The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-24
NEW YORK TOPICS
NEWS AND CURRENT COMMENT
FROM THE METROPOLIS.

for the wit and Wisdom, the HUI
NOR and the PathOs of "Ei Per-
kins"-He Is Now Making Money
Hand over Fist, They Say, in the
Real Estate Business-Mark Hanna
and His Frequent Visits to New
York on Behalf of the LabOring
Man-The Italians of the MetrOpO-
lis and the Current Strikes-NOt
All the Transplanted Natives of
the Sunny Peninsula Are Labor
ers, Though They Do Most of New
YOrk's Heavy Work Nowadays.
The Interesting Rise of One ItaI-
ian Family.
New York, May pa man some
what past middle life stopped an open
car on upper Broadway yesterday
morning and began to question the
conductor as to whether the car would
carry him to a certain downtown
point. He failed to make himself I'M
derstood, either through lack of knowl-
edge of the geography of Manhattan
Island, or through the conductors in
ability to comprehend. At all events,
the car presently went on it's way,
leaving the would-be passenger still
explaining.
DO you know who that is?" queried
a passenger Of the conductor. THAT is
Mr.. Perkins; Mr.. Eli Perkins"
Never heard of him." growled the
conductor. But one or two of the
other passengers pricked up their ears,
and began to talk about the man that
didn't get on the car, and who, at one
time, was one of the most talked about
persons in America.
His name isn't Perkins, by any
means, but Landon, Melville D. Lam
don, who was once known from ocean
to ocean, both as a writer and lectur-
er He generally signed his writings
ELI Perkins," but sometimes be-
cause he was often charged with eX-
aggeration, he varied the signature to
Uni Perkins" From the passenger
who had recognized him the people
on the car learned that Mr.. Landon
is now engaged in the real estate
business here in New York, his par
ticular line being the buying and re-
building of houses that are a little
out of repair and selling them again
as soon as they are put in order.
From all accounts he is doing very
well indeed at this business, his repu-
tation in the neighborhood of his oper-
atoms being that of one who is get
ting rich pretty rapidly. He surely
looks like a highly prosperous citizen,
but his day as a humorist on the plat
form and the printed page has passed
away. His most recent writing was
done in behalf of one of the big po-
litical parties in 1900.
Mark Hanna is better known on the
streets of New York nowadays than
he ever was before, for he is here
much oftener than formerly.
The surprising part of it, to many
who used to know him through the
newspapers that were fond of describ-
ing him as 'labor's foe," is that he
is here oftener to try to adjust trou-
bles between workmen and their en-
ployers than for any other purpose.
This is because of his connection with
the Civic Federation.
Mr. Hanna used to be about the best
hated man in the country by many
sympathizers with labor He is still
pretty we'll hated in some quarters,
but it does not appear that it is from
the same cause. On the contrary, those
who do not like him now base their
feelings on the assumption that he is
working too strongly in the interest
of the wage earners. There couldn't
well be a stranger turn about than
this. Hanna enjoys it, as matter of
course-he always did enjoy opposi-
ton.
Mr.. Hannas health is often COM
mented upon these days because of it's
excellence. In 1900, when the presi-
Dental fight was at it's hight, there
were a-pienty that knew of his physi-
cal condition who doubted whether he
would live through the campaign.
There was one day in particular when
he was believed to have about reached
the end. Two or three times on that
day he tainted dead away, and there
was CONSERVATION among his friends.
Even those who hoped against hope
for his recovery were fearful lest the
public should learn of his plight, and
the few newspaper men in the secret
were begged to print nothing, while
Mr.. Hanna himself was urged to give
up the fight.
indisposition to be only temporary,
adding that he would outlive some of
those who feared the most. His words
came true To-day Mckinley is a
memory only, but Hanna is still Wig
orous, bright-eyed and, apparently,
good for years more of active life.
The current stories, especially in the
subway and among unskilled laborers
generally, emphasize in no uncertain
manner the fact that an amazingly
large proportion of the Drawn and mus
Gle of the metropolis is of Italian or
igin.
But it would be a mistake to imag-
Inc that all the Italians in New York
are mere laborers. The contrary is true
IN larger degree than most New York
ers even imagine.
Nor are those of that nationality who
90 not work with their hands all fruit
dealers There are still many fruit
dealers who hail from the boot-shaped
peninsular, but they are rapidly giving
way to the Greeks. No nationality has
YET made appreciable inroads upon the
Italians as boot-blacks, and there are
thousands of them who make good liv-
lhgs as polishers of footwear But the
ambitious among the Italians of New
lork are looking a good deal higher
man to any of the vocations mention
ca or to restaurant keeping, which was
tle chief thing for an Italian not a
'dborer 20 do here only few years ago.
very large number are going In
70 diversified sorts of business, and a
uprising proportion OF those who do
50 are doing very well indeed There
IRE the ConternOs, for example.
There are Ave OF them, men grown,
besides young army OF juvenile Con-
ternos, for there is no race suicide
among the Italians. The first Of the
FAMILY 10 come here arrived about