Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-19
G0ULD'S RAILROADS.
Harmony Will Be Maintained, but
Not at Too Great a Sacrifice.
POSSIBILITY OF A BIG STRIKE.
II Is Looming Up in the Distance in the
Western States.
PROSPECTIVE LABOR DISTURBANCES

NEW YORK, JAN 1S-The Missouri Pa
cifc directors at a special meeting to-day
passed resolution in which, after dwell
ling upon the importance of maintaining
rates, a special meeting of the Western
Traffic Association is requested to be called,
and the resolutions were presented to Chair
man Miller 1t is definitely known that
the request will be complied with and that a
meeting will accordingly be called. Mis-
souri, Pacific officials say that there was no
bitterness expressed at the meeting, but it
was apparent that in view of the importance
of msintaining rates speedy action should
be taken on the charges made against Of
fcials of the Burlington, Atchison and
Southern Pacific roads
Action on these charges was deferred at
the presidents meeting last week until the
April meeting. This meeting is to be held
in Chicago, and as there is little hope of
quorum at that time and place the matter
would have to go over until the October
meeting in New York. Meanwhile, the
charges would remain undecided and harm
would certainly result The special meet
lug will be held in New York and the ac-
answer the charges made against them.
Gould Has Taken No Action Yet.
Mr. Jay Gould this morning, through
Wall street paper, made these remarks
about the Western Traffic Association epi-
sode: II have taken no action yet, and If
any shall be taken, it must be by the Board
OF Directors. Nothing will be done hastily.
The Western Traffic Association has ac-
complished much good in having strength
-ened general confidence in the stability of
rates, and the Missouri Pacific will do moth
ing uncslled for to impair the associations
usefulness.
I'VE like to live, and it is for the best in
terests of the properties I assist in manag-
ing to live in peace with neighbors If the
directors should take up the matter of the
Advisory Boards recent decision, they will
strive to reach such a conclusion if possible
as will perpetuate harmony.
The Sacrifice Must Not BE Too Great
'fof course, we do not want the harmony
to be too great sacrifice on our part, but
we are willing to be patient and to forego
something for the general good
When asked if there was not difference
between the Leeds case and the one re-
Gently postponed TO the April meeting
by the Advisory Board, tr. Gould
replied" Oh, yes; there was s. sic differ
ence. Mr.. Leeds made rate OF sugar,
didn't get the sugar to haul, was con-
demned by the Advisory Board and dis
charged by me. The recently accused of
fcials made a rate on sugar, got it to haul,
were not condemned by the Advisory Board
nor discharged by their roads.
"In the meeting where Leeds was con-
demued | remember how earnest and force
full the Burlington representative was. Il
would like to see, said he, "a Burlington
traffic manager brought here in a case of
this kind. His head would come off and 1
would resign from the road
fT hare not heard of any official heads
coming off nor of any designations being
handed in among our competitors of late"
. Big Strike Is Looming Up.
A CORRESPONDENT, talking of railway mat
tiers. says: "a big Western railway strike is \
Suddenly looming up as possibility. There |
is one railway president who regards it as |
probability. His name is jay Gould. No, |
Mr.. Gould does not care, perhaps, to talk
about this for publication, but none the less
he is talking it to Wall street listeners
'The Aransas Pass now is the spark from |
which the Gould foresight expects the con-
fagration. This metaphoric verbiage an |
propriate bodily from Gould's conversation. |
A couple of years ago when the Burlington |
and Quincy was involved there used to be |
men close to that company's management !
and equally close to bear campaigners in |
the stock market, knew far in advance what |
grievances the employees would parade, |
what demands they would urge, what |
ground the roads authorities would take in |
disposng of the workmen's claims. Some 1
cynics used to insist even that the BurlIng- |
ton strike was not an employees strike at |
all, but strike of inside Spectators. But |
L =. L 4
history who has written it down plainly |
that the strike of the workmen was of the /
workmen's own doing. Still, one cognizant |
of the old Wall street talk cannot but ad |
vert TO ii now. when along comes the quiet |
suggestion that Mr.. Gould expects strike |
on his Missouri Pacific and Kansas line
most probably the Texas Pacific, when, so |
far as the dear public can see, not suspi |
cion Of trouble is lurking anywhere. And |
perhaps Gould is wrong. He could be |
without hurting his average. 1 am not !
bothering over the fact one way or the |
other; 1 am not purveyiEg prediction even. |
Only this am able to say: Gould is wor-
ried, or Ito his friends) processes to be wor-
ried, over prospective labor disturbances |
on his own and other railroads in the South
west
Prices Have Gone Up on Him.
'sNow Jay Gould is, according to Wall |
street, bear on the stock market Prices |
have gone up against his will, against his |
bets, perhaps. Many a wiseacre will tell
you how many tens of thousands of shares
Of stock ''the little man" is short Of He |
IS pitted against the Vanderbilts, so theories
Wall street, and Vanderbilt schemes to
maintain stock market boom make him
weary. Half dozen raps at the market
are attributed to him.
Personally, L doubt that MI. Gould is get
ting fair treatment. 1t is so easy to spin
out abuse, when you speculate and lose,
that Wall street criticisms are not quite
ultra conservative, and the habit which un-
der-dogs in Wall street have of pitching
continually into jay Gould as sponsor for
all their woes is an opportunity ripe for |
some satiFical playwright. But never mind
the goodness or the badness of him, Mr..
Gould is talking in, doleful way about
labor troubles, is saying he is fearful of a
strike, is bulletining an apprehension that
the ghost of Martin Irons is to walk again.
Suppose Mr.. Gould is wrong. Let the incl
dent be remembered as evidence that good
men are foolable. But suppose Mr.. Gould
is right Then, then do your own figuring
you who are interested in Wall street and
stock markets