The Meeker herald., 1902-08-16
GATES HAS CONTROL
COLORADO FusL 4 IRON STOCK.

C06OWAOO PO8S = sWOV OWN
ossss Party ciaims Large Majority
q ersxlss-caa Now Proceed "
osst the osessd Management.
Denver, Aug. 1s.-Ths Republican
this morning publishes the following
statement. issued over the drm namt
by Attorney Charles w. Waterman OF
the law firm Of Wolcott. Vale 4 Wat
erman:
John ]. Mitchell. John W. Gates
and James A. Blair. as q proxy com
mittee for the stockholders Of the Col
oFaLo Fuel and Iron Company, person
ally hold proxies for approximately
100000 shares out OF q total OF less
than 260OO0 shares, the entire out
standing capital stock Of the Colorado
Fuel and Iron Company.
"ln other words. these gentlemen
hold . majority Of approximately no.
coo shares Of the entire capital stock
Of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Com
pany; less than 10000 shares OF the en-
tire capital stock are not represented
In the holdings by these gentlemen"
The firm Of Mr.. Waterman has been
the direct representatives of John w.
Gates In his struggle for the cOntros
Of the company. The announcement
was made upon receipt Of Telegram,
announcing the Anal examination Of
the stock books by the Gates faction
In New York.
This further statement was made:
There II absolutely NO doubt that
Mr.. Gates II in control Of the Colorado
Fuel and Iron Company. We are In
possession Of the list Of stockholders
who have empowered the COMMITTEES
to vote their proxies"
At the general Offices Of the Colorado
Fuel and Iron Company In the Boston
building, none of the officers In the
city cared to make statement pub
l;cly. The news that Gates gave fig-
ures and had made mn official state
ment that he was In control was re-
ceived early in the afternoon. There
was an Informal meeting. After the
meeting an officer Of the company
made the remark:
at is their time to howl-we are
licked"
The fact that the demurrer present.
ed by the Osg0od attorneys, In the pro-
ceedings brought by w. N. Vale to
compel the officers of the company to
permit an inspection Of the books, has
Deen thrown out of court was taken
as 4 direct victory for the Gates fac
ton, 10 for as the local end Of the
fight IL concerned.
ut is now apparent" said an officer
of the Fuel and Iron Company, that
the litigation started by Gates In Dem
yer to compel us to permit inspection
Of the stock books aud to transfer here
the stock held by Gates friends, was
more or less In the nature of blind.
abe supp0sitl0n was only natural thar
his persistent hammering at the courts
In order to see tile books came from
the consciousness that he was not ia
control and desired to see the books
In order to obtain list of those stock
holders he could approch and bring to
his aid. He has not had time to &C
complain this. but, evidently, has been
busily At work for months, and early
In June knew that he controlled
enough proxies to give him the COM
pany. With his associates, lie used
the passing Of the dividend BY the o.
good board Of directors, decision
which he opposed, among ether stock
holders, until, after the thorough In
spection of the stock books In New
York. he knew there could be no sue
cessful light waged- against him by
OsE0Od.
1.-The fight has been a bitter one.
MIR. Osgood and his friends have strug-
gled to retain control, believing that.
once In Gates hands, the ultimate ues-
tiny of the Colorado Fuel and Iron
Company IL to become part Of the
United States Steel Corporation, which
has been after Inc colorado company
very hard the past year. know that
Mr.. Osgood has had no Idea Of Gates
strength, and the fact that the COM
mittee Of Mitchell. Gates and Blair has
received proxies for 100000 shares goes
to show that many Of the supposedly
strong adherents Of Osgood have de-
serted him."