The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1889-12-05
LIMA, Ohio, Dec, 2, 1889

DGhf hlfiw your ltllff Oh llt spul Nll
has been received, Your inquiries, based
ON reports put into circulation by those
whose interest II IL TO profit thereby, orat
second hand, by those whose confidence
has boen imposed upon nndwhoaG credul'
lty has been qulckonod by rival interests,
merit an answer os frank ~ Ia your ayow'
al Of the purpose Of your inquiry "Only
20 do Justice 90 all parties alike, In this
rivalry for the Senatorial nomination.
Question l-"Did BrIce vote at tho No
yomher election In OhloYn
Answor-No, Mrs, Broe came TO Lima
some two or three weeks before the day
Of the election, and II was Mr., BrIco'a In
tontion TO be here on that day, but the do
mand upon his time na chairman Of the
Democratic National Committee required
his presence In the committee rooms up
TO the hour when the voting gbogan, When
II became apparent that results Of the
most vital importance 10 the party might
be- Icapordlled by his absence, ~ o late
hour he arranged TO pair with an active
Republican Of this city, and very properly
remained at hin post Of duty ThorcaultA
Of his vigilance may not now be- apparent
10 every one, but time viii not fail 70
place much Of the credit Of tho results
achieved through his vigilance, to whom
Il N due,
Question 2-"Dld he wreck the Nicklo
Plato railroad2 Itis charged that he sold
Vanderbilt the majority OF tho stock and
that all the small stockholders wore wiped
out.n
Answer To your question the answer
~ omphntically, NO. To the charge APP
pended 20 your question the same answer
should bo given; but catcgorically denied,
would bo perhaps unsatisfactory 10 the
general public and "details become necos,
sary 10 an intelligent understanding of
the relations Of Mr., Brco with the Nclslc
Plate road and Mr., Vanderbilt,
In 1871 MIR. Brcc, who was then prac.
ticing young lawyer at this bar, conceived
the project of galyonl2lng into life u rail.
road that had boon projected by parties At
Fremont, Fostorn and 'lndlay, but which
had long been abandoned. This rond was
chartered under the nnmc Of the Fremont
4 Indiana II, Il. Co. Tho ovorturos he
made TO the parties, hia sacrifices and cn-
orgy are matters Of history here, but
would not ho of interest TO the general
public, Suffice II 10 say, the young lawyer
was given charge Of the work Of rchiblll.
tatng this dofunct corporation, In which
the projectors had sunk largo sums, some
Of thcm, | know, thCir entire fortunes,
llc visited Europe at hs own expense for
the purpose Of cnlistlng capital IN the en-.
tcrprisc. That ho succeeded was soon cv.
idcnccd In the work Of construction, which
began immediately after his return, II
was rcorgnnlcd hs the Lake Erie q Louis
Vile, and cars were soon running between
Fremont and Lima, II was next extend
cd 10 Colina In Mercer county, with u
branch to Minister In Auglnzc county.
From Cclina he managed 10 reach Port
land, thence 10 Munclc, Ind, Arrange.
mcnts wcrc made by which tho Lake Eric
q Louisville and the Lafayette, Blooming.
ton & Munclo roads woro consolidated,
and undor this reorganization the entire
line became known ~ the Lake Erie &
Western. AtFrcmontth now Lake Eric &
Western intorscctcd branch ot the Lake
Shore, controlled by Mr.. Vanderbilt. In
q short time the Lake Erie q Western was
extended TO Snndusly, Ohio, whcrc Il In.
tcrscctcd the main line Of the Lako Shore.
Mr.. Bricc had now succeeded In building
this line ofroad through the fertile folds
Of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, and extend
cd ts northeastern terminus 10 Lake Eric.
Froights were abundant 10 employ an
army Of mon andnll the rolling stock that
the busincssr required. Yet, notwithstand.
ing this generous outlook, he met with an
obstacle at the Lake Shore that he could
not surmount, Tho products OF the fields
and the workshops Of the Wcst, after be.
ing transported 10 the lako by the Lake
Erie q Western II. II, were still far from
their ultimate market nj tho seabonrd
When the Lake furnished transportation
all went we'll when leo closed this outlot
tho Lake Shore levied tribute that bocamc
q burden too grlcyous 20 bo borne. with
u keen sonso OF this injustice Mr.
Brico sought to remove this burden. Hc
sought an interview with Mr.. Vanderbilt
he stated TO him frankly and In mani,
way the difficulties under which his roat
labored, and the injury that was being
done 10 commercial interests along the
line Of his rood, He asked only that Mr.
Vanderbilt should enter into such ar
rangomcnts MS would insure prompt dc
livery of freight and passengers at the
seaboord, and fair 70 all parties interested
His ovcrtures were mot with n haught,
refusal. Neither concessions no,
Accommodations would bo considered
| Whom every effort TO socur,
equity had beon exhausted Mr.. Brlco snid
TO Mr.. Vanderbilt, III then you will CON
code me neither Justice nor equity / will
parallel your Az this bold threat Mr.
Vanderbilt looked NJ the young man be-
fore him and with contomptuous ahr,p
OF the shouldersreplicd "That, yomgmnn
IL tho conception OF lunntc.n and al
once entered upon an oulogy OF his father
the magnificent property he had built IN
In the New York Central and Lake Shore
the pride he then took In II, la enormous
cost, otc. and dismissed the young ploadcr
from his presence. What followed Ia &C
remarkable that Il sounds and reads like
q fairy tale. III just fourteen months from,
tho date OF that interview, under tho lead
OF this young and unknown man from tho
little city Of Linn, Mr.. Vanderbilt saw
lnid down, ballastcd and fully equipped q
rival line, "a parallel linen betwoen Buk
talo and Chicago. Mr.. Brlce had kept
his word; Tho L. II. q w. now had O
connection that Mr., vanderbiltcould moi
control, and the road became menace "a
the supremacy OF the Lake Shore. AZ II
Wayne tho Nickel Plate intorsocted The
Wabash, controlled by j. Gould. BY 80
curing this now line tho Wabash would