The Hawaiian gazette., 1879-06-04
Jim Keen. the speculator.

We learn from our Eastern exchanges of
reczn; date that jim Keen, the Spectator in
wheat At New York, is likely to lose large
amount Of money on his extensive purchases
throughout the country. This man Keen,
after exhausting the financial game Of shuttle
board in San Francisco, and finding the field
too small for him, went 10 New York to oper
ate in stocks. The fact is, Keen went to New
York in the interest of Bonanza ring Of
mining CaIifornia stock operators, Of which he
CKeenl was the head and front, for the sole
purpose Of getting up a spirit Of speculation in
mining stocks similar 10 San Francisco, bv
which thousands Of honest but misguided
people have been financially ruined. Keen
finding the people Of New York either too
wary or too poor to indulge in the luxury Of
being plucked by the Stock Syndicate, repre-
seuted BY him, took it into his head TO Try his
luck in getting up corner in wheat. To do
this successfully, It became necessary for this
head Of the Syndicate to make extensive pur-
chasss Of wheat ali through the western
States, 50 as 70 control the market, as had
been successfully done so often in manipula-
tiug mining stocks. This game involved the
expenditure Of millions Of dollars. Accord
iHgly the wheat market was forestalled all
through the western States, and the shipments
Of wheat from the West TO New York soon
became less and less, thus causing scarcity
Of the staple product in the market. In order
however 10 make the game work well, it was
necessary to borrow the powerful aid of the
newspaper press in New York to spread the
alarm by proclziming that Keen had sue
eeeded in buying up all the surplus wheat in
tie western market, and thus cause timid
PeoPle 70 take the slarm and buy to head of
the impending panic that was sure to follow.
Bat the game, although adroitly played, does
not seem to work entirely satisfactory to
Keen and the Syndicate; inasmuch as they do
not control the wheat market of the United
States but so far from doing 50, find them
selves the oEners Of millions Of bushels of
wheat, with downward market, surplus of
wheat IN the West sufficient to feed the world
- - AI-A7- oL-- -G@AF Eli hceu All company
completely headed Of. The loss to this soul
less Syndicate II wheat, the staff Of life, the
sustenance Of the poor, as well as the rich,
viii Be several millions of dollars, at which
every honest man and woman will rejoice. 1t
Is Dad enough for men to make corners in
mining and railroad stocks, but when thew
undertake to do 50 in brezdstu=s, it is abso-
lutely horrible; and It Is but righteous ret
ributi0n, when such menfaiI in their nefarious
designs 70 make money, by gambling in that
which is essential to human existence. We
hope that jim Keen and his coufederates, in
this unholy conspiracy against the poor, nay
lose every dollar they may have put into the
speculation. So long as vampires ike Keen
coafne themselves to speculations in stocks
the world can look on with calm indifference:
bat when they attack the bread We eat, and
attempt to raise It's price, By buying up the
wheat of which that bread Is made, they be-
cone public enemies and should be locked
upoa as such BY all honest people, and should
Be eIecrzted for their warfare upon the work
ing people whose empty purses and starving
families are miseries sufficient for poor human
nature to bear, without having superzddsd the
cruel ef0rts Of soGlless noney-sharks 10 tax
the crust Of bread necessary to satisfy the
hunger Of their helpless wives and little ones.