The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-27
LiteYary Lights and ShadohS
BY s. MAYS BALL

"Fifty Years in Wall street, by Henry
 Clews, 1L. D. Urving Publishing Co)
 This book is the revised edition of "Twenty- eight Years in Wall Street, \ written 22 years ago by Mir. clews. The present book includes all the data in the first named book, together with a resume of the past 22 years, making record of 50 in Wall street.
 The author states that in this book of 1O64 pages, Subjects that are of necessity briefly touched upon in order to keep within the scope of the pres ent work will find fuller exposition" In another technical work by MT. Clews to which he makes reference at the end Of Fifty Years in Wall Street."
 It is MT. Clews' idea through his book to throw some light on the fmper- fectly known events connected with Wali street speculations and invest Inents and also upon the condition ana progress of the country from fnan- cial standpoint during the 50 years which MT. Clews has experienced In the great money center.
 MT. Clews has also made brief ret respect of the history of Wall street and financial affairs connected there- with since the origin of the stock eX- change in New York city.
 In sketching the men and events of Wall street, MT. Clews informs us that he has freely employed the vernacular of the speculative fraternity as being best adapted to true picture or lhelr characteristics.
 MT. Clews has simply, so he says, at tempted to unfold a plain, unvarnished tale, drawing his material from experi- ence and the records of reliable mar rators.
 Fifty Years in Wall Street" is a pretty good sized volume, comprising
 %or fore no ordinary in length, etc., review can well do the book justice owing to lack of space-and other things.
 MT. Clews starts his book out, under chapters, such as the following (which about describes the contents);
 My Part in Marketing the United States Civil War Loans; My Debut in Wall Street; Wall Street as Civilizer How to Make Money in Wall Street. Importance of Business Training; Per sonal Honor of Wall Street Men; Wall Street During the War; More War Reminiseences-Britis and Napoleonic Designs. Foreign Intrigues Against American Liberty; Secretary Chase and the Treasury; The National Banks; The New York Stock Exchange; Corners and Their Effect Values. These chapters Gone to 12 inclusive) bring the reader up through only 106 pages of the book, so one can see how ex- haustive is the treatment MT. Clews has given to the subject in hand.
 That part of the book which deals with southern conditions immediately after the civil war as to loans, recon struction times and so on, Is what will be of most interest to readers in this part of the country.
 Most southerners of this day and gen. eration, the younger generation at any rate. have a most vague idea as to just what MT. Clews and his Wall street crowd were accused and are still ac- cused of trying to do with and to the impoverished crippled southern states during the carpetbag administrations. Many of the younger generation only know of MT. Clews and his crowd efrom their elders) as a would-be despoiler of the helpless south.
 This reviewer therefore is not able to answer the statements of Mir. Clews in regard to his business dealings with the south and the states of Georgia and Alabama in particular. He can only here state MT. Clews' side of the case. Mir Clews puts his side very strongly, too, and it does seem that some an- swer from the older generation sh oud be made and that pointedly to the charges of doub1e-d dealing made vehe- mently by MT. Clews as to the credit and honor of the southern states.
 It will make the blood of the ordi- nary southerner boil to read on page $50 of the action of the north toward the south immediately after the war:
 Congress, it will be remembered, was Ieniently disposed in the passing of meas- ures and framing of laws to bring the traitorous states of the south back again into the union. The members of Congress most cautiously and delicately worked to patch up old sores that were supposed to exist between the vietors and the van ouished The feeling of animosity so worked on the minds of the people, caus- ing the south to wax bitter and revenge full that 1t appeared to people on this (northern) side of Mason and Dixon's line that their southern brethren had become even more implacable than during the hottest scenes of the war.
 "As soon as it was discovered that most of the vested interests were owned by northern people the spirit of revenge and avarice combined was aroused to the point of repudiation. Every method that ingenuity could devise to strike a blow at the north was employed. Bonds which had been issued by the south for money invested by the north were in a large measure repudiated."
 Of course in these remarks quoted MT. Clews does not wax specific, but even in his general charges this reviewer, one of the younger generation things that MT. Clews is either not well informed or he is stating what he must know to be un- truths.
 Congress was leniently disposed toward the south, immediately after the war, was it? That statement will be startling news to all southerners. Ye shade of