The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-09-21

mated. Just think Of our old drygoods
merchant President Of the United States.
1t skaters ones faith in republican in
situations.
It is hard to earn commissions and keep
them without struggle. William J.
Hilands. one of the most active business
men in Chicago. did some excellent work
in this city at the time of the forma-
ton of the United States Steel corpora
ton For his services he was rewarded
by the payment of large commissions. In
the course of the business he had oc-
CASTOR to be introduced to a man by
the name of Mooreland. An acquaintance
by the name of Van Tine did him this
service. Hi1ands bought Mooreland's
Holdings of Carnegie stock, and now
Van Tine comes forward and wants Hi
lands to share his commission with him.
He alleges all kinds of ridiculous facts,
charging many of this city's most repu-
table men with what is practically con-
spiracy to defraud him. Mr. Hiands'
statement through his counsel, Mr. Roe,
practically dismisses the matter. But
such wild attacks. even though they are
made the basis OF law suit, amount to
nothing.
A seat in the New York Stock Exchange
seat in sight In that establishment, ex-
cept those occupied by the presiding Of
ficer and his clerks-was sold few days
ago for $4,000, the highest price ever
paid for membership In that institution.
Toward the end of last year, $4,000 were
paid for the privilege of going on the
floor and doing business. if one can get
it, for that is all that the seat" amounts
4 i II. q
that date Last March, a scat went as
low as s6O, 600. The month following the
price went to $4,000 and in May, to $751;,
900. This f1uctuation is produced by
divers causes. Prosperity plays some
part In 1t, but 1t is not always the con-
trolling factor. When a broker dies, his
heirs generally let the seat go at the
first figure offered and when a rich
plunger. who has suddenly come to the
front. desires to get in five or ten thou
sand dollars make no difference to him
one way or the other.
California is among the states which
has Society of its sons in the me
tropolis, and the prospects are that they
will soon have a club house of their
own. Many of the foremost men in the
city are either from California, or con-
nected with 1t in one way or another.
Their wealth and influence are enormous.
the early pioneers and so was the late
John w. Mackey half of whose more
than Monte Cristo fortune and the man
agement of all of 1t have just descended
to his son, Clarence Hungerforn Mackey.
who is superbly fitted to bear the weight
of the enormous responsibility, the most
important In its scope, magnitude and
diversity, that ever fell to an American
of his years, or indeed, of any number
of years Than thera are the oil
brothers, whose father, the late Eugene
Kelly, made the greater part of his i'm
mense fortune in San Francisco. James
R. Keane migrated from the slope"
many years ago. William Randolph
Hearst is a more recent arrival, but he
J has sent his name into every corner of
| the world Whit claw Reid married Miss
! Mills, so that the better half Of his Is
| Californian. HernfSnn Oefrfcns and Van
derbilt are in the same list. having MAY
/ ried into the Fair family. But to merely
| give a list of all Of the eminent Califor-
mans in New York would fill not a COL
umn but page.
A big yacht owner tells me that this
has been one of the poorest seasons in
that expensive department of amusement
in many years. Three causes combined
to make 1t so. First, there was the corc-
nation of King Edward. big contin-
gent of the yacht owners went abroad
in the early summer to feast their eyes
on that gorgeous ceremonial that was tc
be, and when 1t had to be postponed. the
season was gone or a good part - it,
and they scattered themselves all over
| Europe. Cause number two was the I'M
usual GOODNESS of the season itself. Own
ers delayed putting their boats into COM
mission until the very warm weather
should make itself felt, and they are
waiting still. The browning calamity
came when the anthracite coal famine
| struck the country It was not so much
! the price of the article as the difficulty to
get it at any price. To be sure, soft coal
! was abundant and cheap enough. but its
consumption on the palatial steam yacht
! is out of the question. AS a result of all
| this the winter quarters of the yachts
| over in Brooklyn have been crowded all
the summer. and of course, will be dur
ing the next eight or nine months.