National Republican., 1883-04-14
THE MAN ON THE AVENUE.
sman Tall, About Men and Measures.

You can form some idea Of the extont of the
business done here when / tell You that
$4,000 year rental is paid for private wires
between here and New York, every dollar of
which is paid by local brokers. These wires
are used almost exclusively for speculative
purposes. Some of the biggest, gamost, and
best stock and grain betters in the country
live in Washington, and they use confidential
electricity regardless. Our trade is best dur
ing sessions of congress, as a matter of course,
but it is not SO excessively slow in vacations.
Washington Spectators are turning their at
tention to grain latterly, and dealing largely
on the Chicago board of trade"
eRs
The conversation turned upon southern
railroad development and securities, and the
broker continued:
Spectators have been bitten so badly in
southern railroad stocks during the past year
or two that they are fighting shy of them.
The Louisville and Nashville has tumbled
from ia to 50, and the Richmond and DAN
vile dropped from $50 to so and go. 1t was
as low as 40 at one time. Gen. Gordon had
big block of it, which he refused TO part with
at top figures, but lot go at about 20, think.
lie lost nearly all he made in the Georgia Pa
cifc in that Midland deal, | understand. The
trouble with tho standard southern lines is
that they are overplaying the extension busi-
ness. By taking hold of every little feeder
that is offered they have strained their credit
to the limit. They may pull out by and by,
but it will be uphill work, and slow work,
too. The Gould party has lately taken hold
of the securities of the East Tennessee and
Virginia, buying heavily of its securities,
with view TO making connection with the
Shenandoah Valley road and forming a
through trunk line from Harrisburg to
Brunswick. 1t will be good line.
"Thcre are now only two north and south
through lines, viz, the Louisville and Nash
vile and the Illinois Central worthy the
name of trunk lines. The new Gould north
and south system will bo the third. By all
means the most powerful southern system is
that controlled by tho Erlanger syndicate.
The eastern terminus of les lines is Bruins
wick, Ga. The system extends from that point
to the Rio Grande, and representative of
the Topolobampo railway, ofwhich ex-senator
Window is president, has gone to Paris to
interest Erlanger in the scheme, and get him
to lay track from the Rio Grande across the
country to Topolobampo harbor, n distance of
seven hundred miles. This company is also
negotiating with the Chinese six companies
with view of diverting portion of tho
oriental trade which now goes by way of San
Francisco and Panama to the proposed west
ern terminus of WINDOWS Mexican line. The
route will be shorter than any now used, and
judging from the character of the men con-
cerned 1 am inclined to think they will ac-
complish what they are after both in Paris
and San Francisco. This will make the ex-
tremo southern line of communication from
ocean to ocean, and tho shortest it will be pos
sible to get.
"Tho Erlanger and Huntington systems
owns tho Chesapeake and Ohio, and
he is already filling in tho gap
between tho western end of the Chesa-
pcake and Ohio and tho eastern terminus of
the Southern Pacific system. One of these
days he will make the connection and then
you will see the Chesapeake and Ohio boom.
The stock is only 20 now. In few years it
will bo above par"
The Washington stock board Is made up of
the iolliest financiers on the face fthe globe.
The dailysessions are "picnics for the mem
bers. From small beginning the board has
worked itself into prominence and impor-
tance. 1t is the most harmonious body in tho
country.
"How are Hendricks and Mcdonald ~ I
asked an ex.democratic state officer of In
diana last evening in tho course of talk
about 1884,
"They are passably friendly" was the an.
swer. Hendricks knows he is no longer u
presidential possibility, and although he may
not join the glad chorus that is singing Nc
Donald's praises he will not produce discord.
The relations between the two men arc not
so cordial as they might be were it not for
differences between Mrs. Hendricks and Mrs.
Mcdonald, and few years ago this would
have been an important factor in the battle.
Until within very recent period Mrs.
Hendricks was power in Indiana politics.
She Is in some senses remarkable woman,
but her advice to the ex-governor has not al
ways been good. 1t was her influence that
led him to declare hostilities against Tilden,
against the advice of all of his friends, n cir
cumstance which prevented the denomination
and reelection of the old ticket of 1876.
The moguls of the party read the riot act to
her couple of years ago, talking to her as
though she were man, telling her in forci-
Bile and pointed English where she had made
mistakes and why she must be less active in
| the future.
"When the Senator and Mrs. Mcdonald
visited Saratoga after their marriage, Mrs
Hendricks met them in the parlor of the
Grand Union and was elusive in her cor.
diality, running clear across the room with
both hands outstretched to greet Mrs. Nc.
Donald. Later in the season Mrs. Hendricks
and the social set over which she rules under,
took to cut Mrs. Mcdonald, and they are
not now on good terms. Before Mrs. Ii. lost
her power this would have had great weight
in Indiana, but the democracy of the state
| has shifted its allegiance to Mcdonald. Gov
| Hendricks will not antagonize the Mcdonald
movement, much as he might like to fol
social reasons. The two men have practiced
before the indianapolis bar together fol
twenty-five years and more, and were 1t moi
for the facts have related they would be
loyal comrades at arms"
The Matter with James's Play.
Brooklyn Eagle.