National Republican., 1883-01-30
ON TIE AVENUE.
Small Talk About Men and Measure,

stocks" said well-lknown broker at Willard's
last evening. "The orders to buy or sell
come streaming in on us from the capitol
from senator's, members, committee clerks,
lobbyists, and correspondents who have been
let in on the ground hoor' We have ac-
counts on our books with persons whose
names our confidential clerks do not know,
as the slightest hint regarding their iden-
tity would mean political ruin and
disgrace in many instances. Orders are
given and received under cover and IL our
books should by any chance be brought before
a court or an investigating committee, it
would be discovered that we did busi-
ness with Good Luck Fairweather,'
Silver Lining Gotham and other individ-
uals equally distinguished. If these mystic
rious personages are chairmen of congress
sional committees, high department officials,
senators, or congressman, or newspaper corre-
spondents, nobody will ever be the wiser. 1t
is to my interest to keep my mouth shut, and
I take it for granted that my customers are
equally interested in keeping their opera
tions quiet, else they would not take such ex.
traordinary precautions.
"The moment action on any railway bill,
or any matter which may influence mining
stocks, or the value Of any line of mer-
chantable property is taken, the orders begin
to pour in, and although that action may not
be publicly known for days or weeks, am
conscious that something has happened, and
It does not take me long to find out what it
is. You would be astonshed beyond meas
ure to know who dabbles in stocks. Men
you would think are as innocent of q knowl-
edge of the ways of speculation as unborn
babes give orders that would make your eyes
bulge with surprise They are awfully sly,
and will never be found out. They do not go
around asking for pointers; they make
pointers They never mix with stock gam
blers and do not hover about the ticker, al
though they may have $4,000, $4,000, or
100000 involved in deal. see many queer
things, and have learned to distrust the hon
esty Of the generality Of statesmen of every
degree. would not trust the goddess of lib
erty, If / thought she could feel her way to
making an honest dollar by q clever turn on
Wall street."
80
Ex-senator Mcdonald is fighting shy of
newspaper people on this trip to Washington,
entire confidence. OF the ex-senator, n friend
and admirer said last night: Mcdonald is
openly and confessedly candidate for the
presidency, and his friends have taken him
formally into training. He is having new
experience, and l do not think he moro than
half enjoys the part he is playing He is a
bluff, hearty, sturdy, manly man, of positive
character, and everybody who knows him
likes him. He is common as an old
shoe, and although not addicted to
garrulity in the slightest degree he Is free to
express opinions when asked to do so. In all
his public career-and he has been in active
politics for thirty-fve years-he has never
been ridiculed until within tho past few
months. think the treatment he is receiv-
ing from a portion of the press of tho east
gravels him. 1t is entirely new to him. He
is rather massive in his general mental and
physical makeup, and the small shot his
enemies are firing at him at this .uncture
annoy him beyond measure. His guns are
loaded for bear, and he cannot waste ammu-
milton on small game. His friends have con-
WINGED him that he must not be interviewed
by anybody on any subject for the press, and
he is religiously abstaining from intercourse
with correspondents, thereby scoring one on
the gossip-mongers"
Mcdonald was always popular with his
colleagues and with senate employees" OBJ
served another gentleman "and il a vote
were to be taken in the north end of the capt.
tol it would be found that he is to-day the
choice of large proportion of the boys. OF
the employees Of the senate about fifty have
newspaper connection of some sort through
the south and west, and many good word
have they said for him in their Washington
correspondence. l learn that he is gaining
ground rapidly in the south. Arkansas is
solid for him, and in Louisiana and Missis-
sppi he is very strong, Texas, Louisiana,
and some of the other southern states will in
struct their delegates to cast complimentary
votes for Hancock, but the second choice will
be Mcdonald"
~
Senators Bayard and Pendleton are the only
sticks of presidential tall timber on the DEM
cratic side of the senate, although Senator
Mcpherson has modest shaft erected. The
first named is contrary to popular belief, ex-
ceedingly approachable. He is aIablc, and
dearly loves good story and jolly COM
panion who has left his blue ribbon and total
abstinence pledge behind him. The senator
is veering toward the democratic platform of
1880, with an incidental protection plank
inserted therein, and feels that he, too, is in
training. "It is singular" remarked n
constituent, "the hold he has on what are
classed tho cultured classes. Nobody ever
saw him reading book, but he passes for a
man of deep erudition and remarkable scien-
tiRc attainments. No man in Washington
has so many invitations to address scientific
conventions of one sort and another, and coll
lege-bred people have great admiration for
him. He is polished in his manner He is
not an oxtravagant entertainer, but occasion.
ally surrounds himself with company of
choice spirits aud old friends under his own
vine and fig tree. He is not rich man, al-
though he is not in immediate danger of 60
ing to the poorhouse. He is said to be worth
$l50,0OO."
40
Senator Pendleton's committee clerk is the
only advocate the Ohio statesmen has for the
presidency. He stands almost alone amid the
ruin of his lofty hopes aud ambitions. A
Buckeye congressman of democratic proclivi-
ties in discussing his chances said "Senator
Pendleton never had much show, but he eff
fectually removed himself from the field. lie
is no longer remote possibility. 1t would
be criminal for the democracy TO nominate
him. now that they have a chance of SUCCESS