stjorthotic Chapter 182 Let's Go to College
Chapter 182 Let's Go to College
Chapter 182 Let's Go to College
Railroad stocks were hit hard throughout Monday and Tuesday.
It was as if an endless stream of sell orders had emerged, driving the price of the relevant stocks lower and lower.
Comparatively speaking, New England Union Railway, a newly listed stock, actually experienced the smallest decline. Even at its lowest point, it only fluctuated around $15, never falling below its opening price.
Larry had planned to sell his stocks, but seeing the situation, he decided to ignore it and buy a train ticket straight to Washington.
Before leaving, Larry approached Mr. Porter and said, "While I'm gone, if the New England Railroad's stock price reaches $30, sell it for me!"
Mr. Porter frowned and checked again, "Wait, did you say $30? But the stock is only $15 right now. Your expectations for the stock's future are too optimistic!"
Larry smiled, leaned closer and whispered to Mr. Porter, "...This is Mr. Morgan's stock; someone will worry about it for us."
Mr. Porter's eyes lit up, and he smiled, saying, "Alright, go ahead and do your thing. Remember to send me telegrams or call me on time! Also, I'll transfer the money to your account this week, and I'll help you apply for General Electric shares later."
"Thank you, Mr. Potter." Larry walked out the door, called to Dunbar, and the two walked together toward the train station.
The train journey from New York to Washington takes six and a half hours, and the two arrived in Washington at 7 p.m.
Washington, D.C. feels different from New York. There aren't as many skyscrapers here, but the roads are wide and the buildings are mostly federal-style, showing a unique capital city rhythm.
Larry and Mr. Dunbar had barely stepped off the train when they spotted Kennedy waiting by the carriage. Kennedy was leaning against a bench, drinking tea. Upon seeing Larry, Kennedy slightly raised his cup in respect.
Larry took two steps forward, smiling, and said, "I'm so sorry that you came to greet me in person."
Kennedy laughed, pointed to the carriage beside him, and said, "None of my men recognize you, so I had to come in person."
"Ideally, no one would know me."
"Well, I know you don't want to be in the public eye. Let's go, get in the carriage and we'll talk..." Kennedy waved to the carriage, signaling the two of them to get in.
After the two got into the carriage, Mr. Dunbar climbed into the driver's seat and sat with the coachman. The coachman flicked the whip and the carriage started moving.
Kennedy sat back in his chair, looking at Larry, and quietly voiced the questions they had been having recently.
It turns out that the Democratic Party in various regions had no doubts about the policies of supporting immigrants and workers. What they were worried about was something else: criticizing capitalists might jeopardize their subsequent campaign plans. This is because, on the surface, everyone is petitioning for the people and acting as the conscience of the voters, but in private, politicians naturally need to maintain good relations with capitalists.
Larry knew that although capitalists at this time could not influence general elections and Senate elections to the greatest extent as they could in later generations, the relationship between politicians and business tycoons had already begun to take shape. The Democratic Party was still deeply wary of Larry's proposals, such as attacking steel magnate Carnegie.
Kennedy sighed and said, "That's understandable. Politicians and capitalists have a symbiotic relationship, and neither wants to make things too tense."
Larry nodded, thinking to himself that this was just like the self-media in his previous life. They talked about denouncing capital, but when it came to accepting their fate, they were still very compliant.
They want to criticize but don't want to offend the sponsors—I understand!
They're all working towards the same goal; there's nothing shameful about it.
"Of course we should carry out the political slogans you mentioned, but we can't criticize the capitalists in various places, so things are stuck here..."
After Kennedy finished speaking, he looked at Larry with a slightly uneasy expression, wanting to hear what he meant.
Larry hesitated slightly before asking, "And then?"
Kennedy was also stunned. "What, then?"
Larry then asked, "Did you call me all the way from New York just for this?"
Kennedy was also stunned, nodding and saying, "Yeah! Isn't this a big deal? This is about how to win this year's election!"
