The Washington herald., 1917-10-20
Wall street Bugsboo.

A couple OF years ago, after Presi-
dent Wilson had expressed himself
quite distinctly on business matters
and had referred to Wall Street.
many Senators and Representatives
were showered with postal cards con-
tanning this legend, Kind words can
never de-
Underneath was this little message
to each member:
Dear Sir-The kind words from the
administration, to the business inter-
'erts of the country remind me OF the
thrilling melodrama entitled Nellie.
the Beautiful Cloak Model
"In the early part of the plot the
william pushed Nellie off the Brooklyn
Bridge. Later he threw her over
board from an Atlantic liner. Later
still he thrust her under q descending
elevator. The next time after that,
when they met. he said: Nellie, why
do you fear me?'"
The cards were poetmarked Wall
Street, so it was thought there could
be no doubt as To their oriSination, nor
as to where the sentiments expressed
found their happy lodging place.
Several weeks ago when President
Wilson expressed himself on patriot
ism and profits similar cards were
sent to many members of the house
and Senate. Tie sentiments were
said by their senders to be as appro-
pirate then as when first uttered-and
they might have added "as thoroughly
indicative of our position toward the
President"
A member who didn't get a chance
to see his card when it arrived but to
whom it was handed the other day
with a lot of accumulated correspond
ence took immediate exception to 1t.
He insisted that 1t was the most dis
graceful thing he had ever seen-and
If the Senate mad been in session we
know he would have gone over and
filled the Congressional Record with
page after page Of matter in condem-
nation of Wall Street.
After the Senator had finished his
verbal chastisement of the Street
and all that is connected with 1t
he was completely dumbfounded
when another Senator came in and
told him the true story of the card
the story as he heard it from the
lips of a man who said he knew.
Picture the raving Senator's amaze
ment when he found out that the
card had been sent purposely out
of Wall Street by an enemy of that
Street, in the hope that 1t would
arouse the majority party of the
House and Senate to punish that
financial stronghold for its sup
posed open antipathy to the Presi-
dent.
Unquestionably there have been
executive acts at President Wilson's
hands which Wall Street has found
not at all to it's liking, but undoubt-
edly the poor old Street is occasion
ally made the goat of attacks which
it should have to be subjected to.
under ordinary circumstances. There
are men in the country who delight
at campaign time in impressing the
people with the belief that they are
martyrs. that Wall Street would like
to punish them for standing for the
people, and their unwillingness to
stand for Wall Streets cruel method
has brought the only opposition to
the, etc, to a ridiculous and dis
gusting length sometimes.
The only thing the people can do,
one Senator remarked, is to use
their judgment and sift the facts
out of these overheated and pain
fully distorted statements.
Wall Street has been wrong many
times and may be wrong many more
times, but 1t has been used as a
bugaboo by many a politician to
slide into office and it behooves the
people to look out for the man who
tries the game.