Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-25
BOOM IN BUSINESS
Chicago is Enjoying High Tide
of Prosperity.
PROBABLE EFFECT ON POLITICS
Gossip Concerning Next Senatorial
Campaign in Sucker State.
SHELBY CULLOM'S PROSPECTS
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
CHICAGO. July %, 1899.
They can't complain of dull times or of
poor trade in Chicago. This is shown by a
case of which 1 heard today. 1t was that
of a politician, who gave up a good-payin
place in the army, because business was too
good to let him hold it. At the beginning
of the war with Spain, Senator Cullom got
him position as paymaster. Then the
senator managed to work him in under the
reorganization, and he looked upon himself
as fixed in the army for life. He came back
to Chicago from Cuba to attend to some
private matters. He found SO many signs
Of activity and so many new enterprises
that he simply quit his military job and set
tied down to business.
OF course, Senator Cullom found another
constituent who was willing to become pay
master, and, of course, the vacancy was
not allowed to sleep over night, so it won't
do any good for some other Illnoisan to
telegraph the senator to keep it OPEN vet
this does not lessen the significance of the
incident Business in Chicago Is better for
a 1--we man than politics. Business also has
a.bearing on politics. Some of the republic
can politicians have told me that If
the democrats succeed in putting free
silver in the background the state
VIII be fighting ground, though they
think good times and plenty of
work will settle the issue in favor of
the republicans. But they warn me about
the uncertainty of Chicago's enormous vote
They say it is whimsical and fretful, es-
pecially among the labor element, which is
becoming restless.
This may be true. AS an offset to this
uneasiness place the statement of COM
petent observer. Former Mayor John P
Hopkins during his term of Office had DO
litical prospects as brilliant as those now
nv arfa IT oYrfco
He fell out with his party various ques-
tions and retired from active politics. My
recollection is that he acted with the gold
democrats in 1896 At present he has
shown disposition to cooperate in the
movement to reunite all the democratic
factions Apparently it is for the purpose
of reorganizing the party in order to pre-
pare it for the responsibility of power in
the remote future rather than during the
next few years.
John T.. Hopkins Views.
Former Mayor Hopkins achieved his first
political success because of his influence
with the labor vote in the neighborhood of
the town of Pullman. L think his own
bailiwick was the adjoining village of Ken
singtOn, but he knows the whole country.
Here is what he said:
I'm October 1896, there were 900 men
working in my town six hours day. To-
day there are $500 at work and they could
have sixteen hours day if they could
stand it. These men were told they would
have plenty of work and good wages If
they voted for Mckinley. They are get
ting both You can't explain to those men
that Mckinley has nothing to do with their
prosperity. Tom Dolan, one of the fore
men, was born democrat and will die
democrat. He thinks the men ought to be
with him. Every time l see him he shakes
his head and says nobody can talk any
candidate except Mckinley to them. Some
thing may be made out of the trust issue
among the workingmen. They fear the
trusts for something that may happen, yet
1 don't see how Roadway can be made
against Mckinley
Whether the $500 men of whom the for
ner mayors of Chicago spoke will be work
ing at good wages in October, 1900 cannot
be settled so long in advance, but maven
found an iron and steel man in PennSyiVa-
MIA Ohio or Illinois who had the least
doubt about it. They all explain how they
have orders ahead for two years, and give
what seem to be sound reasons for looking
forward to continued industrial activity
One manufacturer told me he didn't want
to hear about expansion or foreign trace
for two or three years. because ne couldn
enlarge the capacity of his mills before that
time and his domestic orders will keep
him busy that long.
1t is little curious, yet most men with
whom | have talked also fix two years as
the period which will be required to pump
all of the water out of the trusts. Then,
they say, will come an era OF Individual own
ership again. An illustration of this prop
ability was given me at columbus mn
owner in the Ohio valley was approached
nv the promoters of one of the trusts which
was forming. He did not care to sell, Dul
for his own satisfaction made an inventory
of his property. He decided that soco'oo0
would net him a good profit, but he refused
to place a valuation on his plant. tlnaiiy
the organizer of the trust offered MIN
81 900 600 in cash and bonus of 100000 of
the common stock of the concern "hlch
they were organizing. After a proper de
gree of hesitation he took the offer HIS
first thought was to use the STOCK certlHcate
Gates as wall paper, but being carerul
business man he laid 1t aside IN MS saIe.
Speculators bought His Stock.
The public craze for speculation in these
trust securities came soon afterward, and
he peddled his allotment out gradually until
the stock Melted him 100000. That was
81 300, 600 for a plant worth something over
$500, 600. This particular manufacturer says
he is going to take full two years rest.
Then he has notion of starting up a fur-
mace not as large his old mill, yet large
enough to utilize some OF ms surplus capl-
tai He has no fear that he will not be
able to procure ore and coke This is one
case. / have heard that almost invariably
when individual owners who are selling out
to the trusts demand cash instead of bonds
their purpose is to start up again But
they are not likely TO start early enough
to take the trusts out of the next presiden-
tial campaign as an issue.
Regarding national politics, there Is
coldness between the administration and
the Chicago republican machine. l have
heard that the local leaders propose to
name the delegates to the next convention,
not to oppose Mckinley, but to show who
is who in Illinois. DR.. T. n. Jameson, the
member of the national committee. told me
that he and his associates had retired from
national politics. AS they all hold good To-
cal offices. they can afford to do So The
grievance, as l understand it, is that Con-
troller Dawes, Postmaster Gordon and 9TH
ers of the young fellows who were on the
crest of the Mckinley wave have been rec
ognized in federal affairs to the exclusion
of the other elements. AS the machine