The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-01-17
XIX.
A BREATHING SPELL.

Langdon. after several years OF effort.
had got recognition for Textile In Lon
don. but that was about all. lie hadn't
succeeded In unloading any great
amount ~ II on the English. So Il was
rather because neglected nothing than
because ! was hopeful OF results that
had made a point OF telcgTaphing to
London news OF my proposed suit. The
result WAS a little trading In Textiles
over there aud slight decline In the
price. This fact was telegruphcd To- all
the financial centers on this side OF the
water. and reinforced the Impression
my lawyers announcement and my
own bear" letter were making.
Stiil. this was nothing. or next to H.
What could ! hope Ia vail against Ian
don's agents with almost unlimited cap
itai. putting their whole energy under
the stock Ia raise IT. In the same news
papers that published my bear
attack. In the same columns
and under the same headlines,
were Official denlals from the Textile
trust and the figures OF enormous In
crease OF business as proof positive
that the denials were honest. II the
public had not been burned so many
times by ''industrials." III 20 had not
learned by bitter experience that prac-
tically none OF the leaders OF finance
and industry were above lying To make
or save a few dollars. II Textiles had
not been manipulated 30 often, first by
Dumont and since his death by his
brother law and successor. this
suaye and cynical LanRdon. my dcs-
pcraie attack would have been with
out effect. As II WIS
-Four months before. In the same sit
uatIon, had 1 seen Textiles stagger ms
they staggered In the first hour OF bust
| ness on the stock exchange that morn
ing. I'd have sounded the charge,
clapped spurs TO my charger. and borne
down upon them. Butt had my new
born yearninK for ''respcctability:" l
| had my new born squeamisJlness. which
/ led me To fear risking Bob Corey and
| his bank and the money OF my old
| friend Healey; finally. there was Anita
the longing for her that made me
prefer "A narrow and uncertain foot
| hold TO the bold leap that would land
| me either in wealth and power or In
| the bottomlesE abyss.
| Instead OF continuing to sell Textiles
I covered rs far as ; could. and
bought So eagerly and 80 heavily that,
more than Bangdon's corps OF rocket
ers, I was responsible for the stock \
rally and start upward. When l say
| eagerly and heavily" I do not mean
that I acted openly or without regard
to common sense. l mean simply that
made no attempt TO back up my fol-
lowers In the selling campaign i had
urged them into: on the contrary,
bought as they sold. That does not
sound well. and IL IN no better than u
sounds. I shall not dispute with any
one who finds this action Of mine u be
trayul cf my clients tn save myself. Al
shall say IN that II was business, tina
In such extreme and dire compulslon 81
Was mine, IL was-and iSright undc
IN. code. the private and real Wal
street code.
You can imagine the confused mas
OF transactions In which I was involves
before the stock exchange had beef
open long. There WAS the stock w
had been able To buy or get options oi
I nj various prices. between the closini
, OF the exchange the previous day an,
{ that mornings opening-stock from al
parts OF this country and In Englnnd
, There was the stock I had been buyin
l since the exchange opened-buying a
r figures ranging from one-eighth abov
last nights closing price To fourtee
\ points above H. And. on the debit std'
!. there were the short" transactions ex
n tending over n period OF nearly tw
months settings" OF blocks largo an
: small at a hundred different prices.