Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1901-11-11

md In Politics.
To James r Keene the success Of
the fusion ticket at the late election in
New York came as Il soothing balm,
says the New York Herald. To him
the overthrow of the Tammany organ
ization signided mainly the discomfi-
ture of William c. Whitney, who had
espoused the Shepard cause and be-
tween when and himself there exists
a feud in finance, in sport and in poll
tics so bitter in its intensity that any
cause championed by Mr.. Whitney is
sure to find an opponent in Mr.. keene.
Strange stories are told in Wall street
of the assistance rendered to the flu
sion candidates. and especially to VIII
liam Travers Jerome. by Mr.. keene.
The well known operator is said to
have opened his purse Oh the very day
that Mr.. Whitney declared for Shep-
ard. and he is credited with generous
contributions to the campaign fund.
But, what is of more Importance, Mr..
Keene is said to have aided Mr.. Je
rome with advice. given through mu-
!
formed concerning certain happenings
in which he believed the fusion candi-
dates interests We're involved.
1t transpires that friends of Mr..
Keene furnished Judge Jerome with
the information that Senator Platt and
Mr.. Whitney had met In the office of
Thomas f. Ryan, it was asserted, TO
plan his defeat and that Judge Je
rome's attack on Plat and Whitney
was inspired from the same quarter.
Whatever part Mr.. Keene may have
/ played, his motives are easily traced by
men in Wall street. 1t was said by
those protesting to know that the con-
ference between Senator Plat and Mr.
Whitney had no direct bearing on Judge
/ Jeromes candidacy. but that Mr..
Keene's friends. recognizing in the can
didate for district attorney an able ally.
! concluded to array him against Mr..
Whitney by telling only half the truth.
At all events. Mr.. Keene and his
! friends see in the result of the election
personal triumph over Mr.. Whitney
| and his associates in the Metropolitan
/ Street Railway company, and they re-
/ joice accordingly.
Bad feeling between Mr.. Keene and
/ Mr. Whitney was engendered in the
/ spring of 1898, having its origin in Mr..
Keene's manipulation of Metropolitan
stock. At that time there was a pool
in this stock. and Mr.. Keene was the
/ field marshal of the traction forces on
the floor of the Stock Exchange. He
engineered a bun movement in the Sc
/ curity, and on Feb. IA Metropolitan
touched 1711a. Suddenly and without
warning that day a large quantity of
the stock was thrown on the market,
and the price broke to 157.
| 1t was seven months later that the
real break in the relations of Mr..
Whitney and the pool manager &C.
Cured. This time there was no Quib-
bling; charges of bad faith were made
or both sides and the foundation was
laid for the feud, which has been
waged bitterly ever since.
! For several months Mr.. Keene had
been manipulating the stock of the
American Tobacco company. in which
! Mr.. Whitney and his friends were
largely interested. Under his guild
ance quotations had been raised to an
unprecedented level and in the latter
part of September. 1898. plans for con-
trolling the tobacco industry Of the
country and executing a sensational
| coup In the stock market were well
1 under way. Mr.. Keene was the only
| member of the pool to figure openly in
/ this transaction
Mr.. Keene himself explained the
situation in an interview published in
The Herald at the time.
THE detection of any one large hold
er of tobacco stock" he said would
naturally produce serious consequences
in the market. When the most in
dLbitable evidence was furnished to
me that one or two members of the
pool had sold I sold my stock, and did
| 1t promptly, at between Sl45 and S136
! share"
/ Mr.. Keene is said to have purchased
his stock-some forty thousand shares
at approximately Ss7 a share. and his
/ profits were estimated to be not ia.
from S1.5O0. 600. Mr.. Whitney's broth
| er-in-law. Oliver II. Payne, and Messrs.
/ Duke, Schley and Terrell. representing
various interests, were seriously en-
barrassed by Mr.. Keene's precipitate
selling, which upset-for the time be-
! ing at least-the ambitious plans OF
I the pool.
When taken TO task by Mr.. Whitney.
as the Wall street legend runs, Mr..
keene is said to have pulled his cigar
nonehalantly and replied: why. GER
tainly | sold When | go into q race of
this kind. | never permit myself to be
left at the post
Whatever the facts may be il is ce--
tain thar no quarter has been given IN
the battle royal in which these glad
iators Of finance have been enga Se,i
since the fall of lS9S on the floor Of the
Stock Exchange. on the turf and in the
arena OF politics. Narshaling his
forces at every favorable opportunity.
( Mr.. keene has so disposed them as 10
thwart the financial projects of his ad-
verSary, As 4 patron OF the turf he