River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-07-15
New York "Men of the street. :"
\. Y. Letter Springfield Republican


And now for the men ofthe street
whom You wish me to picture. Mr.,
keene, as all know, comes from Cali
fornia. He brought 100000 with
him, and is said to have soon doubled
it in a few successive ventures when
fresh 10 the coast 1t Is questionable,
however, if he has Sl0000,OO0 NOW.
Lard Is a slippery thing 30 tie to, stocks
cannot ALWAYS be counted on to dead
certainty, and il must toe remembered
that the mills of the gods. which grind
so surely and 80 finely, not infrequentlY
make grist of him who beareth fl!s
wheat, as we'll as of il, if he come too
heavily laden. One who does not buy
railroads to run. grain to eat, nor hard
to shorten biscuit with, simply gamblers
on the price Of commodities which he
cannot control, and Is apt to come 10
grief sooner or later. But keene Il
said TO be a man of generous instincts
and his financial wake would probably
be largely attended
As for Cammack. he was once
blockade-l inner, ! believe. And the
tactics that h, used fold with Federal
gunboats he brings into play low as
against all bull cruisers. Lying Of! and
on the market, fondcr of foe than 81
clear weather. feeling for ali opporu-
nifty to make a landing, running .ls
prov into reconnOiter and lodging
back if he scents danger, ready to dash
through the first weak point that pre-,
sents itself, his low, black funnel of
hat and sharp cutWater are all suggest
i've of a Clvde-built boat Recently
under the guns of Gould, he has dis
PLAYED mo e audacity in his forays
than ever before, and, ! fancy, he bias
scored his first success for months To
him the world is but a stock exchange
and men and women the quotations,
they tell me. and for all that he thinks
or talks of anything else his brain mis- ht
be ticker and his tongue the tape.
OF the most prominent men of 'the
street" JAY Gould and Russell Sage rc-
main. But how shall / deal with Them
unless by pointing contrasts? ThuS, /
may say that while Mr. Gould II am
bilious. Mr.. Sage is avariciouS. And
this. think marks the difference be
tween them quite as well as il can be
done by words. Mind | do not say that
Mr.. Sage is not possessed Of ambition
as well. but ! think it viii be very gen
orally conceded that IN him this passion
is overpowered 10y another and not a
nobler one. What is the guiding star
in the life of one, is bet flicker III that
of the other, and is held rs but pa;e be-
side the CLEAN of guinea. To be she
leading railroad power ofthis continent
and that is to say Of the worlds
evidently what Mr.. Gould aspires 10.
and aiming at that he regards money aS
but means, an incident--a most neCes-
sary one, however, to the end. With Mr.
Sage. on the other hand, money stands
first, and he would very likely Jet $
railroad slip through his fingers while
puttering over the price Of a "pBt' or
a 'call. This, they tell me, Is the diff
ference between the men. One goes
for little fishes, bohbing in the shallow
est of waters for all sorts Of sickle
backs. while the other makes great
scoops Of a whide-spreading net or Crap
piles with great whales--the smoke Of
whose fatness, when he get them along
side, fills the air. Understand, new
am holding no one mp as an example Of
all or any Of the cardinal virtues. | aln
bat drawing contrasts. Thus ! de- net
say that Mr.. Gould would not h3e a
church If it stood in his way and CO i!
be converted into a passable railway te-
pot But / do say that a contribution
box would be very apt 10 pass through
his hands with no diminution ~ lts
contents. And II would give me pas.-
tive pleasure could | say a. much "
all his associates, many Of whom p9G-
tend 10 more, and a few Of whom
are the chosen custodians Of cor
uibntiOn boxes There Is this ahMt
Mr.. Gould-he pretends H. nothing
and makes no explanations Pit TIL.
blame on him who likes, he ncvet
opens his lips 10 put it elsewhere And
amid all the present cry that Jay tsoilld
broke the market and brought Distress
into the happy homes 81 honest spccu~
lators who had hoped to retire from tie
market ere this on competence earn
cd by selling their stock al a profit 10
some one no better able probably -
take a loss than they-amld all tins ! say
Mr.. Could has neither publicly nor prl
vately pointed TO the fact that Mr. Nam
derlilt quietly slid out Of Michigan Cen
tra,. Canada Southern and kindred
securities some time since; that yTus
Field peddled his Wabash out in sever
al parishes so long ago a. last December I
and that only himself-and possibly hi
Sage-bave manfully held Their X ! /
through thick and thin, selling none
bat buying an that has been offcrea (
Possibly people would not believe h1a (
did he say this Well, ! must confess G. /.
respect for the rcticencc thai I
da.ae gaot lie when there's f.s 4
need to-and NOT tire s ghiast /
possibility Of being believed. This y /
where Mr.. Gould Is wiser in his genera 4
ton than are most Of his fellow-iinaIs- I
ciers He backs his opinions silently
he bides his time patiently, and he /
bears his losses, if losses come, without 1
complaint. He Is cIeanly in his com
partnership, and gathers around him as
intimates neither gamblers nor horse |
Jockeys. So far from leading any enc
astray on the market. ! am informed |
that,he uniformly refuses to advise as