Omaha daily bee., 1899-08-06

= III ~ NlfAA h'Aliillbh ANte WV bNENt
under cover Of the name and through the
person CT their agent. Yerkes, in carrying
out the same process In Chicago. The
progress OF the street railway trust and gas
combine in the western metropolis was -
thoroughly discussed az the recent municipal
ele.tion that 1t is tolerably familiar. At the
present time Yerkes has retired from the
nominal control OF the Chicago systems and
they are openly under the direction Of the
whitney, widener- Elkins organization.
II might seem that the control Of trans
portation facilities in the three largest cities
of the country would be enough to command
all the energies Of any three men. But such
is not the case. In the intervals between
their larger operations they have had time
to absorb the Baltimore street railways, the
suburban systems of New jersey and the i'm
portant suburban lines in Westchester
county, to the north of New York, and on
Long Island outside Of Brooklyn.
One of the most recent moves on the part
part Of the combination has been to secure
control of the principal lines in P%ittsburg
by taking over the company formerly con-
trolled by state Senator Magee.
A move of vast Importance on the part Of
these municipal corporation magnates has
been persistently rumored and negotiations
ICON Ing lOWHTu ~ ldNt uINbubltulN AhhNh
place. This is the addition of Brooklyn
kapid Transit and the Third avenue line i"
Manhattan to the combination. II this
project Is carried through, as it is likely
TO be sooner or later. 1t will give these
street railway autocrats the control Of prac-
tically all the transportation facilities Of
Greater New York.
4 "Big Four Possibility.
This development may have the further
effect Of changing the triumvirate into a
big four" The late Ex-Governor Flower
Of New York had control of the fortunes of
the Brooklyn lines down to the time Of his
death. His successor in this as well as in
Chicago Gas and other interests with which
he was identified Is generally recognized as
Anthony U. Brady. II the humored com
bination takes place Mr.. Brady's ability and
financial power will no doubt give him an
influence in the counsels of the leaders
equal to that of any OF the others.
As in the case with Whitney, Widener
and Elkins, Mr.. Brady's fortune and infu-
ence represents the profits and powers re-
sulting from the control of municipal fran
chises. He laid its foundation in gas, cleo
trio and street railway enterprises in Troy
and Albany and later advanced on the me-
tropolis, where he built the famous "Huckle-
berry, road and became associated with
Mr.. Flower. His accession to the COM
bination represented by the other three
would extend their control not only to
Brooklyn and the Bronx, but also over
Providence, Albany, Troy and other smaller
cities.
Mr.. Whitney and his associates were not
content merely to control the existing means
of streets travel. When electricity appeared
as the dominant power in street car pro-
p~ulsion they proceeded to get into electric
ity. Mr.. Whitney saw the advantages which
the control of the streets of New York
offered to a big electric company, so he or
ganized the New York Light, Heat and Power
company, over which there was much squab-
bling among the Legislators at Albany last
winter. The Edison Electric company is
known to be largely in the control OF
Standard Oil interests and the two other
great electric concerns of the country, the
Walker and Westinghouse, were recently
united through the efforts OF the indefatig-
able Mr.. Brady. This may furnish an added
inducement to the great promoters to bring
Mr.. Brady into harmony with themselves so
that the quartet shall be the undisputed
| kings Of electricity as well as OF gas and
traction. If electricity is the general agent
for street car propulsion, compressed all
has demonstrated It's usefulness in particu-
lar localities. Mr.. Whitney and his Phila-
\ delphia friends saw the advisability Of get
ting control of compressed air. They did
this by taking the inventors of the system
and the promoters of its stock under their
wings. The financiers Of Wall street and
elsewhere recently awakened to the fact
that the American Air Power company had
become a Whitney concern when it was an.
nounced that air cars were to be put or
some of the Chicago and New York lines
and when Harry Payne Whitney, son of the
ex-secretary, was put in charge of the Chi.
cago end Of the air power enterprise.
Interested in Automobiles.
More recent even than the development Of
compressed air as a motive power Is the
rise of the automobile as a means OF street
traction and transportation. The trio saw
it coming, interpreted its meaning, and rea.
lized the desirability Of getting it into line
with their other enterprises. They began BY
securing control of the Electric Storage com
pany of Philadelphia. Since then other com
panies have been organized in New York
and Chicago, and a supervisory company
has been formed which is to have the gen,
eral direction of the electric vehicle business
in the different cities.
Aside from these giant interests the mem
bers of the Whitney-Widener-E lkins syndi
cate have been prominent in the organization
of the Tobacco trust and the American
Spirits company, better known as the Whisky
trust, and they are stockholders in the Penn
s~ylvania and other railroad companies.
How great are the fortunes of these men
or how much they have made within the
past few years since they have been acting
in combination, 1t would be impossible tc
say. Mr.. Widener Is commonly, rated al
possessing between $40, 900, 900 and $40, 900,
900. Mr.. Elkins is supposed to be worth
upward of $50, 600, 900. Mr.. Whitney's for.
tune has frequently been estimated at $50,
900, 900. But the significant thing about
these men is not the extent OF their OWE
fortunes SO much as it is the vastness Of the
capital whrich they control and the financia
power which they WELD. They have demon,
strated the cumulative power of millions
heaped on millions when these millions are
directed by bold and resourceful minds.
whitney as Lawyer and Politician
The three men composing this combina-
| ton Of financial giants are widely different
in character and antecedents, but they are
alike in their ability to control men and
| capital.
William G. Whitney Is the youngest OF the
three. He was born at Conway, Mass. 5s
years ago. He was graduated from Yale In
| 1853, and from the Harvard law school two
| years later. Then he came to New York to
1911 t,., n knA fatrlu AatnLIg.knI Lt.,