those with
S., 000.0 or $4,000, 1000 was more
numerous in 1920 than in 1914 when
the war started; whereas there are
but half as many super-millionaires
shown for 1920 as for 1914.
The $2,000, 600 fortune seems to
be about the most steady. OF these
paying incomes Of SOC. 900 year,
there were 1913 in 1874; 3S6 in 1915;
726 in 1916; 703 in 1917; 4el b
1918; 522 in 1919, and 3o7 in 1s1o.
A steady, healthy growth is shown
up to the peak in 1916 and then =
falling off; but a result at the
close Of the period showing a sub
stantial gain in this class over
1914. The other net gains over
1914 are notable also.
There were in 1914, 147 possess
ors of 100000 and in 1920. lss.
Those with $4,000 900 estates in
1914 numbered So while in 1890
there were 10. Those with $685.
900 numbered ia in 1914 and 10
in 1920. The highest single class
Of all for the period was that CON-
posed of persons with $1,000, 600 in
19a7. There were 1902 in that
class alone in 1917, the year the
United States entered the war.
The pOssessors Of these great
fortunes are the persons who pay
the bulk of the government taXea
While the average tax paid by the
man with $1,000 income in 1s2s
was but $3.50, the average Tx
paid by the single-millionaire wal
$39,519.17, and the average tai
paid by the super-millionaire wal
! 81. 4s0, 457.12.
In the aggregate the large mum
Der of small salaried persons re
ceived more income than the super
millionaires. In 1920 the net In
come of persons with incomes rang
ing from $1,000 to $4,000 a veal
reached the gigantic aggregate Of
$4,O50, O66, SIS while the group o.
super -millionaires had to contenl
themselves with an aggregate in
come Of only $77,07S,l39. But th'
income of S4,O50, 066,61S received b!
the relatively poor people had t
be divided among 1880 whil'
the super-millionaires had thell
$77,O7S,139 to divide among only 80
While the $4,000 income clas'
which received an aggregate In
come of s4,050, 066,61S paid totA
tax of only $36.S59,732, the super
millionaire class with an aggregat
income of only $77,07S, 139 paid tn
greater sum of $49,1S5,0S5. Tina
the rich people Of the country bea
by far the greater part of the Ia!
burden is shown by the fact that al
the income classes from $1,000
year up to $4,000 year paid bu
1851 ,0O0, 900 in 1920, while tn
classes ranging above $4,000 a yea
all the way up to the super mil
iionaires paid a total of sS0S,0oo
600. These figures are for ~.
. which was a year of high wages Il
!. the lower classes, but poor yea
| for millionaires. The explanato
| is found in the fact that the avefag
t rate of taxes in the $4,000 cias
: was but 1.19 per cent in 1920 com
. pared to 64.65 per cent for the su
: per-millionaires.