The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-05-01
AN UNTOWARD MiSHAP.

p The failure of man who has neglected
his. private interests in order TO promote
those OF the public>is always a 'sorrowful
event. the more so as the. prominent posi-
;ticn which he has occupied is sure to have
attracted the envy of the mean and the
.narrnw-minded. There are. few WHO read
the account of the eM 6ai easements Of
ErasIus .Wiman of New York without "a
unge>of sympathy.
:" Mfr: Wiman is a man: Of untiring energy,
who has spent his~life in trying to promote
public UNCONSTITUTIONAL, local, polit-
icaL' commercial and social. Hehas figured
prominently in nearly every enterprise OF
.tb6'day which promised to make lille better
and easier for. the masses of the: people.
He has built railroads and steamers; he has
developed tie finest suburb of New York
he has taken money out of his own pocket
to furnish the working class with instruc-
tive and entertaining. sPectacles; he has
lectured in every city Of the East teaching
people how to improve their condition and
pointing out what reforms they should
adopt and what abuses they should abate.
All this lie did for no other purpose than a
desire to do good Being an alienhe could
aspire to No office in this country, and when
heQueen of England. offered him a title TO
requlte his public services he respectfully
declined the honor OBJ the ground that in
the United States, where his sphere of use
fitness lay. a handle to his name might be
embarrassing.
Like ali broad philanthrOpists, he had a
hobby. His hobby was reciprocity with
Canada. For twenty years he has be-
sieged every public man at Washington
with appeals to revive the old recipre city
H., r1,- IT.
subject and it was difficult to controvert
many Of the arguments he brought to
bear. But he never could convince the
people of Northern New York, and of the
States along the great lakes. that they
would be benefited by admitting Canadian
products free OF duty into their markets. 1t
must be admitted that the language and
policy OF the Canadian political leaders
were not so cOnciliatory as to tempt Con-
gressmen to bring forward a scheme of
which Canada was likely to reap the lions
share of the benefit Mr.. Wiman was most
discouraged at the very time when en-
enlargement seemed at hand.
The business in which he was engaged is
product Of modern civilization. 1t was
the business OF collecting statistics of the
means and standing of every one engaged
in trade, and the publication of these Stats
tics in volume which lies on every mer-
chants desk. Not many years ago such an
enterprise would have been impossible.
When the mercantile agencies began their
work their inquiries were resented as i'm
pertinent intrusioBs into private matters.
They were often cOmrened to guess at
merchants capital or to obtain his rating
from rivals who were not inclined to over
state his means But. they perseyered, and
now the work acenmp lished by Dun, Wiman
81 Co. and the Bradstreets makes business
far safer than it was and furnishes mer-
chants With measurable guarantee against
. loss. In building up this business Erastus
Wiman has taken II leading part. If every
merchant whom his register has saved from
making a loss now experiences feeling of
gratitude, Mr.. Wiman's. sympathizers must
be legion.
Mr.. Wiman's last step, when he saw fail
urs closing down upon him, was character
istic of the uprightness of the man. The
bulk of his property was in real estate.
Under the laws Of New York an
alien may not hold real estate. and
therefore Mr.. Wiman's purchases ware made
in the name of his wife, who Is an Ameri-
can. AS soon as he saw that his troubles
could not be tided over be caused her to
deed all this property to trustee for the
benefit of his creditors. He was determined
that they should get all that he had.
If New FORK can allow such a man as
that to 60 under permanently it must be
very rich in good men.