Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-21
APPEAL TO PATT|SON
POwderly and Cassatt Present
the Reading Deal to
the Governor
AND DEMAND ACTION.
The P. Z. R. Man Says It's Just as
Bad as the South Penn Case.
MAPS TO SHOW COMPETITION.
Attorney General Hensel Will Now Have
Opportunity to Act.
AND DEMAND ACTION.
MAPS TO SHOW COMPETITION.
THE FLORIDA TRIP MAY BE POSTPONED


HARRISBURG, Feb 2O.-The Reading
deal is not completed, their leases and
other articles OF agreements have been
drawn up and signed, but the party of the
third part--the Commonwealth-has vet to
be satisfied that the deal does not mean
that the anthracite coal of Pennsylvania
will not only be rated as black diamonds in
the inspiration of poetic writers of little
originality. but will be rated as precious
stones IN the coldly commercial language of
the market price list. Governor Pattison
to-day received communications protesting
against the deal from T V. Powderly,
Master Workman of the knights of Labor,
and A J. Cassatt, formerly vice president
and still a director of the Pennsylvania
Railroad.
Mr. Cassatt does not conceal his thoughts
beneath imaginative flights of fancy, but
saws that the deal is wholly and solely the
lease for 900 wears of competing and parallel
lines. He calls attention to the facts of the
requirement of the control of the Lehigh
Valley and Central Railroad of New jersey
hv the Reading Railroad
Proving His Case by Maps.
These three companies, he declares, are
active competitors in the mining and trans
portation of anthracite coal aud in the trans
portation of general merchandise and passen-
gers. and in proof of the assertion offers
map of Central and Eastern Pennsylvania
and New Jersey showing the connections of
the roads with the three sub-districts of the
anthracite region where all three of the
..,sT S,,r of ha nd rua
in the third
Counsel for the combination, he declares.
has admitted that if two roads compete in
the same district one cannot legally lease
or control the other. Mr.. Cassatt compares
the lines Of the Beech Creek and Pennsyl-
vania road with the lines of the combine,
which he declares are more directly in
competition with each other He also
points out that the South Penn Railroad
would certainly not have been a competitor
of the Pennsylvania Railroad to any greater
extent than those combined roads are with
each other. Mr. Cassatt incloses tariff
sheets of the combined lines and state
meut showing their coal tonnage during
1891.
Worse and More of II.
As further evidence, Mr. Cassatt incloses
clippings from several newspapers from
which II appears that in addition to the
consolidation of the Lehigh Valley and the
New Jersey Central and the Reading under |
one management, the control of the Della |
ware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad I
has been secured by Pennsylvania authori-
ties acting with and interested in the COM
bination with a view to preve nting compe-
tition between that company and the COM
bined roads In conclusion, he says:
laIso inclose an editorial clipping from |
the Philadelphia Public Ledger, of February |
i, which may be assumed to speak with the |
authority of the gentlemen who have |
brought about this combination. l call your |
attention to the act that it is practically |
admitted that the power to * the price of |
anthracite coal in Philadelphia and else |
where will rest with one man, although the |
hone certainly is expressed that this power |
will be exercised in a beneficient way have |
thought it right to collect together and sub |
NIT to you the above facts, which are all de- |
rived from public sources equally accessible |
10 YOU, so that yOu may have the situation |
clearly before you and may take such action |
as YOU may deem proper and right, if the |
consolidation of these competing lines under |
one control with the avowed purpose of re- |
moving competition and of securing the |
power to regulate the production and fix |
price OF anthracite coal should seem to you i
10 be contrary TO public policy or to be In |
violation of that provision of the Constitu- |
ton which prohibits the transportion COM |
pany from acquiring in any way the control |
Of cOmpetltlng line.
FowderIy Uses Strong Language. |
Mr. Powderly in the plain, blunt Ian |
Cuage of q man who is accustomed to direct |
the policy ofthe innumerabie hosts oflabor, |
saws:
In the absence of any authorized form OF |
making complaint, take this means OF call /
ing your attention to the attempted viola |
fion OF the Constitution of this State by the |
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Com
La
nation has been effected by which the Gen.
trail Railroad OF New Jersey and the Lehigh
Valley Railroad Company have been alb
sOrOeG by the Philadelphia and Reading.
The two last mentioned railroads are
parallel and competing lines, if such exist,
within the meaning of the Constitution.
They operate in the same field and tap the
same coal beds. Section of article Il of the
Constitution of the State is positive in its
declaration against such consolidation of
railway interests as will be Effected il this
gigantic trust is formed.
A. a citizen OF Pennsylvania, herewith
enter complaint against the formation of
the combination referred to. Article Il, in
every section and clause, is being violated
and set aside by the actions of the Philadel-
phia and Reading Company. If Their is in
the constitution of this state any authority
for the actions of the railroad above men,
tiol.ed. J. as one citizen of the Common
wealth. would esteem il a great favor if it
be pointed out 10 me by the legal authority
of the State itself If there is no such war
J ant of authority in the Constitution of the
State then demand as requested by sec
tion of aSticle Ia that the complaint be de-
cided by sju1y-
Referred to Attorney General Hensel.
Governor Pattison, when an attempt was
made to interview him on the stand the ad-
ministration would now take, refused to
give any information beyond showing the
following letter he has addressed to Attor-
new General HenSel at Lancaster:
The enclosed communications from Mr.
A j. Cassatt, of Philadelphia, and MrTV.
Powderly of Scranton, are referred to your
to take such action as will en-
force the Constitution and bring all who
have violated it within its control
The Governor, in reply to Messrs. Pow
dcrlv and Cassatt, wrote that he had re-
ferred them TO the Attorney General, s'to
take such action as he may deem necessary
to enforce the Constitution and protect
every interest of the Commonwealth
1t is hinted tonight that Governor Pat
tison will postpone his trip to Florida and
give his attention to this new phase of the
Reading deal, but the Governor refuses to
DENY or affirm that he has reconsidered his
invitations for next Tuesday.
The Pennsy Keeping Its Eyes Open.