The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1908-08-17
u 10 Nervous Work.

II la Nervous Work.
It's hard 10 be wheat king,
too. II makeH you SO nervous that
YOU cant smoke. You chew gum
40 yleiously your interviewer eau
hardly understand you.
What the hell does everybody
want 10 follow me fof7 Can't 90
this aloneg" said Patten 10 me.
Damn H. how do know hos
the crop viii goy I'm just taking
a chance"
In those very words he spoke to
me.
The hour was Saturday forenoon
and the place WAS Patterns office.
The failure OF the great piilsbury
mills had just been reported on the
ticker aud the boy brought Patten
the piece OF tape The mill had
failed because OF the high price Of
wheat And Patton had put w the
price.
Patten had Just invited me 10 ST
beside him In great luxurious
chair
THAT Pillabury failure won't have
an effect on the market ~ hours
from now" he said
Never Turned q Hair.
Wheat King" Jim Pattsn never
turned y hair II any thought 81 his
power The power that could throw
q great institution Of worldwide
fame into hanhrnptcy-~the power Of
his opinion that could raise the
price OF a foodstuff 80 high that Il
became impossible for some 20 buy
Il. N any thought Of his power that
could take from the hands 81 strong.
rcaoluse men the very staff OF life.
flashed through his mind. the move
menia OF his square Jaws a. he
chewed gum oblilerated It's express.
sion from his face.
asked him outright n u was
true that he was a gambler.
Well isn't every business man a
Gambler was his answer "DocHn' I
\ rrocsryman buy sugar because he
thinks he can sell Il for more than
he paid for IT."
Gle seemed satisfied with this but
L couldn't help thinking that the
sfoceryman doesn't try 10 prove
tnst there's no more sugar In the
country beside his own lie doesn't
thFow the sugar business into an
unsettled condition lie has %
rr~tty nearly tell the truth about
Mas sugar. Jim" patten doesn't
have 70 with HIS wheat
still Boosting.
Perhaps during the half hour
we talked. Pattsn thought ] was
seeking material for bull story
fir walked over 20 table twice "a
Fes reports 10 prove "a me that
Wheat ought 20 sell for more.
Tie told me he was carrying 3.
900 900 bushels Within the time
was there wheat dropped half a
cent That put him behind f2sf
900 "A haratclie The other
day he had 90 ST down Ia bis aesA
and write checks for 100000 for
wheat that had been Unexpectedly
delivered 10 him II was two
NAiBNA4 hAAB"AiAf0As RAtf - NefA -
his two. week campaign Not any
more 20 than bis occasional dashes
across the street from his office in
the Western Union building and his
dramatic and cyclouie appearance in
the wheat pit.
what started you on wheat
this timeF" ! asked
"My opinion kept getting re-
ports from all over. ! made up ny
mind wheat Was worth more"
And yon took ehAnoer"
asked
All Alene In Coin.
yes. he said. I backed up my
opinion with my money Look al
my corn transactions. Last year
had 10 go all alone on corn
Friends came TO argue with me
wouldn't argue. ! just went ahead
put the price up. | kept " un.
went against the other fellow
every time backed my opinion
against bis
II n estimated that pattcu
cleared ur a million and half on
his corn corner Up 20 the time OF
his wheat campaign IL was the
corn deal that was his proudesl
achievement
Patten viii not admit that prices
he fought 90 gain during his cam
paign are fictitious Yet Indirect
-..-~s ..n. Wa-.-w