The Washington times., 1903-03-06

Some aggressively -bearish utterances
on Missouri Pacific are being attributed
TO a certain venerable fnancier. whose
influence and importance marketwise are
not so great now as they were fifteen
/ years ago He says the stock should sell
| 20 points lower and other things that
might induce the belief that he was
short of the stock. 1t has been the Gus
/ tom. however, among those who have
| been favored with his views 10 copper
his predictions. if that expression. Dor
rOwed from another field Of finance. may
| be used. The exact purpose and cause
/ Of his bearishness is not apparent.
I Another inancier, who is thoroughly
familiar with Missouri Pacific affairs.
was asked today what he thought Of this
bearish talk. He said IF may quote
my noble friend from PawtucIet. I should
say that the gentlemen is 'spoohng.' or,
in other words, he is talking through his
hat Missouri Pacific is in splendid con-
dition. il has. and will have for months
more business than il can handle. and
earnings will be a revelation. This will
be record year fo- Missouri Pacific. -
Very few deals have been so widely
hcralded as the much mooted lead com
bination. but the results, apparent thus
far. have not been particularly aston
| ishing. II is true that the United Lead
/ Company has been formed, and plans
| for the National Lead Company have
| been unofiicially announced. but actual
results seem to be lacking yet. About
/ TWO months ago. there was a food Of
| bullish talk on lead. induced presumably
! by some knowledge of impending
/ changes, and tips from every prominent
| source were circulated for private con-
sumption. Many availed themselves OF
/ the opportunity offered but there were
| some skepticaI souls.
There was 2-poiut advance in tho
| stock and these capitulatej. and. bless
! ing the wisdom Of the prophets got
abroad. The delay in putting the deal
/ through has kept them safely abroad
since. but their sentiments have
/ changed. That the deal will 90 through
shortly is believed. and all that was pre-
| dicted for National Lead may eventu-
! ally come through.
Something more than mere issue Of
bonds is contemplated by Louisville and
Nashville, If some guarded statements.
made by one who ought 10 know. are ac-
curatc or accurately construed Whether
IL means a reorganization OF the prop
erty or merely some kind of a readjust-
ment cannot be learned. but il is asserted
very definitely that within six months a
plan will be put into effect that will be
conducive to more agreeable state OF
mind of the minority stockholders than
they have enjoyed since the Atlantic
Coast Line deal was announced.
When that deal was perfected it was
believed that one OF the parties who had
figured very prominently in il had sur
rendered all his holdings and had washed
his hands OF the whole affair. II may be
said now on undoubted authority that
such was not the case, that he holds
30. 600 shares of the stock. and that he
firmly believes that he will realize as
substantial a profit on his minority hold
ings as he did on another block of the
stock which he held. He believes that he
will have to hold IL some time, but that
1t will come out right eventually.
Within about year two enterprises
backed by TWO distinct parties OF hnan-
cial men. each of the first rank, have
dwindled almost TO the disappearing
point. They are Asphalt and Lake Su-
perior. The shrinkage in the market
values OF the two exceeds sac. 900 900.
Buy 900 New York Central now al
1i3. leave an order 10 sell IL at 800 70
10 Europe and remain three months