The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-08
HOW MORGAN DEALS WITH MEN.
Brusque Manner a Characteristic of
the Financier-Stories of His
BIuntness.

Hfusque Manner a Characteristic of
the Financier-Stories of His
BIuntness.
From the Philadelphia Press.
New York, Aug. 5.-Mr. Morgan was
pictured in some of the newspaper re-
ports, and in all probability in some of
the recitations made by those who at
| tended the Amalgamated Association
| conference, as having with brusque,
! domineering, dictatorial manner repu-
| dated the proposition made by the as
| ISOLATION and laid down another as an
ultimatum and then abruptly and ang-
rily quilted the room.
| There is no truth in the report ex-
| cepting that Mr.. Morgan was upon this
occasion exactly what he is at all
meetings where there are discussions.
differences or propositions and counter
propositions. Instead of attempting to
humiliate or overawe the members of
the An1algainated Committee, Mr.. Nor
| gan, on the contrary, acted toward
| them precisely as he would have acted
had they been the representatives of
| some very powerful and wealthy trusts
or capitalists, financiers and bankers
! like himself. He displayed toward
them none of that sham condescension
| or patrOniZing manner which some
capitalists almost always assume when
they are in conferences with represen-
tatives of labor organizations. When
| the conference committee, with Presi-
| dent Shaffer at it's head, met Mr.. Nor
| gan they saw him exactly as he is and
| he treated them as he would have
treated any one who represented pow
ertul corporate influences. For that
very reason they should have felt none
of the humiliation they are reported,
possibly incorrectly, to have experience
| ed, but instead some sense of self re-
| spect and of qualification that Mr.. Nor
| gan by his very manneriSms showed
that he recognized their power what
| they stood for and that they were with
| in their rights when they made their
| demands.
ii the members of the committee rep
| resenting the Amalgamated Associa-
ton had been taken into the confidence
of some influential business men here
| they would have learned that it is not
| mir. Morgan's habit to approach a de-
| sired end clrcutousiy. His way is to
| state exactly What he had to offer in
| the way of a proposition and those who
have had experience with him know
well enough that when he had formu-
| l0lCN d. StdlC4llCIll ne lllCdIiS tlldL IL 10
| to be accepted or to be left alone.
Take It OF leave it, is the Morgan
| method. AS to brusqueness or imper-
| iousness or bluntness, he did not differ
in respect to these things in his meet
ing with the committee on Saturday
| from his lifelong habit.
| MIR. MOrgan's BIuntness.
Several years ago Mr. Morgan was
| elected director OF a certain corpora
| tion whose charter was granted by an
other state than New York. 1t is one
| of the great corporations of the United
| States. Its capital is high in the mil
lions. Some very wealthy men are
members of it's board of directors. At
| the first meeting that Mr.. Morgan at
tended as director, he listened quietly
| to the various reports, heard the dis
| cussions, saying nothing until at last
when the business seemed to be at an
| end the president said to him that the
directors would be glad to hear any
| views he had about the corporation or
| the reports that had been laid before
the directors that morning. To this
| Mr.. Morgan replied substantially in the
| following words, as reported soon af-
/ ter by fellow director: 1.-THE reports
| are all well enough, MIR. President; 1
have nothing to say about them. But
| there is one thing that do want to
| say, and L may as well say it now as
at any other time. This corporation
| has the reputation of being guilty of
| the most contemplate practices in re-
| gard to the payment of it's just debts.
| Contractors hate to deal with you, be-
| cause you do not pay them until the
| last moment. Your reputation of stav-
| ing off payment of just bills is a dis
| grace. 1t ought to be changed. If
you haven't money on hand to pay
IL y -. A A.
4, Having said as much as that Mr..
Morgan left the room, and there was
an amazed and for some moments ST.
| lent body of directors looking queerly
into one another's face. But that one
warning was sufficient and the reputa-
| ton of this great corporation as a
payer of just debts was speedily i'm
| proved. t4~
Last winter when Mr.. Morgan had a
proposition to make in behalf of him
self and James J. Hill to the officers
of the st. Paul Railway he called at
| the offices, laid his proposition point
| blank before them, found that Ii was
to be objected to, in all probability de-
clined. He departed instantly and be-
| gan at once with Mr.. Hill that move
ment so amazingly and swiftly con-
summated by which the Burlington
| Railway passed into the possession of
the Great Northern and the Northern
Pacific.
Anecdotes of this character could be
narrated until they became tiresome.
But they would fully illustrate the
spirit and character Of the man who
met the representatives of the Amalga-
mated Association on Saturday. He had
| thoroughly formulated the proposition
which he had to offer, and having done
that he offered 1t in exactly the spirit
and manner that characterize his APP
proaches to capitalists and to the own
ers of railways. Therefore, In this re-
spect, the representatives of the Anal
! gamated Association were treated with
| the same consideration which the rep
| resentatives of railway corporations or
| industrials are treated when Mr.. Nor
gan has propositions to make or 10 re-
ceive from them.
"A ticket-collector on a railway got