Omaha daily bee., 1885-03-12
ADAMS.

to make Omaha one of its principal points
in the west, and with that object in view
it recently demanded of the Union Pacl-
fc the right to have Its messages handled
by the Pacific railroad lines
on the same terms as are
granted to the Western Union.
Mr.. Adams, acting no doubt at the die
tation of Mr.. Gould, refu,ed to grant
any such privileges to tho Baltimore &
Ohio, on the ground that the Western
Union had an exclusive contract. There.
upon Senator German of Maryland, in.
troducsd o resolution In the senate, which
was at once adopted, calling for informs.
ton from the secretary OF the interior as
10 whether ''the Union Pacific railway
company and the. other ssrailroad com.
panles affected by the act approved July
LIST, 1862, granting subsidies in bonds ard
lands, have constructed and are maintain.
ing and operating their own lines of tale
graph and whether telegraphic messages
are accepted and transmitted for all per-
sons ard corporations without discrimln.
alton as to price, and other conditions as
provided in section 10 of the act above
referred to-"
Now comes the report of Mr.. Arm
strong, United stotes commi ,sioner of
railroads, upon this matter, and he arrives
at the conclusion that the real controversy
is at present a question clearly within ju.
dicial adj publication. He, therefore,
deemed 1t to be within the spirit of the
resolution to embody In his reply the re-.
spsctive views of the rival interests which
are involved. The Union Pacific officials
maintain that that company is limited to
dealing with the Baltimore G. Ohio Tele.
graph company precisely as If 1t were an
individual offering a message or a succes-
sion of messages. The Union Pacific
people do not believe that their duty in
this matter extends to the keeping of a
system of mutual accounts, the extension
of credit, or the affording of mechanical
connection. The action of MI. Arm
strong in referring the matter to the
courts simply means delay, which is
exactly what Jay Gould wants,
but that the Union Pacific will sooner or
later be compelled to give to the Balti-
more 6 Ohio telegraph company the
sauna facilities that 1t extends to the
Western Union there is no question.
Mr.. Gould seems to forget that when he
built his American Union line Into Oma-
Ia he found himself In the same position
towards the Western Union as the Baltl.
more & Ohio now occupies. Mr.. Gould
demanded from the Union Pacific the
same privileges for his American Union
as were given to, the Western Union,
Notwithstanding the latter company
claimed the benefit of an exclusive con-
tract. The Union Pacific denied Mr..
Clouds application but he soon brought it
to time by legal proceedings. The
American Union lis now merged with the
Western Union, and Mr.. Gould is the
controlling spirit. Now what docs he
do? He simply dictates to Charles
Francis Adams to keep the Baltimore &
Ohio out of Omaha by virtue of the So
called exclusive contract, which he him
self years ago demonstrated is not worth
the paper 1t Is written on, if any such
contract really exists. Now what does
Mr.. Adams do? He simply obeys the
command of the dictator, and yet MI.
Adams in a recent letter on Union Pa.
ciic affairs emphatlcally denies that he is
a fi%gurehead for Gould, put forward by
him in order to allay popular feeling and
to obtain terms more favorable
than would otherwise bs given.
MI. Adams action In this telegraphic
controversy, which is of considerable i'm.
portance to the people of Omaha, GER
ta'nly does not bear out this assertion.
His conduct is more that of a servile tool
than that of al independent person.
There is a good deal of difference between
Charles Francis Adams, the eminent
railroad reformer, and Charles Francis
Adams, the railroad president.
Mr.. Adams we'll knows that the Balti.
more & Ohio will eventually come out
victorious, and his refusal to comply with
the demand of that company cannot be
accounted for on any other ground than
that he is obeying the commands of
Jay Gould. The Western Union
has had several such fights as this, and
In every instance it has been defeated in
the courts. 1t claimed to have an ex-
elusive contract with the Texas Pacific
railroad company for a right of way along
the railroad road bed. The Baltimore g.
Ohio wanted to put up a line on the
other side OF the track, but the railroad
company pleaded the exclusive contract
with the Western Union. The United
States court promptly decided that a con.
tract OF that nature was against
public policy and therefore void,
and gave judgment condemnIng al
right of way along the railroad lands for
tha Ralfimora G, Ohio toI-..