The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-27

the most picturesque figure that the
roads now. where only three or four
birthdays ago his transportation limit
was a Communication ticket; moving from
evenings of penny ante into the prac-
tice of pocketing a corn crop-gentle-
men who but little back wouldn't
offer to lend him a light for his cigar.
watch and applaud now as the pudgy
form of him goes toddhng down Wall
street to roll in happy partnership
fashion through the doors of the Office
of ]. P. Morgan.
Friends, earnest and sincere ones,
has John w. Gates abundantly. Enc
mics, too-a-plenty.
The most talked about man just now
on the Wall street roll, The story tel
| lers have substituted him for Russell
Sage-blessed few of the Sage char
! acteristics has he. He has become al
most as well known as Henry Clews.
The friends have rhythmic recita-
lions of achievements daily mounting
higher and higher, making him richer
and richer, more and. more powerful
| showing him in all things a giant.
| The unkind contingent-theirg ooseber-
| ries always green-dismiss all the eu-
| logies as false and funny. One cote
RE ladies out wings and aureoles, while
| the opposition crew-turning them
! selves into pinwhels of cynicism-
send suffering round their fussy
| sparks of sarcasm.
SO Wall street STAYS uncertain.
| Leader or adventurer-what is the stat
US of John w. Gates? Wall street I'M
| certain-but nightly interested.
| Mr.. Gates himself does little to re-
lieve the puzzlers. They can work out
| their own answers and enjoy them
| he doesn't. That's the way he acts,
| too.
II don't see why the papers keep
| pitching into YOU" attempted one
soothing broker. II really don't see
/ why"
THAT'S easy" was the response.
They see. l see."
| "Why?"
"They do it for my own good"
| "Sir?"
Can I tell you confidentially? Yes?
| Well, they're trying to keep me from
| being proud-they think I'm too pref
| ty."
! Yet people who harbor the idea that
Mr.. Gates is always flippant are not
| the closest watchers of the man. Plenty
| have been the occasions since he trip
| ped lnto Wall street when something
! less than serenity has been his lot.
! Half 81 dozen times he has felt the
| pinching experience that big traders
are forever challenging.
In the Northern Pacific smash of
| fourteen months ago the entire Gates
| contingent danced to quickstep music.
/ They were caught loaded, and honest
| recital will not permit the statement
that there was anywhere discernible
much sympathy for any of the outfit.
Far and away Mr.. Gates most nota-
| BILE accomplishment was the purchase
of Louisville and Nashville control
just as most of the wise folks of Wall
| street were beginning to be sympa-
thetic over the deplorable plight that
| all agreed had overtaken him as the
| buyer of a minority interest that would
| have to be sacrificed in an unsupported
market. From the SPECTATORS point
of view this Gates incident marks an
| achievement worthy to rank with such
as in old times were made historic
| through couDs of Commodore Wander
| bilt, Jacob Little and Jay Gould. From
| deefat developed victory rich tremen-
dously in cash profit.
! What, moreover. the Louisville sue
cess did for Mr.. Gates appears in the
undisguised fact that he now COM
mands free and easy entree to banking
circles not hitherto distributing unc-
tuous welcome. J. P. Morgan takes
account of him now. George ]. Gould
makes him corporation partner. Mr..
Gates is in
However the facts may finally sift
themselves out, whether Mr. Gates has
been too busy to get the records just
right or whether some colliding and
highly critical statements are to rule
there is one thing concerning which
there is no disputing-the actual pres
ent bigness of Mr.. Gates personality
in the American security market
Hardly a movement shows on the
Stock Exchange that is not forthwith
attributed to him. If stocks go up
he is putting them up; if stocks &c
down, he is putting them down. This
is no freak for Wall street. 1t has
ever been so when a strong man has
been in the speculative saddle; it was
so in Mr.. Gould's day, as over and
over again it had been previously; il
was so when Charles F. Woerishoefer
was at the fore; so it was in the
1898 panic times. when Addison Cam
mack was ramming, jamming, damn.
ing Yalorously; and so--more so-has
it been in the career of James r
Keene. And the fact is that in this
condition Wall street has seldom paid
attention to the man who did not de-
serve it.
Like every human being with a sur
plus in Wall street, MIR. Gates is over
run continually by the point giving
regiment, anxious to steer him right
and incidentally to climb aboard his
craft as it goes sailing. And Gates is
generous. Stories are not scarce OF
lifts he has given to less fortunate ones
round about the market place. But
there are times when he isn't toe
easy"
Up to the Waldorf the other evening
a persistent person, pursuing him ur
and down the corridor with offers OF
market enlightenment, and refusing to
believe that MIR. Gates was quite as
busy as Mr.. Gates insisted he was
pinioned him finally with a CULVER full
of points on steel trust stock. Prices
were going up right away enormously
If Mr.. Gates were quick, Mr.. Gates
would be able to net new fortune;
and if Mr. Gates were inclined to dc
the right thing he would buy for his
adviser a few hundred personally
Gates smiled the smile that is peren-
NAL, one of the very trade marks OF