The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-10-11
FINANCIAL.
Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Fe R. R. Co.,
NO. 95 MILK STREET.

-'Oe y = 49, &NAA ~ As1LAs
BOSTON, October 8. 1894.
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS.
Your directors, by their circular of Sep
TENDER l4th, have requested your proxies for
use at the Annual Meeting OF the Share
holders, to be held at Topeka on the 25th of
October. In renewing this request, they
respectfully cali your attention to the fol-
lowing facts and considerations:
NO one OF the ten new members of Your
present Board has had the slightest con-
nection with, or responsibility for, the mis-
takes and mistortunes of the previous man
agements of the Company s ahairs. state
ment mas been published to the effect that
The new members are merely substitutes
for the retiring parties. This state ment is
an unqualified talsehood, and at the coming
election, should proxies IN controlling num-
bers be sent TO the present Board. the lat
ter will be still futher strengthened in the
interest of the shareholders notably by the
election OF a strongly representative man
to succeed Mr.. Alden Speare. who declines
reelection. The duty OF your present board
Is TO endeavor to overcome future dlfncul-
ties in the way of preserving and enhanc-
ing the present value OF the company's
property.
The chief of these difficulties now con-
fronting your Directors and their successors
Ior the coming year is not the operation OF
the railway system flor that is exclusively
the work OF tie ReceiVers), but the proper
representation of the shareholders in the
Work OF putting the affairs of the Company
ON a sound fna nciai basis. Unless this work
Is properly done the real value of your
shares cannot be preserved. 10 postpone.
the property. of the Company under lore
closure, and to bring about the speedy
acceptance by all concerned of fair plan
OF reorganization are the most important
tasks now demanding the attention of your
Directors.
NO Board or other agency can do this
WORK successfully unless 1t has access to all
lHe Important facts and all the valuable
estlmates and opinions. unless it can tell
clsarly what Is fair and practicablel reor-
ganlzation plan in the shareholders in
terest unless 1T has force enough to III esent
us views effectively to the many persons
ana parties in authority: unless it can COM
mand the assent of the bondholders to the
y can furnish, or cause TO be furnished,
the financial aid that must be Forthcoming
IN support OF those shaIe holders who can
not or Will not bear their proper proper
tons Of the unavoidable burden.
The undersigned are glad to be able to
assure you that there are at the present
time no asceitained facts bearing on the
question pending, of which your Directors
are not IN possession. 10 what is already
known will be added the results of the ex-
tended and minute examination of the Com
pany'S accounts made by Mr.. stephen
Little. the thorough inspection of the
physical property of the company by Mr..
Robert Moore, and the careful estimates
connected with or familiar with the COM
pany or its affairs and capabilities. From
this ample basis of information will be de-
tcrmIueu Inc attitude OF your DOafQ towards
the problems of reorganization and of such
information full abstracts will be furnished
to the shareholders. Your Directors will
supplement their already abundant means
and experience with every form of assist
ance obtainable, and no step will be left
untaken that may the better enable them
to act promptly and wisely.
EDWARD j. BERWIND.
JAMES A. BLAIR.
WILLIAM L. BULL,
B. j. CHENEY, JR.,
THOMAS F. FOWLER,
G. s. GLEED,
G. X. HOLIDAY.
SAMUEL G. LAWRENCE, y
JOHN "A. MCCALL.
GEORGE A. MCPHERSON,
l.. SEVERY,
ALDEN SPEARE,
f. K. STURGIS,
Board of Directors.
oct9&llfncol