The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-11

identified, is cited in proof oh the cor rectness of the street conclusion. In some quarters the gossip goes so far as to cred 1t the Standard Oll -millonaires and their friends with purpose to convert their securtes nto money with all possible speed and retire from further active d. rection of corporation affairs. lnasmuch as this group of men own millions of shares of stock the carrying out of any such plan would spell ruin in Wall street. The plain truth Is it would be next to an impossibility for these men to get out of their securities In any reasonably brief period of time. Buyers could not be found for their shares in the present condition of general distrust
 It Is within the range of possibilities however, that the Standard Oil element may be nursing a scheme of revenge upon a country which they think is treating 1t very badly. This could very easily be worked out. Even under adverse condi- tions hundreds of millions of dollars might be realized by these people from the sale of securities and the money locked up. The object lesson which any such merciless action would teach would be one never to be forgotten. It would wreck half the business interests of the country; yet 1t Is well within the power of this handful of men to accomplish just that result, and as they are In genuine fury these days-mad clear through. as the saying is-they might do that very thing
 The very rich men are in blue funk. They feel they are being outraged and made the victims of a senseless and ma licious political persecution and many Of them are seriously talking of expatria- ton as the only certain escape from end loo rfa n tnelr lions. More than ever they are saying among themselves that America Is the only country on the face of the earth where the possession of a fortune Is look ed upon as a crime.
 The belief Is held in Wall street that the house of J. P. Morgan Is stronger Tn cash than ever before in its history and that the head of that giant institution is still very far from being optimistic on the stock market or the international bus mess situation. He was among the first to foresee the turn in the great tide oS trade and to put himself in shape to meet any emergency that might arise. The long decline in the stock market, which began last fall and eliminated in March of this year, was marked from start to finish by continuous selling of Morgan stocks While this was going on the Standard oil party and the Hartman Schiff party were trying to support their speclalties, thus reversing the position of the factions as lined up four years ago. Then 1t was MT. Morgan, who was spread out, and 1t was the Standard Ol, aided and abetted by the Kuhn Loeb group, that was cunning for him. They had the great banker backed up against the wall. Today he Is on easy street and they are scratching gravel. That MT. Morgan Is enjoying the play goes without saying. While the ancient enemies are straining every nerve to tide over, he Is wallowing in real enjoyment, buying art treasures by the million dollars worth That he is the real principal in the S,oo,ooo art purchase in Paris this week Is believed to be almost certain.
 The weakness in copper and iron metal markets continues to be disturbing fea- ture not only in trade but in the stock