The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1882-09-21
GouEz,,s POWER EN[u1ssoUIsr.
Controlling s12O, 900. 900 OF Corporate
Capital alnd $4,000 aaapIoyes,

SAAA&sss SA@OspVOsOUV0 On corporal
Capital a11d $4,000 EaaapIeyes.
sT. Louis, Sept. 4--Confirmation Of tn
report that Jay Gould and his .syndicat
had secured control Of the Hannibal ant
st. Joseph railroad caused much commen
on Change to-day and in business ant
legal circles. The Constitution of Mis-
souri, and the Revised Statutes prohibit tht
consolidation Of competing or parable
lines. They also provide that no railroad
corporation shall Sin any way control any
railroad corporation owning or having ua-
der Its control a parallel or competing line.
nor shall any officer Of such railroad cor
pofatIon act as an officer of any other rail-
road corporation owning or having control
OF a parallel or competing line. The dues-
tlon whether railroads are parallel or COM
peting lines shall, when demanded, be de-
cided by jury"
Leading lawyers say that it is plain that
tile trainers Of the Constitution and statutes
OF Missouri intended to forbid and prevent
the very thing which Jay Gould and his
associates are doing; that by his late pur-
chase parallel and competing lines, on lines
which have been competing lines, are sub
Jected to the control Of a joint ownership,
which puts competition out Of the question,
except when it is resorted to for the pur-
pose Of playing the lines alternately
against each other in aid Of stock jobbing
speculations. They add that it is about
time to ascertain whether the law can be
evaded in this manner, and that even if it
reached Mr. Gould it must be enforced.
This purchase gives Gould another hold
on Missouri. He now absolutely controls
the Missouri Pacific, the Hannibal and st.
Joe, and the st. Louis, Iron Mountain and
Southern railroads, and is heavily interest
Ell in the Wabash and the St. Louis and
San Francisco, It is impossible to get at
his exact interest III the latter roads, but it
is heavy enough to bring about his election
as director Of each one of them. The
big bridge is also controlled by him, being
leased to the Missouri Pacific and the Wa
bash lines for Il period Of ninety-nine
years. The Tunnel Company, with a
stock Of $25, 500 600, is also in his hands. |
lie is absolute owner of the Union Depot, |
and is q heavy stakeholder in the St. Louis
Ore and Steel Company, which is a con-
solidati0n Of the Vulcan Steel Company,
the Pilot Knob Iron Company, and the
israndtoWer Mining and TRANSFORMATION
Company, the consolidation having been
brought about by Goulu's announcement
that he was about to locate steel works
here. He is a large stockholder in the
National Stock Yards and has big share
u the capital of the Equitable Life Insur-
lnce Company, which owns the Life In
;urance Building, one Of the finest busi-
1ess blocks in the Wet. More than a
rear ago Gould got hold c1 the river in
erests, he purchasing most of the Henry
4oWrey line and soon afterWarl consoli-
lating it with the Mississippi Valley
Company. Neither has
lone much since in competition with rail
oaCs. lie also owns elevator 'sD'' on the
iYel. front, and has a membership in the
lotion Exchange. He now controls at
east $780, 900 Of corporation capital in
Iissouri and 1000 employees. He holds
Il his power nearly every railroad that is
as q feeder to the great cities Of
he State.
As the Chairman Of the Democratic State
Committee is one Of the Gould line attor-
eys, and the Oldest and leading Demo-
ratio paper Of the State rents railroad Of
ces to him, and as no hope OF a decara- )
ION against corporate monopolies can be
btained from the Republican party unless {
le machine is first rendered powerless, a /
loyement is already on foot to call an G
convention, in case the ap-
roaching popular Republican State Con- )
ention fails to emphatically declare I
gainst this absorbing Of all hitherto COM 7
citing lines OF the state. Another advance $
| the freight tariff is in the mean time $
Anticipated. a