The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-03-15

The story sent out few days ago by
the Associated Press to the effect that
the Union Pacific had acquired the Ore
gon Short Line originated with the Omaha
lee. Now the World-Herald of the same
city takes a hand. A special TO The Her
aid says the World-Herald OF this morn
ing Will contain the following, in more eX-
tended form. of course:
president Burt of the Union Pacific
has gone TO New York, where new honors
Will be thrust upon him II Is stated that
Inc Union Pacific will take control OF the
Oregon Short Line and the Oregon Rail
way & Navigation company April l. w lille
the Union Pacific had obtained the ma
Jority of the stock of both railways no
date has been hitherto given with refer
ence TO taking possession.
'All obstacles having been removed,
President Burt, IL is predicted, VIII be
made president of the entire system from
Omaha To Portland. When he is placed
in charge OF these roads mis- policy will
remain the same lie will continue 10
economic to the point of barest necessi-
L. IN the pursuance OF THIS polcy, the
general officers OF the Oregon Short Line
at Salt Lake will be removed to this city.
where they will he consoidat ted with the
general officers here. This will require
certain expenditure TO make room for the
great number OF employees who will come
10 this city. The headquarters building
Is already croWed and IL Will probably be
remodeled- Plans are already being dis
cussed. When the removal of the general
Offices occurs. which is likely 20 be some
time after the new president takes charge
several very high officials OF the Oregon
Short Line ana the Oregon Railway IL
Navigation company Will lose their posi-
tons
All of which is exceedingly hot stuff"
There must be another traffic deal on and
the Union Pacific wants in on it.
The above is printed, not because it is
news. Tor ii is not. From the best adj
vices obtainable and they are from peo-
pie high in authority, there is no likeli-
hood of the Union Pacific assuming con-
troll of the Oregon Short Line on April !.
Sentiment in Omaha is against this city
having any advantage over il. Time was
when the Short Line was managed from
Omaha The result of the management is
recorded in history. The road had to be
reorganized, and since the time is was re-
organized and run by Salt Lake men it
has made money. 1t has a surplus now,
something never known when Omaha had
control
President Burt went east, according to
an Associated Press dispatch in this col
urnn. to talk over a consOlide ton of the
Pacific and American Express companies.
That information is doubtless true. But
so eager are the Omahas to get Short 1
Line headquarters located there that
every movement of the Union Pacific is |
construed 10 mean consolidation.
The dispatch says the fact that the |
Union Pacific has obtained a majority of l
the stock Of the Short Line has been |
generally known long time. 1t has |
not.
The Herald will read few lines of the
histor-7 of that transaction for Omahas |
benefit.
While the reorganization committee was |
working on the plan for the reconstruc- |
ton of affairs of the Short Line a large |
block of the stock of the road was offered |
for sale. AT the request of several mem |
bers of the committee this stock was /
bought by the firm OF koenan. Loeb q Co. /
of New York City and by il locked up in !
the vaults of the firm The members of !
the reorganization committee happened |
70 ho. al,ar-- af no Trafn flo
mittee a short time ago this stock was
transferred from the firm which pur-
chased it to the members aforesaid. 1t i
was a financial transaction and nothing
else.
The New York Herald noted this trans
action few days ago and gave il five
and one-half lines in its commercial
briefs. The enterprising man who sends /
out stuff by wire flashed that to Omaha.
whereuPon lurid tale was built and sent
out from Omaha
The final paragraph of the dispatch re-
ceived last night is funny. 1t is pre-
dicted" relates the sender. That's a saw
ing clause inserted with g sagacity worthy
OF a man drawing up a legal document
Equally important is the statement that
his policy will remain the same. Then
that certain expenditure" for changing
the headquarters so as to accommodate
the army of employees is also good
"Plans are already being discussed one
can imagine the chief engineer and the
general manager and the reporters for /
the Dapers down in Omaha talking over
and where Cruikshank shall be located.
and how the head of the over, short and
damage bureau shall pe staked out. Cen
eral officers will be conSnlidate ted - The !
meanc. doubtless, that Mr.. Munroe and
Mr.. EcCles will run q double ba rreued
department, and that BurleY and Lomax
viii appear as a pair of Siamese passen-
ger twins while Bancroft and Dickinson
Dunn and Mcconnell and all the balance
will lash themselves together and go am
bling around until such time as the
powers that Be cut them apart and tell
one-hah or the other to go and look for
work.
This naper has maintained that the
Short Line and the Union Pacific would
not be consolidated, in the way indicated
even though Union Pacific stockholders
own every share of the former road. 1t
stands by that declaration. It is much
easier for the Omaha papers to announce
that Burt will be made president than to
make him such. The Short Line is a !
\. To elect him president means to dis ]
incorporate and reincorporate. All this
requires time. No notice has been served
that anything of this sort is coming
Again win this paper repeat that there is
no sentim INT in a moneyed transaction !
And this being true, the stockholders of
the Short Line are not going to take any
on losing money, when they are
now making plenty as conditions stand
It is possible that The Herald is mis-
taken when il asserts that no consolida- {
ton will take place. But in the light of !
received: information which !
the Omaha papers cannot get unless thew I
solidation does take place q shinge {
dropped in Jordan river at the White
bridge viii float TO Utah lake.