The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-08-10

public, and, at the same time, building up
his own personal fortunes. The story OF the
nurse of Washington, of the Fiji mermaid,
and of the various contrivances of that cele-
brated operator has been told by the trium-
plant author of these experiments himself,
and is now part of the literature of the
country. We are reminded good deal of
what Bnrnum did so triumphantly twenty
hive years ago when we see the exploits of
another character, who, if he had only been
in the museum of the distinguished show
man, might have been called the ''What Is
1t 2" For the last few years there has been
drifting through Wall street, through our
money markets, through our politics and So
ciety mysterious, shadowy scarcely defined
influence, whose form is visible to the eyes of
few, but whose name is upon every lip.
In former days he was united in blazing
partnership with one of those peculiar, phos-
phorescent characters which sometimes
flash into prominence in America, only to
fade away. His partnership came to a ter
rible end. Before the dissolution our
''Wall street Mystery" was little more than
the silent member of noisy and obtrusive
firm, eagerly craving notoriety, seeking the
eye of the public in extraordinary tandem
teams Since the dissolution of this part
nership by the vanishing into night of the
gaudy butterfly who for so long period at
tracted the eye of the public the 'Mystery
of Wall street has walked in darkness and
silence At one time he had political am
Ua IN
legislatures, controlling great corporations
Then we had him as the power behind the
Judicial Bench, playing with judges as with
marionettes, and afterward in open alliance
with great leaders of the old Tammany Ring
His policy was then one Of defiance he cared
little for public opinion. Money was the only
means of Advancement, and so long as he
made money he cared nothing for his fame
But recently the Mystery has adopted another
policy He is no longer anxious to be a
power in Tammany Hall, or manager of
judicial marionettes; he no longer seeks dis
play; he avoids sunshine his ambition
sweeps across the Continent; he will take
possession of the great Pacific Railroad,
built by the generosity of the public for the
Atlantic and Pacific States; he would become
the arbiter of the journalism of the country
by controlling the telegraph, and, therefore,
indirectly controlling the press. From day
to day he grows in strength and power,
shadowy influence, but appealing to the
imagination of the people to such a degree
that his very darkness is a source of strength,
and operators in Wall street tremble before
his nod as though he were deity One day,
when he is ''short," he is destroying angel;
another, when he is 'long" he is an aveng-
ing demon. He always carries threat and
a blight.
A study of these phenomenal influences
that now and then arise in our society is the
best means of knowing upon what our gov
ernmental and social systems really rest
Every age has its phenomena, and the Wall
street mystery belongs to ours. In the time
of the East Indian conquest, when Hastings
and Give were founding the magnificent but
fragile power of England in India, we had
the nabob, the suddenly rich adventurer
who returned home laden with the spoils
of Hindoo princes, and who was seen in
every comedy as the rich, ignorant upstart,
suffering from liver complaint and dreaming
of seat in Parliament and marrying his
daughter to lord. In our own country we
had the suddenly rich oil Spectator who
hoated about Saratoga We had the Big
Bonanza princes from California, who came
decorated with quartz and precious stones
Then came the shoddy lords who terminated
=. he oh ~, I1,o
came from fraudulent contracts and rotten
supplies. Our Mystery belongs to new
type He speculates upon the imaginations
of mankind His aim is to deceive the world
and to make deception barter and sale.
Vested rights are nothing. The world is his
oyster and he opens it with his sword. The
lie of the morning is quoted in the stock
list Wherever we see the Mystery it is sur
rounded with mist of lies that float about
it like a miasma, poisoning business and
sapping public credit, weakening private vir-
tue, throwing distrust into all honest trade and
dealing with business and industry and all
honest, prudent effort, as the bandit who feels
that society lives for him alone, and that he
is free to plumber it with impunity.
What is this Mystery of Wall street Is it
the real strength of great intellect or a
reputation gained by the means employed so
effectually thirty years ago by Mr.. Barnum-
is it genius or quackery? Is the 1Iystery
power or n name? Will it live a few days,
advertised into wide prominence as the nurse
of Washington was advertised, and then to
be thrown aside among the old timber and
wornout masks of the street. or are we really
passing under the despotism of a financial
character so great that its existence will be
incompatible with the freedom of a great
people
Blabbing."
We return, with pain, to the word "blab-
bing," as applied by the World to Mr.. Nor
10 H., L ,c 10 Loo,