New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-03-19
COMEDY N COLKT

There is record somewhere OF a Western
orator who was so plausible that he could
"talk the hind leg off a mule" Mr.. James
Fisk. IT.. is perhaps not so highly endowed
with the divine gift which has been defined
as wisdom cOpiOusly speaking but he has GER
tainly developed in his late brilliant career as
a comic witness talent for talking the odium
| off his own character which is hardly less re-
markable than the feat attributed to the
Western speaker. We do not mean that he
explains away the stories told to his discIedt, or
persuadcs the world that he is anything better
than a freebooter of the stock market; but the
world is never angry long with sinner who
makes it laugh. So when Mr.. Fisk treats
the theft of a railroad as a huge joke
and cntertains the Supreme Court with
speculations upon the moral and financial
effect of shoe-buclles like Commodore Van
derbt's; when he stigmatizes Daniel Drew
as a batter-puddng and describes the Enc
Directors as a nest Of robbers; especially when
he expresses his own horror at the netarlous
scheme into which he was badgered by Van
derbilt and caioled by the fearful Drew-al
Ncw-York is amused, and begins to soften the
language in which it has been wont to speak
of this great railway comedian Yesterday per-
haps he was a sWindlcr and a ruiliJn to-day
he is only sad rogue; tomorrow lie will be
that funny Fisk Aud all because he makes
jokes in such unexpected times and places.
We hope, however, that while the world is
laughing at the scenes in Judge Barnard's
court somebody will turn for a moment and
lool. at the affairs of the EIie Railway in the
light which is she'd upon them by Mir. Fisks
! .,f.s .,,f+
late the points OF the present trial. Il is
enough to remind our readers that the great
Wall-street battle between Drew and Vanderbilt
left the latter gentleman with an enormous
amount of deprecated stock on his hands, and
that it was iii the attempt to relieve himself
of this burden that he began the war of in
functions which covered the Judiciary OF New
York with indelbC disgrace. Mr.. Drew and
the majority of the directors were easily wor-
red into a willingness to compromise; but
Fisk and Could, who in the chaos of this
warfare had risen to power on the ruin of the
road, stood ont for seven months. 1t does not
seem to have occurred to anybody that the
courts which were implicated in these affairs
had any concern with the interests of the pub
lie or Justice to the shareholders. Mr.. Wander
bilt, with the consciousness of power natural to
a man who already owned two or three judges
and had money enough to buy two or three
more. swore that writs, iujunctions, and all
other implements of injustice should harry the
directors and block mp the road until he was
released from his bad bargain. Mr.. Fisk and
Mr.. Gould Iwho also owned a few judges
and believed that with the money of the
railroad they could buy as many
as Vanderbilt and buy them as fast, were as
obstinate as bulldogs. Apparently they rather
reshed lawsuits, and found rs much pleasure
in battling a deputy-sheriif as a Galway squire
in the old time experienced in dcfying a bai
lift. Besides, says Mr.. Fisk, it was an 4" al
mighty robbery and if Vanderbilt's proposal
to divide profits and losses should be accepted
by the Erie directory, " the State Prison ought
&" to be built larger And yet the proposal
was accepted and Fisk and Gould assented TO
it. "Some paper was passed round and they
signed it," and then says Mr.. Fisk " told
could that we had sold ourselves to the
"devilr
1t would be interesting to know something
more about the terms of this Sale-what the
devil paid, for instance for those two valua-
BILE pieces of property, and where the profit of
the Erie Railroad, that is to say of its share
holders, was expected to come in. We only
know that as the final result, Mr.. Drew and
Mr.. Vanderbilt each got handsome sum of
money, and MesSrs. Fisk and Gould got the
railroad. What they have done with it, We
need not say.