The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-09-16
oUIsIANA, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER le, 1882
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.

&sAsSA .ssOv
perate Attempt Of Wall street Stock
Jobber to.sei1e the State ofNew York-A
Live Duke In New York and how He got
away with Ed. stokes, etc.
/ New York, September =, 1882.
EDITOR CHIEF:
Some months ago one Of the comic
papers had The picture of an octopus
whose tentacles spread out in every
direction, seizing and destroying every
thing within its reach. This fearful
animal was supposed to represent the
man at whose fiat stocks go up or down ;
the great railroad and telegraph wrecker ;
the individual who last spring, when the
market was bnlled, brought out his
strong box and exhibited to the gaze of
his astonished guests securities which
represented ever fifty millions Of dollars.
Widows cries, orphans means, ruined
bank cashiers, bankrupt merchants, DESC
hearthstones and defaulters' curses were
represented in that costly pile. The shot
of the suicide; the murderous billy of
the bank robber; the forged check !;
every form of swindling and theft were
represented in that strong box, but the
little great man trembled not, for he
knew that men still worslipped the
Golden Calf; in that respect Mt least,
there is no difference between Jew and
Gentle, and the Savior Of mankind
would stand much poorer chance OH the
Fifth Avenue or Wall street to-day than
lie had in Jerusalem nineteen hundred
years ago. But to return to the picture !;
the octopus had seized upon everything !;
railroads, telegraphs, newspapers, crops,
all things that grew in the earth, that
flew in the air, that swan in the sea, or
crawied OF the ground were in the grasp
Of this hideous creature. and away in
one corner was Il frightened wretch who
had been ruined doubtless by the octopus
and yon could almost read in his haggard
eyes the words "kill it"-there was no
other chance of release.
| During the past week controversy
has occurred between Jay Gould and
Governor Cornell which has more than
passing interest for the people Of not
only the State Of New York, but of the
entire United States. 1t is now a square
issue whether the State of New York is
| fr lNo r,,}a i,v t1o Nor.,l, Cv low mid
| with his fifty or IL hundred millions.
There may be various opinions with
regard to the administration of Governor
Cornell he may not have pleased this
one by signing that bill, or lie may have
displeased that Que by vetoing the other:
but that he ever lent OF lowered himself
| by any venal agreement with this lying
Wall street stock jobber, not man who
knows him believes. Governor Cornell
may have his enemies, fo. man who
has been i'll public life as long as lie has,
it would bo strange if he had not, but
those who have known him best through
long years Of honest mercantile endeavor
| and severe political struggles will be
slow to believe that lie ever prostituted
his high office fol. any improper purpose,
especially when the witness was no other
than Jay Gould. If faithful public
servant is to be destroyed by the mere
assertion of every conciesceless rascal,
and the time has come when the word of
Il common liar is to have the weight of
all honest man, then goodbye to popular
government, farewell to honest admins
tration, and welcome that which these
unhung villains look for, u carnival of
murdercrs and thieves. This last attack
has awakened the people to the appalling
| danger which threatens us from concen-
trated capital in the hands of an un-
scrupulous man. The dodge is not a
new one with this financial trickster.
Years ago the SAME thing was tried with
Gen. Grant. but the conspiracy failed
ignominionsly. Fortunately for the right,
the great body Of the people will be ut
Ao sooo w VIM w q CRSSuy SoHNAuotOA
when the question is one of veracity
between Alonzn u. Cornell and Jay Gould.
Though everybody who is anybody is
supposed to be out Of town, we are not
supposed to be entirely desolate. Last
week a'iive Duke turned up at the Fifth
Avenue Hotel, and engaged u suite of
rooms fur himself, ladies and attendants.
The Duke was travelling iacog., and as he
did not want to be known for fear of
being bored with invitations to dinners,
sou know, he told the hotel clerk his
name and title; this is a fashionable
wrinkle worth knowiDg-whencyer you
are travelling iacog. and don't want
everybody to know anything about you
always mention it to the clerk Of the
hotel; that is exactly what our friend
the Duke did, and then as he was fatigued
lie ordered champagne and cigars. He
had occasion to step out before his
baggage and servants arrived, so he
thought he would have occasion for about
a hundred dollars before. he got back,
but although the clerk could stand CHAM
pagne and cigars for so distinguished
guest, he grew suspicious at tile lone of
hundred dollars. The detective of the
hotel was called into the counsels of the
clerk, and the result was that the detee-
tive pronounced him fraud, and bounced
him into the street; bnt the Duke was
,,nt of, sac;IX- ,rnf H.. {,,-,o1 ,,.x