Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-02-18


Speaking Of the Reading deal to Tclc-
graph reporter, yesterday. director A. ].
Cassatt Of the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany said;
"Wcll, ii you want my candid opinion,
think this Is the most audaciols and most
impudcnt defiance of the law and the con-
stitution OF the state that has ever been at
tempted in Pennsylvania. II is not posi-
bic that the people who have made this
gigantic combination can have forgotten
the result of the litigation growing out Of
the proposed purchase by the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad Company of the South
| Peen road and the Beech Creek road some
years ago. In this case the Bedford &
| Bridgeport railroad,a cooperation controlled
| by the Pennsylvania railroad, was used
as the medium for the purchase, but
as soon rs the intention became known
the Encouragement of the state, under
the direction of the governor, intcrposcd
| and applied TO the courts for an injunction
restraining the Bedford and Bridgeport
| Railroad Company and the Pennsylvania
railroad from cOnsummating the purchase
setting up that provision of the constitu-
ton Of thestate which prohibits any rail-
road corporation from leasing, purchasing
or in any way acquiring the control
| of a competing line. 4 lot of litigation
ensued. with tile result that the state won
at every point. and the Bedford and
| bridgeport and the Pennsylvania railroad
were enjoined from directly or indirectly,
or in any way, carrying out the intended
| purchase or control.
.'Now whit do we sec here? Why, first,
that the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company,
a company that competes at 100 different
points and i'll l,0Uo different ways with the
| Reading. is leased to that company;
| second, that the Central Railroad of New
| Jersey, whose lines run parallel with and
| in sight of the Lehigh Valley from Phil
lpsburg to Wilkesbarre, is leased to ~
| little New Jersey corporation created by
the Reading Railroad Company, and now
owned and controlled by that company,
unless the control has been constructively
parted with for the purpose of giving
some color of legality to the lease.
TUE CREATION OF A COAL MONOPOLY.
"With this plain statement of the case,
| can any more iiagrant violatian of the law
| of the state he eonceivcd2 Here is an at
| tempt to create q monopoly of almost the
entire anthracite coal output of the state,
and the entire output. in fact, excepting
the very small part which is controlled by
the PENNSYLVANIA railroad. The magni-
| tudr of this enormous combination will be
understood when | tell you that the an
| thracite coal production amounts to about
40,00U,OO0 tons per annum, representing u
| money value at the markets of over $780,
| 0UO,OJ0 annually.
THE ENORMOUS POWER OF ONE MAN.
"Do the people of the state understand
what the consiimmation of this deal means,
that it puts in the power of one man to
fix the price of the fuel used by almost
every household Of the statc2 How has
the cry We so constantly have heard about
monopolcs been stilled
STEPS TO PREVENT THE DEAL.
'Do think that any steps will be taken
to prevent the deal from being carried
out Yes. ] most certainly do
"Will the Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany take any legal proceodingsW
II don't know anything about that; but
| do not think il will be necessary for any
corporation or individual TO take any
action either"
"Who do you think will?n
! "Why, the executive Of the state, of