The herald., 1898-12-09
HfRRIN'S SPITE WORK
THE RAILROADS ATTEMPT TO
INJURE BRIG. GEN. OTIS
A TELL TALE TELEGRAM
The Corporations Bungler Was Re-
buked by Uncle Coils, Who Was
Afraid of Losing Contracts

While w. f. Herrin, chief of the Southern
Pacific political bureau, is engaged in his
bungling efforts to name aUnited States SEN
ator, the men who look after the railroad
company's interests in other lines of indus
try are telling each other how he recently
provoked the generous wrath of President
Huntington and Vice-President Stubbs by
stupid blunder which jeopardized many
thousands of dollars in earnings for the
transportation of troops, says the San Fran
cisco Chronicle.
The incident dates back to the beginning
of the war with Spain, but is not so remote
that it has faded from the memory of those
who have occasion to watch the laundering
career of Mr.. Huntington's chief counsel.
At the time when Harrison Gray Otis was
seeking an appointment as brigadier-general
in the volunteer service, Herrin sought to
inject little politics into the situation. 1t
was necessary and important that Otis should
be turned down, according to the Herrinian
theory, both for the good of the company
and for the humiliation of Otis. General
Otis had opposed the Southern Pacific COM
pany's pet project for the improvement of
Santa Monica harbor in the Los Angeles
Times, and for that reason would make a
poor officer in the volunteer army. So Her
rim placed the facts before T. III. Goodman,
general passenger agent of the company, and
urged him to use his friendship with Secre-
tary Alger to further the scheme for Otis
undoing. 1t was decided that this could be
done best by advancing the candidacy of
some other aspirant, and Captain f. l.. Car
rington proved the unfortunate victim of
the railroads double-edged friendship. So
the following telegram was sent to Wash
ington:
'To Russell A. Alger, Secretary of War,
Washington, d. c.: Captain Darlington,
United States army, is the most available
man here for brigadier-general.
"T. H. GOODMAN,
General Passenger Agent, Southern
Pacific Company"
President Huntington in New York soon
heard of Goodman S telegram, and forthwith
sent him letter demanding an explanation.
A copy of the letter was sent to Stubs. The
Southern Pacific was at that time striving
to secure all the transportation of troops
and supplies that the war department had
to offer, and had to face the bitter competi-
tion of the Santa Fe and other transconti-
mental lines. Huntington wanted to haul all
the troops destined to Manila over the Sun
set route, via New Orleans, for which SER
vice the company would receive cash pay
ment, instead of allowing the business to
go over the Central Pacific, by way of Ogden,
the earnings for which would be simply cred
tied to the Central Pacific in its account
with the government. Huntington appre-
ciated the fact that Otis was held in high
esteem by President Mckinley, and he want
ed no friction between Mckinley and Alger
that would operate to the Southern Pacific's
in the matter of securing the
business. Therefore he wanted to know
from Goodman why he was opposing the
of Otis.
All this provoked merry row in the gen.
eral office of the company in San Francisco.
Goodman fell back on Herrin, and Stubs
and the head of the law department have
not since ceased to be at loggerheads.
Stubbs, as head of the traffic department,
was looking after the dollars and cents that
The government was paying out in transport
alton, and when he discovered that, through
derrin's asininity, many thousands of dol
ars were likely to be sacrificed, he became
illed with pious indignation. The result
If it all was that Otis candidacy was not
urther antagonised, and soon thereafter he
was named for brigadier-general.
Captain Darlington escaped from the fray
ess fortunately. Ever since he got through
With his labors of mastering in the First
California volunteer regiment his friends
nave been wondering why other officers have
9een advanced and made the recipients of
avors, while he was left to scramble for
in one of the California
regiments. Captain Darlington has
lot told his trouble to all his friends, but
t is believed he has solved the mystery of
t in his own mind, for the reason that not
ong after the incident referred to had passed
nto history, and while Mr.. Herrin was en-
with a four-ply endeavor, to for
,et his almost fatal indiscretion,, Darlington