The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-12-17
CAREER or Mr.. GOWEN.
sketch Of His Railroad aud Legal Under
takiBgs.

February =. 100. anu WIS iu'i'iVi' ~ wv
5+th year II his age. He was educated at
Fmmitsburg. Md. and in Morayian school
at Lititz. Pa. When about - years Of age
he entered the business Of mining coal.
which. however he soon abandoned and
began the study Of law. He was admitted
- the bar in 1860. and In 1862 was elected
district attorney OF Schuylkill county. lie
was afterwards retained as counsel for me
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and OF
the Girard coal trusts. tssE
The legal bushes, ofthe Philadelphia and
Reading Railroad Company became heavy
as the traffic Of the road increased. and thr
company asked Nr. GOwen to lease his
mountain home and take up his residence
I'm this city. 30 successful was be as a law
yer for the company that Charles i. smith.
The company's president. conceived the idea
that GOwen was the proper person to sue
coed 10 the presidency. This was IN l>o2
| and Mr. Gowen in speech delivered IN 1871
thus describes this important incident IN BIZ
career:
Twelve years ago this week. when was
Young man practicng law in the city OF
rhiladelph the then president Of the Read
| ing Railroad Company came 10 my Office
very early one morning 10 say 10 me that
| bis health. physically and mentally. was in
such "a condition that he was compelled 20
ralinquish hi post He told me that he
| knew Of no - who could take the place 80
well rs ! could and askCdme. rs matter Of
| lci sonal friendship, 10 relieve him from the
arluOus burden Of his responsible position
! and TO assume. at east temporarily in his
| absence the pres dency n the company.
| lie told me that his physician had said TO
| him ihat unless be- was relieved from work
Doc would have ~ 20 either 10 Or. Dirk
| BRIDES or 10 Laurel Hill q cemetery near
| Philadelphia ! entertained such feelings
| Of respect for him at the time that. with no
| intention under heaven OF abandoning my
own profession, | consented 90 serve a. hi,
l0cum toncus until he could 90 TO Europe
with a view Of ascertaining whether it was
not possible for him 10 be restored % health.
| From that slight commencement has fol
lowed an the load Of care and anxiety which
f1r twelve years has hung over and upon
me. and ] say here tonight that il at that
time could have looked into the future and
| have seen the labor that was 10 undergo
and. above all. if ! could for one moment
have believed that the man whose health ]
pared by taking his place would have
| turned against me with the venom Of an in
| crate. would have seen him i'm DR.. Kirk
| BRIDES with great cquanimity. and great
leal further than Laurel Hill. before
would have undertaken the task. APP
! piause.l
AfAN 7 uNt Hf'Nf 1T tl4N' Iff-AilNN- ! nliA lAhf
| upon myself the responsibility; | did sur
render a profession which 10 me. 40 that
| time Of my life, when only thirty-thrce
Years a. age. ! loved a. dearly rs painter
ever loved his art. for / think ! can say,
| without eg0tiem. that i'm this whole STATE OF
! Pennsylvania do not believe there was any
| Young man of my aye in the profession who
| had so bright a future as | had before me.
bat 20 save my friend surrendered all that,
and entered upon this arduOus task with
q view Of holding his place for him until be-
! could return. Tie discovered in the course
! II year that 10 was impossible for him tO
return. and within that time 1 found that
| had become deeply interested i'm the task !
| had undertaken
Mr. GOwan filled :ho Office Of president OF
| The Reading Railroad until 1851, when. on
! account Of opposition 10 his plans for the
relief OF the finances II the road. he failed
# q reelection. lie was again chosen To-
/ the Office of president - lSS2 In 1872 Mr..
| GOwcu was elected q member Of the con-
! -t,tutIsnal convention Of Pennsylvania. and
In this body ranked rs one OF It's abl.st
/ members. Dir. GOWcn conceived ana cs-
| tlllished the Philadelphia and Reading
I Coal and Iron Company. He also con-
! ceiYcd and put in operation the movement
/ against the famous organization known as
! .ne molly Maguire-.' which had produced
/ d reign OF terror in the coal region extend
| Ing over a period Of twenty wears. In the
( trials which followed this movement Nr.
! GOwcn WAS one Of the counsel for the Com
mOnwealth.
His prosecution Of the Molly MaguiFes H.
| lDstratod both his ability and his courage.
! Everybody knew that when he undertook
! that work he risked bis life. In that band
/ ~ mGrlIdpr-. and iO those who came with
] d fff.fl. fiuNult4 o. rnnrt-aUfnf fln ftnrinI
, tyranny which oppressed the mining dis
frict 10 was be- who put detectives at work
| 90 ferret ont the criminals who kept the coal
/ regions I'm terror Much OF what he did was
| undertaken 40 personal cost. Without such
work Justice must have long gone unsati--
| icd. And when the exposures came bis
part In bringing them about was heralded
abroad and WAS known at the mines and in
| the mountains where the desperadOes ruled.
/ tndaunted by threats and deaf tO warn
/ ings and entrraiics. De went into that
region with The prosecuting officers. kx-
/ cept for the evidence that he placed 40 their
disposal and the DEL otherwise that be- eX-
tended. The prosecution could hardly have
! succeeded. Ills arguments IN some Of those
cases were forensic models
! n was after his work i'm this direction
/ that political hOn0rs were placed i'm Mr..
! Governs way. I'm the outhur-t of popular
approval which followed The exposures and
| conviction of the Molly Maguires his name
/ was proposed for Governor of Pennsylvania.
! An acceptance OF q nomination az that time
would have been equivalent % am election.
/ regardless OF partisan considerations. lie
| dismissed the suggestion at once. and went
quietly back 90 his desk in the Reading Of
| fees. whore bee found enough work accumu-
/ lated 10 make him forget politics.
/ During William II. Naudcrhilt- life there
| existed a warm friendship between him and
! Mr. GOWcn. Under Mr. Governs presidency
! The relations Of the Reading with the Van
| dcrblt roads became more intimate. short
| connecting lines were mutually built i'm the
neighD0Ih0od Of Nilliamsport, by which
| the Reading road secured an outlet for lis
anthracite % the lines Of the new York Cen
trail to Buffalo and beyond. Access was also
secured 90 the -cabOaui and % the trade de-
mandng soft coal. Then tine Central Rail
road Of New jersey was leased. The Read
/ ing thus obtained an independent entrance
10 New York.
In 1853 the road seemed prosperous and
constantly advancing. Against the advice
OF his friends. Mr.. GOWen persisted in full
/ filling promise he had made in London. 70
relinquish the presidency as soon rs be
| thought the Reading Railroad could stand
alone. After his retirement receiver was
/ ififNliltls Later Mutu the lnNN Mh7 IA
| trouble again. Mr.. GOwen again offered his
services. The stockholders accepted them
almost unanimously. Mr.. GOwen continued
/ ~ the head of the Reading Company until
theadfent OF Nr. Austin C0rbin as receiver
and president upon a platform re0rganiza-
ton cmbodying the principles for which he
had commended.
After his retirement from the presidency
OF the Reading properties IN 49,. Mr.. Gowen
engaged again in the prltice Of law, am Oc-
cupatiOn that he had since followed. The
ease Of Coke Brothers against the Lehigh
Valley Railroad Company was one OF the
most important that came under his direc-
ton. Coke Brothers complained that the
company charged more for carrying
coal for them than for certain fl
yored shippers. II the decision IN
the case now due. stall lead %
such a construction Of the interstate COM
merce law as will impose closer review
upon the operations Of the coal companies.
the case will be- recorded among the cele-
I'll. in In