The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-02-10
SAGE ON
PROSPERITY.
Uncle Russell Says That He Is
Wearied
BY Some Of the Talk He Hears
In Wall Street.
TOOMUCH ISEXPECTED
By the Brokers and Traders In
That Section.
Good Times Won't Come With a
Sudden Rush.
TOOMUCH ISEXPECTED

New YORK, Feb. 10.-PeOple who are
worrying over Mr.. Russell Sage's health
are not up to date. To appreciate how
fun Of vim and vigor a man of Mr.
Sagets age can be it is only necessary
to engage him in conversation and
draw him out on current topics.
He is especially at home in a discus
sion of financial and political condi-
tions and his views, when expressed at
any length, are likely to be vigorous
Mr.. Sage is a bull on everything per-
tanning to the material future of the
United States, but he is not rampant
"a short horn bull, so to speak. This
Is what he said when asked to forecast
the future:
The man who once remarked that
there is a time for everything knew
what he was talking about The fell
low must have been inspired. He must
nave had both eyes on Wall street in
the month of February, 1897. Yet, if
he was looking forward a bit he might
even have said more and still escaped
Indictment
When 1 see some of the nonsense.
strutt1ng around down here in the
street 1t makes me feel all out of date
It's pity to set up the fashion of be-
ing foolish. That's the new Wall street
style, though. Now, I am no jeremiah
but all this sweet-voiced rosy talk we
are nearing in Wall street just now is
blank rubbish. (No, gentle reader
Mr.. Sage did not say damn. He is a
member of the church and a follower
of Moody)
mo common sense in it, People are
processing to get wildly enthusiastic
over something that's going to hap
pen some time. What it is and when
us gong to happen they own right
up they don't know. But they are
sure it's something good; and, any
how, it's going to happen. This is
pretty enough, maybe, and perhaps it's
philosophy, but it won't go at the
banks.
Enthusiasm over Mckinley getting
into office is all right, but getting into
office is one thing, and doing something
after being in office is another thing
Mckinley's all right. 1 was an original
Mckinley man myself. Got his pic
ture over my desk. Good face to look
up at VIII make great president
Administration will be famous for good
times 1 believe that just as much as
anybody else-but that's no reason why
1 should put myself on exhibition as an
understudy for a donkey at a country
fair.
The good times we want will come
1ntelligently when they do come. But
we've got to do something more than
press button. To hear the average
man in Wall street talk you would i'm
agine that the magnificent era of pros
per1ty we hear so much about is camp
ed out over there just back of Hobo
ken, only waiting for sunrise on the
ing over here on the Lackawanna ferry
boat. But it won't.
I'VE have got to do something of i'm
portance before this era of prosperity
gets to be a fact Before we have
good times we have got to get rid of
bad times. Cruel conditions have been
existing. Serious business disturbances
have been affecting all of US. Recuper-
alton is a slow horse. 1t does not travel
like electricity. Building I'D safely
we must build up carefully land care
fulneSS never yet went ahead at double
quick The hurdles are too high for
that.
II don't know much about the race
track, though my horses are pretty
good horseS-tip-tOp ones, my boy; yes,
TO be honest with you, the very tippeSt-
toppest, but, as I said, 1 don't know
much about the race track, though I
kind O. have notion that it's the race
track which has given most of these
Wall street takers the idea of what
Major McKinley's administration is go
ing to be like.
They figure it out that there's go
ing to be a great hurrah, somebody's
going to wave flag, there will be a
lot of shouting and then the adminis-
tration's going to dash away down a
level track to break all records-while
down here dn Wall street grand stand)
everybody viii bet and get rich.
Kind O. nice dream, isn't it? Once I
had an office boy who used to dream
dreams like that. He wasn't much use
10 me- OOulun get around 1aSt enough.
Feet always sore; walking back from
Sheepshead Bay or some other race
track.
What became of the boy? Don't
know over on the stock exchange,
maybe, kicking about the bucketshops
taking all the business away.
Somehow 1 got a notion from that
boy. though, that horse races get over
very quick Not just the model for a
national administration in the United
States.
Business men are waiting. They are
sitting right still They want to see
something accomplished that has got
rock bottom in it before they get a new
hustle on and begin to risk fresh money
in business enterprises
THE fact is, most of us have kind O.
acquired the sitting still habit during
the last four or five years. Whenever
we've move around we generally have
pushed up against an extra crop of
bent pins to add to the liveliness of the
generous supply already scattered
around underneath us. Before we plump
ourselves down in any new business
seats we will be very careful about the
vigor of our sitting down. Such new
seats may be all right, but experience
does make an ordinary mortal just a
little shy and prudent
One subject upon which Mr.. Sage ex-
pressed himself with especial emphasis
was what he apprehends may be the
outcome of the decision of the supreme
court last week in an Ohio case. affirm
ing the right of a state to impose local
taxes upon telegraph property.
rs that decision fnal?'' Mr.. Sage was
asked.
Yes; 'spose it is. Maybe the lawyers
can find a remedy Don't know, but I
doubt it. Supreme court decision, you
know. Not just though. Puts US at
the mercy of cormorant politicians.
Those fellows are never so happy as
when they are bleeding a corporation.
Such things ought not to be. 1t puts
honest capital at the mercy of Popu-