The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-04-11

all his. When he walked into big
hotel he would proclaim that it all
belonged to him. He was not in the
least arrogant about it. There were
moments, his associates said, when
Hugo Shines even seemed sorry to
be so rich. But as rule he en-
dured the fact with fortitude
A genial character, SHINES dis
played Feasibility only when the
size Of his fortune was disputed. He
had one clinching argument. He
would take doubters to one of his
hotels and feast them .royally.
Eat what you like he would say.
The place is all mine.
The magnate himself took no de-
light in food, had no i lr for music,
never read books, saw nothing inter
esting in nature, and seldom was seen
at the theater, although he number
ed several of them among his pos
Sessions.
My business" he would say, so
entirely occupies my mind that there
is no room for anything else.
He owned his first evening suit in
1917, and was persuaded to purchase
it hy Albert Balm, creator of the
Hamburg American Line. Before
that he always appeared at dinners
and banquets in what he termed his
working clothes. He was seldom ask
ed to speak in public, for he nvari-
ably drfted into a TRADE against the
aristocracy, which he hated with all
the fire of his complex nature.
His only heroes were men who
started with nothing and amassed
fortunes.
Look at those gh-brows, he
would say. What did they ever do
for Germany! They lost the war
for us. yet see the airs they give
themselves. gould buy them all up
land never miss the money. This
was a favorite extract from the
heart of his Socialistic beliefs.
Yet SHINES himself did not start
with nothing. He belonged to an
eminent Jewish family long in COM
mcrce, and received substantial aid
from his father after completing his
studies in technical school. He was
born Feb. II, 1870, and from earliest
bovhood was trained in the princi-
pies of commerce and trade.
When the World War broke over
Europe, SHINES, was transacting
business in Gustein. He read Aus
tria S ultimatum to Serbia and in
stantly recognized it as war. He
hurried to his Muelheim home, spent
IA hours in the telephone cell Of his
private apartment, and when he
emerged all his enterprises were on
4 war basis.
Led One Party
Politically, SHINES was an idol of
the German Peoples Party, formerly
the National Liberals, which he was
said to have financed after the rev.
olution. During the Inter-Allied
discussions on the German indemnity
at Spa in the summer of 1920. Stin-
mes defiant stand as National Lib
cral was blamed for the failure to
come to immediate terms. 1t was at
this conference, when taken to task
for his arrogant attitude. that he
electrified the assembly with the
statement:
Il have not come here for the
purpose of being polite.
In the years that followed, how
ever, he became more pacific, and
urged the German people to adopt a
policy Of work and production, which
he declared was the only salvation
for the war-torn nation.
The most human side Of Stinnes
seemed to be domestic. He would
spend hours in the company of his
children, fashioning new toys for
them and mending old ones, or
searching the stores of Muelheim for
novelties. When residing in Berlin,
SHINES and his little girl would go
in the afternoon to the zoo, and there
the calculating magnate would tenn
per his voice with note of sadness
and tell over and over again about
the poor lion that had to be killed
during the war because food was so
scarce.
Did Not Like Luxury
The industrial prince of Germany
cared nothing for luxury, and had no
personal extravagances. He owned
SeVcTal MOTOR cars, out usually walk
ed or rode in trolley car. He was
often seen running through the
streets of Berlin like school boy.
but no one more than glanced at him,
for all knew SHINES and his eccen-
tricities. If his presence were re-
quired at one Of the mines, he might
be seen plodding along the street
with a group of blackened miners.
or else clinging to a strap in street
car surrounded by his workers, who
treated him as one of their number.
His apartments were modest, al
though he owned the hotel in which
he lived. His country place outside
Berlin was a simple cottage with
little garden. He bought no pictures
or statues. for they were worthless,
so he thought.
Hugo SHINES had two fav0rite
boasts. One was that he could buy
anyone in Central Europe g, ithout
missing, the money, and the other
that he never had seen the former
German Emperor, and wouldn't have
turned his head to look at hiHa on the.
street.