Frenzied Finance, Vol. 1: The Crime of AmalgamatedLawson, Thomas William
History
Frenzied Finance, Vol. 1: The Crime of Amalgamated
Lawson, Thomas William
Amalgamated Copper Co.; Gas companies -- Massachusetts -- Boston; Insurance -- United States; Speculation; Standard Oil Company
As the "not very long" shot out from between his lips much as the
tail-end of an up-chimney wind switches itself around the angle of the
fireplace, I felt there was little doubt in his mind who would be left
to do business after the final drag-out and clean-up. At the same time
it did not dissipate a sort of come-and-go confidence I had that the old
terrapin around whom so many of Wall Street's eddies have swirled would
cause the 26-Broadway crowd many a broken knife-blade before crawling or
being pushed into his shell. Turtles are not much good as sprinters,
but they're blue-ribbon winners when it comes to the staying class.
"You didn't meet with any set-back with Morgan, did you?" I asked.
"Oh, no," Mr. Rogers replied; "he simply said it would be best,
everything considered, for us to put in his right-hand man, Robert
Bacon, instead of himself, and I agreed with him; in fact, I think it
much better, as Bacon is a rattling good fellow who takes no interest in
the other fellow's business, even when he does happen to be a director
in the other fellow's company, and he will recognize that this copper
affair is mine, not Morgan's." He stopped abruptly. "Now, Lawson, let us
settle upon what in this case is an important point, the name of the
company." He had asked me the day before to think of a suitable title
for our organization, and I had put in some time with a pad and pencil
experimenting. I had several names ready for him, but after I had run
over them and given my reasons, he said:
"There is nothing more important than to have just the right name for a
company which is going to make history, is there?"
I agreed; in fact, even more than he I was impressed with the
desirability of a suitable name for a corporation whose stock was bound
to become a great market star, and I was not satisfied with any I had
dug up. Give a stock or a book a good name, and it is sure to be
numbered among the best sellers.
Mr. Rogers continued:
"Lawson, we want something as good as 'Standard Oil,' if it is possible
to find it. Now"--and he drew over one of his little writing-pads and
taking a slim gold pencil from his pocket slowly wrote something and
handed it to me--"how do you like this?"
I read "'Amalgamated Copper Company.' Perfect!" I exclaimed.
"I thought you would say so"; and he reached over and wrote underneath
the name, "A second Standard Oil." It was an impressive moment for both
of us. I folded the slip, and putting it in my pocket said: "You will
see this again, Mr. Rogers, when its stock sells for as much as
Standard Oil."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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