The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-29
"0ld Smoothing Iron" Did Some
Clever Work for the
Magnate.
READY FOR A STRONG LOBBY.
Californians Expected to Join in the
Battle Before the Kentucky
Legislature.

LOUISVILLE, KY, Jan. 28.-Of cour se
CsP. Huntington does not read the Louis
vile Courier-Journal every day all the way
through, but he always manages, through
the watchmen that he has at every point
of danger, to keep well posted as to what is
going on concerning his interests. When,
therefore, he learned that an article had
appeared in the paper giving a synopsis of
an address sent out to the people of Ken
tucky by the Mayor of San Francisco, call
ing upon them to repeal the charter of the
Southern Pacific Company, he felt called
npon to say something IN his own de-
tense. In his reply, published in Mr.. Wat
terson's journal to-day, Mr.. Huntington,
among other things, says:
The men who assisted me in getting the char
ter and allowed their names to be used in that
connection were honorable men and their fel-
low-citizens very well know that such men as
Henry d. McHenry, General John Echols and
their associates would not do anything dishon-
orable. They knew what the purpose was and
the charter has never been used for any other
purpose.
Now, in regard to those gentlemen to
whom Mr.. Huntington refers as assisting
ter. Henry d. McHenry is dead. Nothing
further need be said of him, therefore,
than that he was one of the incorporators
of the old Elizabethtown and Paducah
Railroad, which had become bankrupt,
and about the time of the organization of
| the Southern Pacific Company passed into
the hands OF Mr.. Huntington and his
associates and is now operated by him as
| a RI nf fha -
sippi Valley Railroad, which forms the
link in the Southern Paclfcs transcon-
tinental system from Louis lille to Mem
phis, Tenn. Mr.. McHenry was at the time
a member of the Democratic National
committee and man of great influence in
the State.
General John Echols, next mentioned,
has been the general manager of Mr..
Huntington's interests in Kentucky ever
since he obtained control of the Newport
News and Mississippi Valley Railroad, and
he is the second president of that
organization. He is no tyro in dealing
with legislators i'll the matter of charters,
and on account of his suave and facile
ways of managing things goes in this city
by the sobriquet of "Old Smoothing
Iron" which he acquired at the time Mr..
Transfer Railroad along the river front in
this city.
Previous to his coming to Louisville he
had charge of Mr.. Huntington's Chesa-
peake and Ohio Railroad. from tidewater
to Huntington, w. Va. He has been con-
nected with Mr.. Huntlngton's interests
ever since 1868.
OF the other incorporators of the South
ern Pacific Company two certainly were
incorpcrators OF the bankrupt Elizabeth
and Paducah Railroad. One of them
Samuel Cox-had been associated with Mr..
Huntington in various enterpris es for
years previous. That these gentlemen
were not entirely disinterested in getting
! the charter for Mr. Huntington's So outhern
Pacific Company is well known in Louis
vile. They we're working for their own
interests and their masters.
The part of Mr.. Huntington's letter
stating that they desired charter in a
State where the laws were stable is rather
amusing to people who know the facts.
The ease with which such a charter could
be got in this State at that time is well
proved by the number of such acts passed
by the various State Legislatures from the
date of the war up to 1890-several thou
sand in number.
AS indicated yesterday Mr.. Hunting
tons forces are gathering at Frankfort to
fight the Goebel bill.
General Basil w. Duke, James P Helm
and St. John Boyle went up yesterday. The
first named is regularly retained by the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad; the
second is a prominent railroad attorney
frequently employed by Mr.. Huntington,
and the last is one of the receivers of the
Ohio Valley Railroad, controlled by Mr..
H huntingdon.
H. E. Queen of Covington, a fellow
townsman of GoeDel and one of Hunting
toms main dependents, is also there with
others skilled in such work.
California should not waste any time.
Delay will put the golden opportunity
havond har