The record-union., 1898-03-12
SELLING By SIGNALS.
Quick Methods at the Chicago
Stockyards.

| 0LCCkyafNS.
The Chicago stockyards are unique
among the great marts of the world. IL
no other place, say those who are most
familiar with their daily routine, is so
large an aggregate of business trans
acted in the language of gestures and
without the scratch of a pen" as in
| the noisy pens of the stockyards. \
whip is held high in air, across a sea
| of Gathering horns the signal is an
swered by the momentary uplifting of
hand, and bunch" Of cattle worth
| thousands of dollars is sold.
| There is something splendidly pic
| turesque and even spectacular in these
| wordless transactions. They ignore
| the artifcialities of the complex sys-
1 tenn upon which modern business rela-
tionships are almost universally main
tanned. Trade in the cattle pens gets
| boldly back to primitive simplicity. IL
! is done on honor, not on paper. And
the undisputed transfer of millions OF
| dollars worth of the property here
| dealt in proves that a bargain sealed
with the wave of the whip and an as
senting gesture of the hand is quite as
| safe and sacred as if the whole transac-
| ton were recorded 'in black and
white"
The trader in the wheat pit is armed
! with his tally card, upon which he
! pauses to note the names of those with
whom he deals and the amount, nature
| and price of the commodities bought
! and sold. The broker upon the floor
/ of the Stock Exchange places equal re-
| lance upon the quickly penciled mem
! oranda made at the moment when the
! details of each transaction We're upon
| the lips of those concerned in its full
| filment But the buyer and seller Of
! the yards carry whips, not pencils, ana
4 their deals are recorded in memory in
| stead of written upon trading cards. AS
we'll try to picture the old knights
making laborious written memoranda
! of their challenges as to think of the
rough and ready traders of the cattle
yards pausing in their saddles to jot
| down upon paper their purchases and
| sales. Such a procedure would bid
/ defiance to the very nature of things
] and do violence to the magnificent I'M
conventionality of every environment.
rs there never any trouble in this
/ kind of dealing?" a leading commission
man was asked.
IF you mean, do the men go back on
/ their bargains made by whip and hand
/ can answer never" was the traders
answer as he brought his trim black
horse to a halt in the cattle alley and
/ leaned forward III his saddle. There
/ isn't another place in America, or the
whole world. for that matter where so
much business is done on the basis of
personal integrity, without written
word to show for the transaction, as
right here" he continued. And the
i method beats all the bonds on earth.
! The days business in these pens will
run about million and half. And
how is it done? Little talk. considera-
bic waving of whips and hands and no
exchange of written documents be-
! tween buyers and sellers!
Here is a bunch of cattle that will
! figure up about $4,000 Over there
| in the other alley is a buyer who this
morning offered me price of So 10 for
them. / thought that / could do bet
/ ter, but the market has been a little
j off, and l have decided to let the bunch
so at his offer. Up to the present mo-
ment we have exchanged about dozen
words on this subject. Now, If he is
willing to pay the price which he named
In the morning I'll show you how
] $4,000 bunch of fat steers is sold with
out word of mouth or a scratch of writ
/ ing at the time the bargain is really
/ made"
The commission man then straight
ened up in the saddle and waited for
| the distant buyer to look in his direc-
ton A moment later this representa-
tive of a big packing-house wheeled his
horse about and faced in the direction
of the seller. Instantly the commits
sion man lifted high his rawhide riding
whip and held 1t aloft. His attitude
was as striking as that OF cavalry
Colonel uplifting his saber to concen-
trate the attention of his regiment be-
| fore making a desperate charge. The
pose. however. was full of natural grace
and freedom, and showed that the man