Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-07-17
The BIoated Bond Halder.

MIR. Thomas Ewing lent the honorof a
great name and the services of great fin
ancial ability to the "A. & L. E. Railway
Company alias Ohio Central. AS Presi-
dent of the Company under its new and
wonderfully original and Strikingly pro-
pitious name, he displayed amazing fin
ancial cleverness in collecting his own
salary of $1,000 per year. And if the
burden of the salary had been divided
equally among the stock holders, "hOnOr-
ed'' with the lead of so sFgreat a name,''
it would have been only a trife of one
dollar to the man. Only nine hundred
dollars year would have been taken out
of suffering Perry county to pay for SER
vices so distinguished. And who would
not pay one dollar per year for the rare
distinction of being associated with the
American financier!
But the financial dexterity of the illus
trious President appears in another trans
action. He astonished his honored stock
holders by boldly issuing $5,000,000 in
bonds. Borrowing 50 900 he dispatched
trusty financial agent to the French
capital to hypOthecate his bonds. OF
course the French capitalists had heard
of the great financier ;his fame had spread
over Europe. They had heard of his sur
prising executive power, too. Perhaps
general order No. IL, translated into
French was then under their eyes! They
were waiting to empty their plethoric
Golfers into his craving nav. And the
gold was at once loaded and shipped to
the Office of the great American money
magnate. Was it. indeed? All! There's
the rub. The stupid French happened
to remember the financial exploits of an
other distinguished financier, John Law,
who t1ourished from nothing into moth
ing 150 years ago; and also they had a
vague recollection of their own financial
Ingenuity in issuing their own assignats
in 1870. And so they said 'Fthese great
American Railway and silver and gold
mining enterprises have just a trif1e of the
uncertain sound about them. Permit us,
MOsieur Ewing, to send a competent en-
gineer to examine your line" He came;
he saw; and he reported. Neither the
pOmp and splendOr surrounding the Illus
trious financial magnate blinded him ;nOr
the potent, character-givingn name, "OhiO
| CentraP' overcame him. The teemiug
| population along the line, from the lakes
| to the great water a thousand years hence
| had no influence, whatever, upon his I'M
romantic disposition. There was not a
bit of sentiment about him. He would
see things as they were. He made his
report; and suddenly the cablegrams
| from the French Capital to the great
| American financier ceased.
Again, the financial abilities of the
famous Railway King is shown in this
fact. And it is in this transaction that
| the five thousand stockholders just now
appreciate his executive adrOitness. Be
cause the practical French capitalists re-
fused to part with their gold, he failed TO
finish his line and enrich the people,
But why should he not lay his plans to
enrich himself in the near future? His
legal acumen and financial force were
equal to the task. Both cOnspired to his
success for once. What he could not do
for others he could do for himself.
He forced his million bonds on the
market; aud by an agent in disguise
bought them for song. Astonishing
legal sagacity! The sagacity of a petit
fOgger! Amazing financial cleverness
The cleverness of a curb stone brOkerl
And now the 5000 hOnOred stOckhold-
ers have been invited by the honorable
Sheriff to step into Court, and double up
on their once paid stock, and hand over
to their distinguished president 60 cents
on the dollar. He financiered his salary
of So, 900 per year; and now from the
wreck ola laudable enterprise to which
thousands gave their hardearned dollar,
he gathers 5000, 900 to be divided between
himself and his coparteners.
One man has been found who affirms
that General Ewing is very popular. His
want of information may be offered as an
excuse. The attentive reader will note
the following. LIST. The Congressional
district which the General represents, land
which elected him last fall by majority
of 43s, gave Governor Bishop in 1877 a
majority of l,55S-a falling behind OF
1.120 for General Ewing. 2d. In 1876
Tilden's majority in the same counties
was sO6-sa falling behind of 36s tor Gen
$ eral Ewing. Sd. Last fall, Page the Dem
\ tocratic candidate for Secretary of State
/ on the same ticket with General Ewing
had a majority in the district of SIS; that
r Is, General Ewing ran behind the head OF
his ticket, in his own district, where he
$ is best known, 377 yotes.-LaReastsr co.,
Gazette.