The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-05-01
NEW ORLEANS SEAT OF COT TON EMPIRE. Brown and Hayne the Great
 Cotton Kings ARE STRIKING FIGURES There Is Romance and Hard Work in the Lives of south's Great
 Market Experts--Brown
 Is Strenuous.
BY MARIE RANKHEAD OWEN.

BY MARIE BANkHEAD OWEN.
 New Orleans, April 3O-(Special.) )-Cot- ton is king and New Orleans is the seat of his empire. As "the Pit" Norris wheat epic, was cradled in Chicago, so will "1 ne Ring or it's tituar equivalent, the great cotton epic be born and nourished in the Crescent City. At this point every aspect of the wool tree' as the cotton plant was called in medieval times, can be studied. The members of the cotton ex- change are men in whose business trans actions absolute trustworthiness obtains. Every mans word is IS good as a thous- and bonds and is adhered to in business performances absolutely, even if it beg gars him. In all the world there is no body of men among whom exists finer esprit corps. Two dramatic incidents transpir- ing within recent weeks upon the floor of the exchange will illustrate the truth of the assertion.
 At the first rumors of actual hostilities between Russia and Japan the cotton market took tumble. The corner in cot ton was threatened. The bulls and bears were unanimously scrambing and con- lenuillS dDOul lne THE. lHe lNtic DiOliNS lad in the basin complacently blew his own conch shell horn while fortunes were being dashed to pieces at every trumpet call of the young man In the box above the ring. Pandemonia reigned. In all the mass of panic-stricken brokers there was but one cool man and he of all others | had most cause to fear, for he was Brown, the king of the bulls, the head of the clique that had cornered the mar ket At a crucial moment he sprang to a chair and in strident tones command ed his fellow brokers to compose them- selves. Suddenly a hush fell upon them. The scrapng of the chalk on the black board was the only sound in the vast room. You are ruining yourselves, gen. tlemen. You are frightened. The market is in no danger. Don't sell your cotton for nothing This panic is matter of false rumors and nerves. I will buy five thous- and bales of Mayw and returning to his place at the ring he bid for more and more at good prices until the crisis pass ed. Although thousands of dollars were lost during the previous excitement many fortunes were saved to his adversaries by the steady nerve of this masterful man.
 Chivalry in the Pit.
 Another instance of mutual helpfulness occurred the day SulIy failed The news 1 had not reached the exchange. Bidding was lively. Frank Y. Hayne, one of the big bull clique cried out q will buy five thousand May, l will buy ten thousand May, I will buy fifteen thousand may!' 1 Out in the room quite away from the ring MT. Ellis had been handed a priv ate telegram containing the news about Sullv. had he been looking for the main chance he could have slipped the message into his poeAet, stepped to the ring and sold MT. Hayne the fifteen thous- and May at profit of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. But self was eff faced With chivarous magnanimity he hastened to MT. Haynes rescue, crying as he ran, "SA)p that Frank, stop buying. Sully has failedr'
 A few days later gentleman congrat- ulated him upon his conduct. ''Oh, that was no more than Hayne would have done for mel" he replied nonchalantly Dramatic scenes transpred daily with these captains of industry, who practice the sodiery virtue of good faith. Today they are allies. tomorrow arrayed under the standards respectively of Bulls" or Bears" they may fight to the death, but it is all done under the usages of a code of honorable transaction.
 l determined to interview some of the bulls who had managed the famous cam paign resulting in the late cotton corner After I had listened to lengthy debate between daring curiosity and prudence I yielded to the ''plungiag" influences which l had absorbed from the visitors gallery Across from the cotton exchange is the splendid new twelve-story skyscra per the ILlDernian Bank building in which the Equitable Insurance company has $6000- a-year offices. When I had taken out poncy in favor of lools who rush in wAele angels dare to tread, etc, l tim tx-N4 oIt. Il. president of the exchange has his office. There I wished to confirm some data up- on which to predicate my proposed "in- terviews." The young cler o whom I ex plained my errand expanded his counte- nance with a roomy smile and passed in the word" to one his compeers, who grnned good humoredly and disappear GU. Not being dea. was the beneficiary of this interesting dialogue between the president and the messenger:
 "A young lady to see you, sir.'
 q don't want to see any young lady, I'm busy"
 Well, she's not leal young lady. sir
 T want to see her less then, I'm busy"
 The boy with the roomy smile looked re- sponsibe and proffered his services. I got what I went for and departed speedily.
 Hayne Club Man.
 On Gravier street, back of the exchange are the sample rooms and office of some of the big spot cotton buyers of New Orleans. Here 1 found MT. Hayne who is not only a cotton futures man, but leader among the spot cotton firms. MT. Hayne is a prominent club man, the king of the recent carnival and a man of prominence in every respect. Having so many business obligations and social dis functions I had formed an idea that was about to meet man with a rubber tired voice and a real tired manner. I at least expected him to excuse himself from a newspaper interviewer, least of all a wo- man interviewer The only woman whom l have ever seen in that part of the city was an old soul who hacks typewriter goods No woman interviewer had ever before dared to beard the lions In their dens Being a worthy scion of long line of southern gentlemen who believed that ungallant treatment of a woman con- stitues the crime of ese-majesty. MT. Hayne received me with marked patience and helpfulness. On his desk were piles of letters and telegrams All during the interview clerks and messenger boys were bringing him cotton news or enquiries. I apologized for intruding on busy mans time. He treasured me of his will ingness to facilitate my commission.
 I wanted him to talk about himself, his part in the bull campaign but with a shrewd avoidance of the personal side he talked about cotton. He is one of the ori- ginal higher price cotton prophets. Why do you think cotton will hold up in prices, even at what 1t now brings?" I asked him. He prefaced his reply with several business axioms among them, The price of any commodity of com mon utility is regulated by supply and