Larry looked up at the sky and thought to himself that this was just how it was in a country like the United States with such a short history. They were all elites, and when they got together, they could analyze things very well, but when it came to solving problems, they still lacked precedents to learn from.
If this were in China in the past, a few people could get together and, as long as they reached a consensus on the nature of the matter, they could naturally find a solution in the long history.
"That's right, Mr. Kennedy!" Larry thought for a moment, then spoke up, "It's not difficult at all. Aren't you hesitant to directly criticize capitalists like Carnegie? Then just beat the dog in front of the master, and kill a rooster to show the monkeys!"
Kennedy was a little confused and muttered, "What does 'beating a dog in front of its owner, killing a chicken to scare the monkey' mean?"
Larry laughed and said, "Mr. Kennedy, I've given you an idea for this. You'll have to help me promote the bubble tea shop to different places."
"No problem, in fact, I've already convinced them. You don't need to quote again," Kennedy said frankly.
Larry nodded and said again, "Carnegie's big stick is the Pinkerton detectives! They are the ones who actually carry it out. You can't touch Carnegie, but you can thoroughly expose the Pinkerton detectives' various lawless and cruel acts! You can even introduce a bill in Congress called the Anti-Pinkerton Act, which is to limit their extrajudicial law enforcement powers and demand that they be held accountable for their illegal acts in the specific law enforcement process."
After Larry finished speaking, Kennedy's eyes lit up, and he immediately sat up straight, exclaiming, "That's right! That makes sense! How come I didn't think of that?!"
The Pinkerton detectives are essentially the black gloves of big capitalists and politicians. Since they're tools, they must be prepared to be tools; when their masters need them to make sacrifices, they must naturally step forward!
Larry knew that the relationship between the government and business in the United States was still very good at that time. It was only after Theodore Roosevelt came to power that the government began to crack down on capitalists and that laws such as the Antitrust Act and other laws restricting capital were formally implemented.
Since the Democrats are genuinely afraid of offending capitalists, why don't they just go after the Pinkerton detectives directly? Attack them in the newspapers, pass legislation in Congress to restrict them—anything goes!
Kennedy hadn't expected that Larry would so easily see through the matter that so many Democratic elites had discussed for so long. A wry smile returned to his face as he reached into his pocket, took out a cigar, handed it to Larry, and sighed, "..."
"I knew you had a plan, but you... you're too fast! Our carriage hasn't even arrived at the hotel yet, and you've already solved the problem!"
Larry smiled but didn't say anything. After the two of them lit their cigars, he sighed and said, "Senator, it's mainly because you guys usually think about big things, unlike me, who usually likes to think about small things."
Kennedy suddenly took off his cigar and asked seriously, "Are you interested in entering politics? I'll help you get a position first, and then you can slowly get a parliamentary seat."
Larry smiled and shook his head, saying, "Sir, I don't have such grand ambitions. Besides, my past experience isn't convincing enough!"
Kennedy fell into deep thought, then suddenly covered his forehead and laughed, saying, "My God, I almost forgot, you're only 14... Good heavens, you seem so shrewd, it makes me subconsciously think you're over 40!"
Larry smiled without saying a word, thinking to himself that Larry's intuition was actually quite reliable.
Kennedy leaned back in his seat, took a puff of his cigar, and suddenly said, "Interested in going to college? I'll write you a letter of recommendation!"
"Huh? Going to college?" Larry was stunned, thinking to himself that he had never thought about this before!
"Think about it. You're not short of money right now, and you have plenty of time. If you take this opportunity to go to university, it will greatly benefit your future life. To be honest, I often regret not going to university when I was younger, which is why I'm still often looked down upon in Congress." Kennedy's tone became serious.
Larry tilted his head and thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "You're right, but I need to think about it some more. After all, there are still many business opportunities to be had!"
"Think about it, there's no harm in going to college, especially for you!" Kennedy said sincerely.
(End of this chapter)