Evening star., 1936-09-26
Headline Folk
and What
They Do
TheHouseof Rothschild
Makes Plans for De.
valuation of Franc.
BY LEMUEL r. PARTON

N 1881. the story was that the
Rothschilds had been pretty well
knocked out by the failure Of the
great Creditanstalt Bank of Vi
emma. One long, mortuary story from
London concluded they had no chance
ever to come back. They were
through. They would 90 quietly and
make no outcry. They would be for.
gotten.
Today an informed friend down
In Wall Street, whose business 1t is
to know about such things, told me
that, for the last Eve weeks, tn.
Rothschilds have been shoveling
money into American securities. Con.
firmation was found In other respon.
| sible quarters.
When the franc is devalued. the
word in the Street, for whatever that
Is worth. is that they are going 10
peg 1t. That means the Rothschilds
can sell theirsAzaerican holdings and
buy a lot more francs than they
could have done otherwise Further.
more, the American market has been
rising since they began buying 30
they will win on both sides of the
pond-a way thsy have.
When the Creditanstalt slumped.
Alphons and Louis, head of the vi
emma branch of the family, had been
living in stately splendor, with mag
nifcent estates. hunting preserves, art
galleries, shooting preserves and regal
philanthropy. Their record Of losses
was appalling, and, at the same time.
revealing the wide and intricate RAM
ifications of their fortune in indus
tries, land, steel, manufactures all
over Europe. There have been quite
few larger individual fortunes, but
probably never before so large an sv-
sreeate Of family wealth nor anv 50
completely internationalised In dy.
nastic holdings
Starting with Napoleon. they have
outlasted the Hapsburgs and the
Romanoffs. Powerful statesmen. from
Metternich down to Disrseli and Ed.
ward VII, have come to terms with
them. Mayer Anselm Rothschild,
Frankfort Ghetto boy Of u, .broke
ground for their historic financial edi-
nee by shaving a tiny profit in the
sale OF rare coins. His fortune was
built In an age disquietingly like this
one-vast international uncertainties,
into which he could see farther than
competitor. His sons, Nathan.
James and Solomon, f1ared the family
dominions out over the remotest ror-
ners Of Europe.
At least six times they have been
counted out. Like John Barleycorp
and Old King Cotton. they keep or
coming back-in London. Vienna,
Paris and way stations. lola wrote
their story in "L'Argent." In fact,
whole libraries have been written
about them. to their apparent uncon-
cern. Theirs is a durable dynasty.
I once knew an old desert rat faro
player who made a nice living follow
ing Dan Casey. Dan had a system.
Judge Florence E. Allen OF Colum-
bus, Ohio, who heads the indorse-
ment Of President Roosevelt's peace
policies by group Of welfare workers,
educators, writer's and editors, is the
only woman Federal Judge in Amer.
lea. She was appointed by President
Roosevelt March s, 1884.
She was pianist and musical critic
before she became lawyer. Study
ing in Germany. she paid part of her
expenses as correspondent for the
Musical Courier. and later helped
finance her stay at New York Uni.
versity by writing musical criticism.
Today her free hours are spent with
Mozart. Chopin. Brahms and .Liszt.
Born in Salt Lake City. the daugh-
ter Of professor of Western Reserve
University, she was proficient in
Greek and Latin at the age Of 7 and
ready for Salt Lake College at IS.
In addition to N. Y. u. she attended
Western Reserve and the University
of Chicago. Entering law practice
in Cleveland in 1914. she became as.
sistant county prosecutor and. in 1920.
was elected q Judge Of the Court Of
Common Pleas
(copyright. 1850