St. Paul daily globe., 1886-05-05
A FEATURELESS DAY.
Speculative Markets Without Excitement
and Trading Left Almost Entirely
to The Scalpers.
Brokers Devote More Time to Discussing
the Strike Than to Legitimate
Business.
Wheat Firmer and Closing Prices a
shade Higher, Corn and Oats
Dull, Provisions Lifeless.
Wall Street Markets Mend Somewha
Under a Liberal Demand by
the Shorts.
cr,tcago Grain and Provisions.

CEsfcago Grain and Provisions.
Special to the Globe.
CHICAGO, May 4.-The speculative mar
kets were lifeless to-day. Business has
come to stand still. Merchants and spec
ulatorS have settled down i'll calmness TO
await the end of the labor agitation. Only
five Chicago roads are moving freight the
st. Paul, Lake Shore, Baltimore q ONO,
Chicago, Burlington Il Quincy and Mich
igan Central, and nothing can be done here
until the blockade is lifted. Opinions are
widely at variance as TO the merits OF the
demand. but the belief is deeply rooted that
differences between the Industrial masses
and the employers will be adjusted without
serious troubl;. The mouthingS OF the an
archists excite some alarm, and the frenzied
demonstrations are naturally disquietlng,
but the great majority of workingmen have
nothing in common with these laWless ele-
mentS, and are as heartily opposed to them
rs the EMPLOYERS, and will as quickly unite
to put down the
FIRE AND BLOOD AGITAToRS
if they attempt to carry their revolutionary
theories into practice. Manufactures and
workshops are starting up again in this city
and the hosts of idle men are growing
smaller every hour. Employers very gen.
orally manifest a Willingness to try the
eight-hour plan and adopt it permanently
if it works satisfactorily. Many nave
granted an advance in wages with the
understanding that the advance will be
permanent provided competitors pay the
same scale, but not otherwise. The labor
situation. however, will be electric with eX-
citement for many days, no matter what oc-
ours, as the contagion is spreading over the
whole country. IthaS assumed the proper
tlons of giant uprising, but only where
the ignorant foreign element is in the as
tendency have the people been carried OF
their feet by the intOXication OF the
moment 1t is toward these danger spots
that public attention is largely concentrated.
Nothing was talked OF to-day
EXCEPTING THE STRIKES,
and several houses had runners out through
the city from whom they obtained frequent
reports. There was nothing panicky i'll
the markets to-day. 1t was simply ques-
ton of wait. The whole speculative list
was firm, and prices were a shade better.
The trading in wheat was left entirely to
the scalperS. who extracted what amuSe-
ment and profit they could within &c linz
its. June wheat closed Yesterday at o0c,
opened this morning at S0Ac, fell away to
T9$(@19%c, advanced to S058c, sold down
and SO1lc for the last two hours Of the
long session, there being protracted waits
between changes. There was no pressure
to buy or sell. but whenever the market
got down to soc, disposition to buy mani
tested itself, and at S04@S0$5c some
property came out The crowd is rather
bullish, nearly everybody carrying little
''cheap wheat in
ANTICIPATION OF AN ADVANCE.
Foreign market news was encouraging,
and Liverpool was quoted Sd higher in pri-
vate cables, no change appearing on the
blackboard, however. 1t was the gossip
that Kent was buying wheat, and that he
was a large holder. McGeoch and Plank
inton of Milwaukee are also said to be long.
The former is quoted as saying:
Wheat will bull between May ! and May
is or not bull at all this summer"
Corn and oats were likewise dull and
firm, and buyers had to pay more for prop
erty than they could have gotten it for yes
terday. The advance in both cereals was
A@35c. Holders of provisions were not
anxious to do business at current rates, and
the few purchases that were made were oD
a basis of hardening values. The consump-
tive demand is reported as being light. The
afternoon markets were steady, with very
little change in the speculative situation or
in quotations. Trade was dull and in the
hands of scalpers. Strike news was the
oYershadowing feature of interest
PETER BERKEY. Pres. f. W. ANDERSON, Cashier.
CIV. GRIGGs, V. Pres. A. c. ANDERSON, Asst. G.
THE ST. PAUL NATIONAL BANK.
CAPITAL S500.0O0.
Coruer Fifth and jackson streets
"
The Quotations.
CHICAGO, May 4.-Flour dull and I'M
changed Wheat dull and inactive; sales
ranged: May, 1899, closing at 7S119c; June,
70 13-16@SO$Sc closing at so slice; July, SEQ
8216c. closing at S17ac. Corn firmer, prices
advanced 5000; May, 35@351ac, closing at
80 5-16c; June, 3615@3679c, closing at 365sc;
July, 81 9-16@3Sc, closing at 81 11-16c.
Oats stronger; cash, 291ac; May,
2915c; June, 295s@297gc closing at 90 1856
Rye dull: No. 2, Gle. Barley, dull; No. 2, 55c.
Flax seed easy; No. 1, $1.031a. Mess pork
in moderate demaud prices advanced 5@T15c,
closing steady at medium fgures cash
and May, $9.05@9.071l; June, S9.10@9171&,
closing at S9.12@9.15. Lard steady; cash
and May, $5.S5@5.92& June, S595;
July, S6.02%; short rib sides steady;
cash, S5.25@52715; boxed meats steady;
dry salted shoulders, $4@4.10; short clear
sides, S5.55@5.60. Afternoon board-Wheat
firm; June SO14c. The other markets were
unchanged.
MICHAEL DORAN g. CO..
COMMISSION MERCHANTS, ST PAUL. MINI