Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-01-15
lancaster :9rltelligenrer.
MONDAY EVENING JAN. IS, 1888,
A RAILROAD WAX.


A Lively Contest IN Western Pennsylvania.
n. Y. Times.
The Sharpsville railroad is little line
in Mercer county. but it is q valuable
property, tapping extensive coal fields and
is a feeder Of considerable importance to
the through lines. For long time the
Erie and Pittsburgh company had mon
opoly Of the coal trade from the Sharps-
vile road aud made good thing of it. so
plump was the plum that the desire TO
possess it broke up the happy family
arrangement that had existed among the
stockholders, and two factions, each
wealthy and determined, were formed. AT
the head of one set was William l.. Scott,
the well-known capitalist of Erie. Inc
other side was led by Walter Pierce, the
representative of large financial interests.
Mr.. Scott is the proprietor of large DOCKS
at Erie and Girard and he wanted the
Erie and Pittsburgh to carry the Sharps-
vile coal to these docks. The Pierce FAC
,ion, on the other hand, were op-
posed to the Erie and Pittsburgh
and threw the coal to the New
York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and to
the Lake Shore. With this state of affairs
existing the annual election was held on
Wednesday last The capital stock of the
Sharpsvile road is divided into 7,OoO
shares. OF these tke Pierce faction held
$500 shares, but 41G of them Lad been
transferred within sixty days before the
election and could not be voted. The
Scott faction mustered $500 shares, but
they had the judges of election on their
side, and that is an important factor when
any question of judicial nature arises:
The Pierce men, knowing that they would
DO outvOted, although really owning a
majority of the stock, determined to adopt
the cumulative plan, so instead of putting
up six Candidates for directors, they cast a
cumulative ballot for men. The Scott
men never dreamed of this little
game and cast straight ballot.
The Pierce men, with their cumu'
lative pole, Knocked the persimmons, but
the tellers were men who wore the Scout
badge, and they decided that the cumula-
tive plan was not legal. The Pierce vote
was accordingly thrown out and the Scott
board declared elected. Tie Pierce men
had no idea of submitting, and as soon as
the election was over the four candidates
met and organized as the bord OF directors
of the Sharpsville railroad. The two va
cancies in the board were filed, and I'M
mediate steps taken to bring the powers
ton was made before Judge Med trmott.
of Mercer county, for mandamus upon
the tellels of the election to show cause
why the vote for the Pierce quarter should
not be counted. The mandamuS was
granted and the Scott dynasty with
out delay got out aud the Pierce men took
possession of the road, Wallace Pierce as
sumiDg the position of general manager.
While the Scott men did not make any
fight, it does not follow that the trouble is
over. On the contrary, it has not begun.
When the tclierS of the election refused to
recognize the cumulative vote OF tht
Pierce men they acted upon the convio-
tiOn of the Scott men thai that plan, whllf
sanctioned by the nU| constitution, Is no
legal. Upon this line the Scott light viii
be made, aud without frittering away time
upon the lower tribunals the case will bs
carried to the su preme count, where, once
for all, the vexcd question vi cumulative
voting can be forever laid at rest.
There arc many precedents that support
the Pierce platform. one instance occurring
i'm this city, when RALPH, Bagley, III 1881
voted his own and II. w. divers stock
and elected himself director of the Pitts
burgh Il Lake Erie railroad getting hi
seat afterward without trouble. Othe
cases could be cited, but precedents vii
not count in this case. Ia plain black ant
white, il is Il fight between the Pennsyl
vania railroad. backing Scott, and Wander
bilt, backing Pierce, and III Struggl
between these rivals all the law of til
land will be brought out, both in favor o
and against the cumulative clause Of tn
constitution of the state.