The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-04-09
LATEST STORY CONCERNING
RAILROAD COMBINE.
INCLUDES ALL GREAT LINES
Enterprise Involves Greatest Com
bination of Capital Known
to Financial World.

huge railroad combinations are in
process of formation are widely Gill;
culated here today. Detailed state
ments concerning the plan, already
published, looking to the consolidation
of all the great railway systems Of the
United States under control of one
company were given. but as a general
thing prominent railroad officials de-
cline to DISCUSS the matter. Accord
ing to I'LL accounts the enterprise in
wolves the greatest combination of
capital known in the history of the
financial world. It was said the CON-
pany would be formed under the laws
of New Jersey for The purpose Of con-
Quoting a general railway and trans
portation bureau in the United States;
that the company would hold a con-
trolling interest in all great railway
systems and that the management Of
the roads would be vested in the con
trolling company.
According to this proposition each
road would preserve it's identity and
corporate existence, but the new COM
pany would control the affairs Of all.
BY this policy it was claimed large
sums of money could be saved as a re-
suit Of economies in management and
stopping of rate cutting. The names
of men like j. ,Pierpont Morgan, Will
lam K. Vanderbilt, James j. Hill, Ed
ward Fl. Hartman, George j.. Gould,
John d. Rockefeller, Jacob H. Self
and James Stillman were freely used.
One report stated that the first step
in the proposed plan would be the Sc
curing of control Of the stocks of the
Burlington, Erie, Great Northern and
Northern Pacific and provision would
be made for the acquisition OF other
properties in the immediate future.
Discussing reported amalgamation OF
railway interest of the country the
New York Press will say tomorrow :
All that is aimed at, according to the
best authority o%btainable, is a com
munity OF interests. The close ANAL
gamation or community Of interest
basis was first brought about through
the efforts of j. Pierpont Morgan. AS
a result of this close union of interests
ruinous rate wars are already at an
end, not so many high priced officials
are needed as before and one can buy a
ticket on any trunk line in almost any
of the large offices in the cities.
However, that a single company will
be formed under the New Jersey laws
to take over all the railroads of the
country is not taken seriously by well
informed railroad men.
Dispatches received in this city to.
night from Cincinnati stated that q
. os,o,A:o @.,hs,,1 k;~. 80 ro:.~@le
under the guiding hand of j. Pierpont
Morgan had already taken place. The
roads mentioned were, the Southern
Railway, Cincinnati, Hamilton &
Dayton, Chicago, Indianapolis &
Louisville and Cincinnati Southern.
Relative to this report Genera.
Samuel Thomas, president of the Chi
cago, indianapolis & Louisville to,
night said:
"At present there is little to be sale
about the deal. / believe that the re
port that the companies are to be com
bined is a little premature. I do no
believe the amalgamation has beer
effected as yet.
lit is true that steps are under con
sideration looking towards a combin
alton of the roads mentioned. [ thinl
it will be effected, for all Of the inter
ests are favorable to it.
"It can scarcely be called an anal
gamation of the roads under tn
scheme that is under consideration
1t is merely a Capitalization of powe
looking towards the best interests o
the various roads,
.| .. ...
CURED BY MIRACLE.