The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-05
BUSINESS HAS. HEALTHY TONE Tendency Is Toward Steady
 Improvement TONGUES OF BIG MEN Records of Financiers For Talkative- ness Are Figured Out-Otto H.
 Kahn Beginning to Be
 Powerful Factor
TONGUES OF BIG MEN
By PRESTON c. ADAMS

| New York, March 4.--(Special. )-There is little reason to doubt that business on | the whole is in good shape and the ten- dency along practically all lines is to- | ward stead. healthy improvement.
 The plague in China may have a bad effect on the trade in certain lines of cotton goods. but 1t is to be doubted if this will be serious.
 The railroads or at least some of them have decided to postpone needed improve ments no longer. This determination is reflected in the demand for steel and it's influence is gradually spreading to other lines. za
 The foundation industries of the coun- try are farming, the railroads and iron and steel. The farmers have never been in such strong condition. Hence the three great industries of the country being in good shape, 8 safe, sane and conservative improvement along all lines can hardly be avoided.
 Some observer of the great man Of finance and industry has figured out their records for loquacity with interesting re- suits. Here they are.
 The financial community looks to John w. Gates-he has taught them to-for an optimistic utterance at least once a month. He is Judge Gary's principal rival. James J. Hill only talks when the spirit moves him. Charles M Schwab is rather cratic; sometimes he gives out in- terviews thick and fast, but at other times he remains silent for long periods. President Brown of the New York Gen. lie statements, and he is still in the field. trough his recent pronouncement that he had not dollar invested in railroad stocks was regarded as trhe injudi- cous just at that time when every rail- road wants to raise capital, since, oo- viously, if every investor followed Pres ident Browns example the railroads would be in difficulties-a railroad can not be run on air. President Ripley of tl;e Atchison has not been voluble of late; since his terribly pessimistic prog nostication, followed immediately, it may be recalled, by less doleful one he has been inconspicuous. President Vanderip Ol luo NdtiOhdl Sity DdHk iS ACNcI Pdo- licly quoted these days, whereas in form CT years he occasionally favored the pub lie with his views.
 | J. P. Morgan occasionally passes a | terse remark about his health in reply to | the persistent inquiries of reporters, but Jacob H. Schiff will not say a word for publication until he has put several hum dred or several thousand miles between him and New York. John D. Rockefellow has ceased to occupy prominent space on the front pages of the newspapers each week. James Speyer only on rare occasions will come forward with state ment on financial matters; when he does speak he usually says something worth while. Edwin Hawley has no fixed rule, if one knows him sufficiently we'll he will
 talk, though not particularly volublJ, about his own properties, but he believes in minding his own business and letting
 other people do the same. Otto H. Kahn really made his debut in the way of en-
 tering the literary field only the othcl lday, his appreciation of the late Edward H. Hartman being his maiden effort | Henry P. Davidson is unusually frank
 and consequently very popular with tho
 press representatives.
 | The younger generation of financiers as
 a whole are readier to realize the advis-
 ability of standing well with the public
 than were their predecessors. although the latter have also in recent years beer
 obliged to modify their temperamental
 reticence.
 To Otto H. Kahn is attributed the elim.