Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-05-16

who had just completed a big ware l house. There wasn't another as big outside Brooklyn. l rented that ware house for Sl,500 for a year It is stand- ing to-day in Albany. l made arrange ments with them to have tae corn 1 turned over regularly until the 1st of June I put about half the corn in there and the rest 1 brought down to Brooklyn and stored at regular rates in different warehouses. We'll, sir, the market turned pretty soon and corn the next year was worth double what if had sold for. 1 made 6 handsome profit on my speculation. 1 made something on my wheat, but not so much. They did not understand then what could be done with spring wheat Modern processes make just as good flour out of spring as out of winter wheat. The people of Europe then didn't know anything about corn. They've learned a good deal since. guess I did about as much as anyone to teach them.
 q never bought another bushel of corn. They thought out in Chicago that I was going to be regular buyer after that and got more than a hundred letters the next year asking if didn't want some. There were not so many men then who would buy a million bushels at time.''
 Oger MT. Sage's desk hangs an inter- esting photograph. It is group of men with whom he served in congress- Justin S. Morrill,, of Vermont; John Sherman, of Ohio; the late N. P. Banks, of Massachusetts, among them. They served at a treubleus time-a time when the credit of the country was in the hands of congress. Speaking of that period, MT. Sage recalled Lincolns anxiety about borrowing the money necessary to carry on the war, and of the part he played in an important conference held in New York in 1860.
 "PresideEt Lincoln was doubtful whether the government debt could be increased to $2, ,0oo, 100000, and he want ed an expression of opinion from some representative financiers,' said Mr. l Sage. Mfr Seward called a meeting l to be held at the Astor house in this city and he wrote me note asking me to be sure to be there Mir Seward was always one of my warm friends. We had a big room and there were repre- sentatiyes of about all the states there. l Mir. Weed presided. I went there ex, peeting that I might be asked to say a word or two perhaps at the end of the meeting, but nothing more. We'll, when the meeting was called to order MT. 1 Weed called on me first thing. I was very much surprised. I told them l had come expecting to say something. but not to be called on first, and supposed they had called on the l younger men first because it would take them a very short time to tell all they knew.' MT. Sage smiled and stroked his smooth-shaven chin as he recalled his oratorical flight of nearly l 40 years ago. ssThen I told them," he l continued, "that l understood we were 1 called together here for the purpose of l sounding the sentiment toward increas- ing the public debt by $40O000 900 for i the purpose of preserving the govern ment. In the first place, I said. if we did not, what was going to become of | the other $1G00000 o00?" Mir. Sage 1 paused and emphasized this convincing | argument with a wink. Then he con | tinued: But I said after that: We are considering increasing the public l debt to $2,000,00 900. I am in favor of raising it to $4,000,000,000 or any other sum that is necessary to preserve the l old flag That gave the keynote to the meeting. It created great deal of en- thusiasm. MT. Seward told me after T pleased with that meeting-the result of it lifted great load off his mind. 1 Still later Mir. Lincoln told me so him. self"
 Mir. Sage's astute secretary had been 1 lowering in the doorway with a visit OTIS card. He broke in on the inter view with it and cut the thread of MT. l Sage's "reminiscences.
 "Show him in," said MT. Sage, and, grasping my hand cordially, he bade me good day.
 MT. Sage is one of the most method teal men in New York. He gets to his office at ten o'clock every morning. He stays there until 3 or 3:30 o'eloo9. in the afternoon. Meantime he
 men who call to talk with n about loans, attends meetings of the directors of banks and other institu- tions in which he is interested, and takes luncheon in the Western Union building. He is at his desk winter and summer. He has a country place at Cedarhurst, where he goes in the warm months. During the winter he lives on Fifth avenue. Many years ago, when he was making fortune, MT. Sage travelled great deal, looking after his railroad enterprises. Now he seldom gets out of reach of his office. He never goes on the stock exchange, though he has been member for 30 years. He leads busy life, and no doubt he will keep busy until the end.