The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-12-04
Joaquin Miller in Wall Street-..A Poet
rs q Spectator.

rs a Spectator.
Last spring 1 received letter from
the editor of the chief London magazine
asking me to write him an article to be
entitled "a Week in Wall Street."
] l knew nothing whatever of Wall
Street then. / resolved, however, to
oblige my friend. l went into Wall
Street at once to get the desired in
formation and experience.
This was six months ago. l have just
got back. have not yet written a line
OF that article. But l have material
enough to write book bigger than
Macaulay's " History of England" l
| know all want to know about Wall
Street And, if you will pardon the dr.
erosion, l may add that l am getting
bald-headed.
Finding but little interest in this great
maelstrom of excitment without taking
part, l, under the advice of my broker,
bought little Wabash. bought Wa
bash because it was the first stock on
the list which could distinguish from
the mass of two hundred names. And |
came to remember it because had been
born on its banks, as it were. Indeed,
on the very banks of the Wabash River
have seen my father furrow the field
for corn in the spring, while my mother
followed after, dropping the corn in the
furrow; while three little boys toddled
after, myself of the number, and COW
cred the grain that lay in the little
squares of the mellow earth. And so it
was with touch of tenderness that l
bought Wabash and became one of the
eager party holding on TO the tape,
watching, waiting the turn of fortunes
wheel.
She did not betray me. My stock
began to move upward from the first.
1t was not SO dull now. How interest
ing it all was! l called the click of the
ticker the pulse and heartbeat of
the nation. If the land was healthy
and prosperous, the pulse beat high and
buoyant. If the land was threatened
with drOuth, short crops, or misfortune
of any kind, the pulse was low, feverish
and dull. 1t was like poem.
had now an interest in the prosper
ity of the land beyond sentiment l
was . part owner in the one hundred
thousand miles of railways in America.
From that day forth studied the ge-
ography of my country as never before.
My little uptown room in the fourth
story was lined with maps of American
railways. In less than week l could
quote the opening or closing prices of
half the stock on the list.
How patiently l held on to the tape
along with the other timid and hopeful
little lambs! We would exchange opin-
ions, encourage each other and lay
great plans for the future. We became
very confidential, our little knot around
that ticker" and when of our set lost
money he had our honest sympathy.
They were pleasant days, these first,
for stocks went up steadily, and it
seemed at last, when and where l had
least expected it, was to make a fort
une without either care or toll. l am
perfectly certain that in those few weeks
/ grew to be better man.
At last closed out, l had in my hand
moro tLan ten thousand dollars. / had
M, invested so many hundred. What
scribe had ever been SO fortunate!
Stocks still advanced. 1t seemed as if
they would never stop going up.
/ sat down and tried for DAYS to de-
eide what to do. Coolly, deliberately,
and after as much and as mature
thought as l am capable of, Invent back
to Wall Street with my money. 1 had
no use for ten thousand dollars. l had
great use for fifty thousand. hug my
self in satisfaction now, to remember
that thought not so much of myself as
OF my friends at this time / could get
on with that sum well. But away out
on the great, gold shore of the vast west
sea wanted to build home-a city. l |
would gather about me the dear spirits
OF old. In some sweet spot where there |
were woods and cool waters, a warm |
sun and prolific soil, we would meet
and build a city-a city of refuge
where every Bohemian might come and
have a home, rest, peace, plenty, so
long as he or she should live or care to
stay. l even drew up plan of my city
and framed few brief laws for its gov
eminent. named it Utopia.
On returning to Wall Street chose
three different brokers-one a "bulr'
house, one a " bear" house and one a
" conservative" house. By this hoped
to get all sorts of opinions. l got them.
With my 4" BEARS / sold st. Paul
short. There was talk of rust. grass
hoppers, rains, floods. st. Paul would
tumble to the center. 1t had already
advanced from eighteen to sixty-nine.
| sold at sixty-nine, seventy and seven
ty-one.
With the " bulls" 1 bought Pacific
Mail. No danger of grasshoppers on
Pacific Mail No drouth, no floods or
rpst! Pacific Mail had fallen from sixty
swo and would surely go back up to
eighty. l bought Pacific Mail and sat
Town to wait for it to go up and St.
Paul to go down.
Things began to move my way. 1
began to work vigorously on the plans
or my city. l had arranged to bring
ny dear old parents away from The far
Vest wilds of Oregon, where they had
Co. 4