The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-04
VANS POLICY.
To Control the Rail
ways of New
England.
ALL LINES TO GRAND CENTRAL.
Many Newspaper Opinions
On the Albany
Lease.
ALL LINES TO GRAND CENTRAL.

HaztTord, Conn, July 3-<Tne Times
sayst Itds admitted that the New York.
New Haven & Hartford managers de-
sired to acquire the Boston G. Albany
read and that their efforts were not
successful. 1T isno secret that the pol
icy G9 President Charles q. Clark of the
New Fork, New Haven g. Hartford in
Centain respects antagonized that of the
Wandasnflts. The antagonism came to
che Surface very distinctly in the mat
terpf the New York 8 New England
railrush " k Vanderbilt and Presi-
dent Bliss on The Boston & Albany I'M
douptedfy intended ito acquire a con-
trolling tnterest fn-the New England
road. and to prevent its merging into
the New York 6 New Haven system.
Such an effort indicated very clearly
that the Xanderbilts i1itend to be mas
1ers-of the railway situation In New
England. In this case Ma Vanderbilt
and Mr.. B1iss were not successful. and
the New England went into the New
xorK & New Haven system, but we
doubt IL Charles n Clark ts as fully the
master OF the situation Ia his own field
today as he would have been IL there
had been no contest over the New Eng
land road.
The fact that w. X. Vanderbilt was
williEg to attach the New England sys-
temfo the Boston & Albany before alb
sorping the latter into the New York
CenIral system shows clearly enough
that # Is part of the Vanderbilt policy
70 acquire all the lines having an en-
trance to or terminus at the Grand Cen
tral station in New York. The pres
enoe by invitation of the president and
vice president of the Pennsylvania rail-
road at the meeting of the New York
Central directors in New York yester-
oay had a peculiar significance and
clearly reveals the Vanderbilt policy.
The policy is to dominate the whole
railway system of New England. It is
announced that on Friday the directors
OF the Central made proposition for
the Fftchburg railroad. which affords a
Boston outlet to the Rutland road, and
also to the Central Vermont, besides
furnishing the best freight connection
with Boston for both the New York
Central. and West Shore lines.
1t is safe to assume that the full con-
troll Of the Fitchburg line will be OBJ
tanned by the New York Central within
the coming year By that time the VAN
derbilt lines in New England will in
clude' the Boston & Albany (Which will
then have the valuable outlet over the
Central New England & Poughkeepsie
Bridge line), the Fitchburg road and
the Rutland. The Vanderbilt interest
in the Boston & Maine is undoubtedly
increasing. 1t is no longer feasible for
the Boston & Maine and New York.
New Haven & Hartford roads to COM
bine without regard to the Massachu-
sets and Vermont lines controlled by
the Vandcrbiits. If there is to be but
one railroad system in New England,
later-on, it must probably be Wander
bilt system.
Springfield, July s.-The Republican
says: Next to the question of whether
the legislative sanction must be OBJ
tanned for the lease of the Boston & Al
bany railroad to the New York Central
comes that Of how the rights of the
state of Massachusetts in and over the
road are or would be affected by the
lease
one reason advanced for believing
that the Central may seek legislative
sanction in Massachusetts for the lease.
whether the law requires it or not. is
that this state claim gp0h the property
would be wiped out. If the legislature
should specifically approve Of the lease
without conditions, the state. il would
seem, will have signed away its right
OF purchase on the terms specified. It
will have agreed in effect that the Cen
trail can have the road for 500 years, so
far as the state is concerned. and
make what it can out Of It. But
the usual form Of lease or con-
solidation approval is conditional and
1t must be SO in this case. Thus the
act permitting the consolidation of the
Boston and Albany with the Albany
and West Stockbridge and the Hudson
and Boston provided that the corpora
tions thus united should be subject to
all duties, restrictions, obligations and
liabilities to which at the time they
might severally be subject. And no
legislature will venture to approve a
lease today which impairs in the least
degree the powers Of the state over the
leased or Consolidated railroad.
We do not suppose 1t is hkely that
the state will ever choose to exercise the
right reserved Of purchase, on the
specified terms.
I'VE may conclude that, in any event,
whether the lease be subject to legis-
lative approval or not, the present
rights of the state In and power of reg
ulatioR over the Boston and Albany
railroad win remain unimpaired; for