Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-24
A TARDY DISCOVERY.
SENATOR FAIR AND THE LOS AN.
GELES ELECTRIC RAILROAD.
He Now Believes That the Contract Made
BY the Pacific Rolling Mills is Void.
Views of vice-President J. M. c. Mar
hle

An Associated Press dispatch in yes
terday's HERALD stated that the even
ing Post of San Francisco printed a long
article Saturday, in which ex-senator
Fair is quoted as saying that the con-
tract between the Pacific Rolling Mills
company and the Consolidated Electric
railway company, for the construction
and equipment of an electric railway in
this city, would be broken.
The reason given for such action is
that the articles of incorporation of the
Rolling Mills company do not provide for
the construction OF railroads by that cor
poration, and contracts for such work
are illegal in the opinion of the ex sena-
tor and other gentlemen comprising the
directory of the company.
From perusal of the dispatch in ques-
ton the inference could be drawn that
there is an African in the wood pile.
The directors are engaged in holding Sc
.cret meetings and are said to be making
investigations of all contracts now in
force.
The officials of the Consolidated Elec-
tric railway company in this city are in
q biissful state OF ignorance concerning
the doings of the rolling mills people and
as far as the canceling of the contract is
concerned, have heard nothing.
A reporter called upon Mr.. j. M c..
Marble at his home on Figueroa street
last evening, but that gentleman did
not even know of the publication of the
dispatch until his attention was called
TO it. After carefully reading the article,
he said:
ssThis matter is all news to me. l was
not aware of any dissatisfaction on the
part of the rolling mills people, and l
can't understand the change in Mr..
Fairs views. At the time of the run on
the Peoples bank the senator was inter-
viewed, and expressed sentiments di-
rectly opposite to those accredited to
him in this article.
II am anxious to know why the Roll
ing Mills company directors are ques-
tioning the legality of the contract with
the electric company. 1t Is somewhat
strange that they should now do so, as
iintimated in the report, when the point
was never raised over the contract with
the cable road people when they were
building. The Pacific Rolling Mills COM
,pany took $500, 900 in bonds in consider
alton of work done on that road without
q uestion as to the legality of the con-
tract. Why, then, should aE this come
up over the electric road contract?
The gentlemen at the head of the
rolling mills are personally unknown to
me. I am newcomer on this coast,
but have been given to understand that
they are shrewd business men, and have
always so considered them; and it
seems improbable that they would enter
into any such contract before informing
themselves as to the legality of their
action.
This article emanated, without
doubt, from the same source as the sen.
sational statements made through the
columns of certain newspapers some
weeks ago. The cable company is evil
dently badly scared at the idea of the
electric company building here. 1t is
looked upon by that company as dam
syerous competitor and they seem to
think it is encroaehing upon territory
which belongs to them alone.
81 do not understand that the streets
of any city were made for the use and
of any one person or corpor-
believe that there is good future ahead
Of the city and room for both roads"
''The Times OF this morning intimates
that the electric company had intended
to jump the cable track today, but
would probably postpone the carrying
out of the scheme owing to the San
Francisco dispatch. Was any such
action contemplated by your COM
pany?"
''No, sir. Such statement as that is
utterly false and without foundation.
The company respects the laws of the
state and is willing to await the decision
u the courts as to whether or not we
shall run over three blocks of the cable
tracks"
In the event of the rolings mill can
,eling the contract for the construction
If the road, would the enterprise be Sc
riously crippled?"
"My answer to that question is that
5he company is we'll able to carry out
ts plans fer the building of the road,
lud the enterprise possesses enough
merit to make it success"