New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-05
NOTES OF MEN AND AFFAIRS
GLIMPSES OF LIFE AND EXPERIENCE
WHERE PEOPLE MEET

within short time been brought into the service Of
the Brlce-Thomas syndicate general counsel and
assistant in their railroad affairs. Tie long
in Congress, at the head OF tho Committee Agr
culture, that II almost forgotten that for eight
years prior the dcah of Pennsylvania great rail-
road president the General one Of tho most
active OF Colonel Thomas A. scotts assistants So
there has been little wonder that he should turn
up as railroad man, when In fact It was tho natural
thing for him to do / was In his :" den' at No
10 Walst., the other day when fffy-two cases were
referred to him in lump for his examination refer
ence settlement dis posal. lie received tho great
batch OF documents with as much equanimity
when formerly he ordered peck Of turnlp seed sent
to q favorte agricultural constituent
The Bricc- Thomas syndicate IS heard about IN vari-
Gus ways In Wall Street. but little outside OF that
locality 1t will be n surprise to most people to learn
that two men who six eight years ago, stran-
gers In NewYork to-day in possession of the con
trolling interest I'm than sixty railroads with over
5000 miles of track. Their principal system, the
East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia, comprises over
1000 miles of track and forty separate corpora
lions. They the pioneers I'm the consolidation oil
railroads in the sOuh, under which that part Of the
country has come to be known as the New South.
Their other railroads In the Northwest. In the
States Minnesota Wisconsin and Mlchg gan they have
some 200 miles track and are building up an I'M
portant system. The whose names are popularity
given to the syndicate Calvin S. Brce and General
Samuel Thomas. The term syndicate seems TO imply
that number Of others associated with them
Whether or not this IS the fact IS only surmisc
Their Intimate friends say that they arc sufficient to
themselves.
The attacks upon the Post-Oflce management in
New York which have been going on for some time I'm
city paper, intensely reshed By partisan minded
Democrats, one Of whom said yesterday: " Mr. Cleve-
land only wants an excuse to turn Mr.. Pearson out
OF Office That Is what We Democrats also want In
New York. If these attacks keep up Mr.. Cleveland
may find his excuse, and We may then get what
places left filed by Republicans 1t IS
said that the Hon. Tim Campbell has designs on the
New York Post Office, and yearns TO write his name
with p ~ attachment If the Honorable Timothy ~
the Postal Service will be as scarce as hens teeth
Another bit of political gossip that Is aGoat credits
Ethan Allen Doty, who Mugwump Of 1854, with
intense opposition to Mr. Cleveland account of his
tariff message. Mr. Doty IS earnest protective
tariff man, and his Mugwump idol was sadly shattered
by the message
One Of the prominent newspaper correspondents at
Washington Is W. 4. Nc Bride OF /" The Cincinnati En-
qurcr, He Is often in Ncw-York, and is spend
ing week here. He IS short, thickset, nervous and
dark In complexion, man OF about thirty-cght or
forty, with a small black mustache twinkling black
eyes and good natured smile continually his face
He has a quick step and manner and writes hand
that would have puzzled Horace Grceley's type settlers
Telegraph office. 1t a column in length and
given to of the expert manuscript readers and
operators. After sending five or SIX pages the man
got stalled Three four operators were put at IT
successvcy, and finally messenger was sent for Nc
Bride. When he came a page from the centre OF his
copy handed him and he was asked to read i.
Who're Is the other page = he asked and II was ohy
by catching the context that he able to decipher
his handwriting after it had " got cod' His
employer. John II. Mclean, got so bewildeed trying
to read Mcide's private letters. that he sent typo
writing machine as present 10 tho correspondent,
with the request that he write his letters on IT, Me-
Brides signature to check is good for five figures,
which is about all there IS handsome to his hand
writing lie has been fortunate investor In Wash
ington real estate
The advertising department of great corporation IS
a position Of Importance second only to that OF the
executive head especially If the effort IS being made
to reach the general public for the sale of any article
or commodity. This branch of the Singer Sewing
Machine COmpanys business has been for years In the
hands of Colonel f. H. Ropes. He IS a Jerseyman OF
slight physique, with large head, high forehead and
intellectual appearance. lie has active and well
trained mind that runs far In advance of his physical
strength Some months ago he bought The Ameri-
ali his energy The magazine has attained prominence
and some degree of prosperity, but the Colonel has
been obliged to cease work and go to Florida to re-
crut
ExCongressman Frederick Mills, Of Connecticut
who is small in stature, with kindly, wrinked face,
covered with stubbly growth of white whskers is an
iron manufacturer. That he is protective tariff man
is evident because he Is sterling Republican In
New York he said yesterday The Democratic appeal
trade is made the farmers Just though
farmer could through the free trade milstono
quickly any other When 1 was in Washington
| used to ask the Western members what they would
do II their neighbours cattle broke into their corn
fields They invariably replied that they would put
up their fences. Then | asked them why they didn't
apply the same rule when they found the English
tradesmen breaking the tariff fence and stealing
tho home market. This home market takes up 50
per Of all the product of the country 1t is more
important to protect this 50 per cent than it Is TO
cater ~ the other 10 per any farmer can
readily If put down the tariff and let out
sdes hero to trade, the factories aud shops that
consume the 50 per cent will be shut down. That
Is the common sense view Of the situation. IL we
want to stop revenue wo must put the rate higher
until goods cease to come in at al' Another point
serves to be noted said he: when the Free Trader
tells that protective tariff has nothing TO do with
the prosperity Of this country, want to know why
90 per cent of tho emigration that comes to these
shores comes the United States and only per cent
better their condition. If free trade is such blessing
why don't they go to Canada Instead OF coming here
They have free trade in Canada 1t is because thoy
want to come where they most pr0spcrous-that
is whero there Is protection to labor and Industry
"Thc growth of the SOUTH" said Judge Henry D.
Tompkins Of Atlanta yesterday is only to be gauged
by the condition in which 1t left by the war, and
not In comparison with the North or West There
probably never has been I'm this country such mar
veous growth that OF birmingham, which Is the
iron centre Of Alabama. IN 1871, 1t was 1000 acre
tract OF desert land. company bought 1t for
almost a song They issued 100000 shares of stock
which were sold ID to Is Later the capital
stock was doubled. In 1882 the company first began
to pay dividends and the stock ran up TO par. BE-
tween 1oo3 and 1857 something over $50 per cent In
dvidcnds the par value of the stock was declared
Last year. 1887, ON the capital stock of $500
900 there were distributed In dividends @1cOOoOo
There Is gold mine In tho country that has done
better than that.
EXCEPTIONS TO ALL RULES