The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-11-18
Joaquin Miller in Wall Street---A Poet
rs a Spectator.


Street then. i resolved, however, to
oblige. my friend. j went into Wall
Street At once to get the desired in
formation and experience.
This was six months ago. / have just
got back. / have not yet written line
of that article. But / 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 di-
gression, | may add that / am getting
bald-headed
Finding bu6little interestin this great
maelstrom of excitment without taking
part, l, under the advice of my broker,
bought a little Wabash. / bought Wa
bash because il was the first stock on
the list which could distinguish from
the mass-of two hundred names. And 1
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 fortune
wheel.
She did not betray me. My stock
began TO move upward from the first.
1t was not so dull now. How interest
inc it all was. called the click of the
" ticker the pulse and heart beat Of
the nation. If the land was healthy
and prosperous, the pulse beat high and
buoyant. If the land was threatened
with dIDuth, short crops, or misfortune
of any kind, the pulse was low, feverish
and dull. 1t was like a poem.
| had now an interest in the prosper
ity Of the land beyond sentiment.
was a part owner in the one hundred
thousand miles of railways in America.
From that day forth l studied the ge-
ography of my country as never before.
Ny little uptown room in the fourth
story was lined with maps of American
rail yays. In less than week could
quote the opening or closing prices OF
half the stock on the list.
How patiently | held on to the tape
alongAith the other timid and hopeful
little lambsl We would exchange Opin-
ions. encourage each other and lay
great plans for the future. We became
very confidential, our little knqAaround
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 il
seemed at last, when and where ! had
least expected it, | was to make fort
une without either care or toll. l am
perfectly certain that in those few weeks
/ grew to be better man.
AT last I closed out, had in my hand
more than ten thousand dollars. 1 hac
not invested so many hundred. What
scribe had ever been so fortunate
Stocks still advanced. 1t seemed as il
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 | am capable of, went bach
10 Wall Street with my money. l hac
10 use for ten thousand dollars. | had
great use for fifty thousand. hug my
self In satisfaction now, to remember
that thought not so much of myself as
of nv friends at this time | could ge
on with that sum well But away ou'
on tie great. gold shore of the vast wes
sea ! wanted to build home-a city.
would gather about me the dear spirit:
of old. In some sweet spot where there
were woods and cool waters. warn
sun and prolific soil, we would NEE
and build a city-a city of refuge
where every Bohemian might come anC
have a home, rest, peace, plenty, Sc
long as he or she should live or care Il
stay. even drew up plan of my city
and framed few brief laws for its gov
eminent. | named it Utopia.
On returning to Wall Street l chos'
three different brokers-one . bull
house. one d" bear house and one
conservative" house. BY this | hopet
to .et all sorts of opinions. | got them
With my " bears | sold st. Pau
short. There was talk of rust, grass
hoDpers. rains, floods. st. Paul woult
tumble to the center. 1t had alread,
advanced from eighteen to siXty-nine
sold at sixty-nine. seventy and seven
ty-one.
With the " bulls | bought Paeif
Mail. No danger of grasshoppers Of
Pacific Mail. No drouth, no floods o
rus, Pacific Mail had fallen from sixty
two and would surely 90 back up +
eirhty. I bought Pacific Nail and sa
down to wait for it to 90 up and St
Paul to go down.
Things began to move my way.
began to work vigorously on the plan
for my city. | had arranged to brin
my dear old parents away from he ia
West wilds of Oregon, where they ha
dwelt for a quarter of century. The
had never seen the great city. Nov
they should see it, hear the might
preachers and sail on the Atlantic.
How life widened out! had an in
terest now in every ship that sailed
The flow of money TO or from the Ian
was to me of vital concern. All CON
meree was as rich with interest to m
now as the poetry of Homer. At te
o'clock sharp 1 found myself holdin
on 10 the tape, waiting to see If ha
grown richer or poorer through tn
night. All day, TIL the hammer fell,
stood with my finger on the pulse
commerce.
How did come outP o. Well, wa
short of st. Paul and long of Paciii
Mail. l expected Pacific Mail to 60 u
and St. Paul to go down. They did an
/ had S2I 600. But that was not enoug
to build city with. [ held on.
One day it was rumored that the ru,
was not so bad in St Paul after all.
began to start upl Pacific Mail bega
to shoot down. II WAS said the Chimes