Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-31
RAILROAD KINGS At WAR
Pennsylvau'a and Wabash Interests In
vOlvsd in a Desperate Struggle.
INCEPTION AND PROGRESS or THE BATTLE
Significance Of the Destruction Of
Western Union Telegraph Lines
Gould and Rockefeller Against
Cassatt ana Vanderbilt.

The recent destruction OF the Western
Union Telegraph lines along the right-of-
way of the Pennsylvania railroad has a
significance much deeper than appears on
the surface. The origin and progress Of the
destructive wa the meaning OF It and the
vast interests involved are detailed by a
stan correspondent Of the Chicago Tribune
in part as follows:
The Western Union was not driven of
the Pennsylvania right-of-way merely be-
cause the railroad company preferred to
do business with the Postal Telegraph
company. The chopping down OF poles and
the destruction of the wires were retail
atory acts pure and simple. The trouble
dates back to the determination Of George
Gould 10 own his own railroad system be-
tween the Atlantic and Pacific slopes. The
minute he succeeded in securing an en-
trance into Pit~tsburg-which city hitherto
had been controlled exclusively by the
Pennsylvania railroad-he antagonized that
great corporation, and thereupon began
the battle between the giants.
George Gould is the controlling factor in
the Western Union Telegraph company,
and although that company had been in
peaceable possession of the Pennsylvania
right-of-way for fifty years or so, the rail-
road company ordered it removed, as 1t
had a right to do under it's contract. This
was nothing more nor less than an at
tempt to punish Gould for seeking to
divide the enormous business passing
through and originating in the Smoky
City at the junction of the Allegheny and
Monogahela rivers.
Fight Centers in PittsburE.
Many Chicago people will be surprised to
learn that Pittsburg claims to be, and pos
sibly is, the greatest freight center in the
-.z-ta -z,,-A4.- .LgN..aAN- L. AntA AFron-
tons. The Pennsylvania railroad for years
owned the Pittsburg city council, body
and breeches. 1t prevented any other rail-
road from reaching that city. and at the
same time enjoyed extraordinary privi-
leges.
For many years the Pennsylvania rail-
road has been unable to furnish facilities
enough TO handle the norm freight
trafic which passes through the city OF
Pittsburg. The Pennsylvania interests
bought out the Baltimore & Ohio railroad.
largely, IL not entirely, to prevent Gould
from having any share in this enormously
profitable Pittsburg business. There has
been one congestion after another in the
Pittsburg freight yards, and the Pennsyl-
vania railroad, believing itself master OF
the situation, recently decided to spend the
extraordinary sum of s25. OOO.O 900 in increas.
ing its facilities in the Pittsburg district.
Gould Starts the battle.
George Gould owns and absolutely con
trolls the immense system involving the net
work of railroads reaching from the Ohio
valley to the Pacific slope. Within tina
territory he could dictate prices, but hii
Wabash railroad system ended nowhere II
particular TO the eastward. and IL was alb
solutely essential to his position that III
should reach the Atlantic seaboard by al
H.. - Asr Nw,. 1rHfe he mo
ceeded to do by securing control of tn,
wheeling & Lake Erie railroad. which CAV
him an outlet for the Wabash to Ming
Junction, which is only a short distanc
from Pittsburg.
The sympathies of the people of Pitts
burg were with the Gould interests. The.
realized that IL was not healthy for thei
city In the long run to be under the abso
Lutte control Of a single railroad corpora
ton, no matter how great, how liberia
ard how progressive. Pittsburg has re
Gently rescued itself. temporarily at least
from a life of civic debauohery, and on
Of the first results of this reform was a
ordinance granting entrance and right-ot
way to the Gould road. BY next Angus
II al goes we'll. the Wabash system wi
be in Pittsburg for its freight traflc, an
not less than six months later will be rur
ming passenger trains from the southwei
10 HlIlSDuTB ltSelI.
Gets Line 20 Baltimore.
L the same time. when road building wa
begun from Mingo Junction to PittsburI
Mr.. Gould set about securing an indepenC
ent line to the southeast so as to reac
tidewater at Baltimore. The old WesteT
Maryland railroad was practically owned b
the city of Baltimore. 1t had been bui
as a check upon the Baltimore & Ohio. al
when the latter road passed under contr
of the Pennsylvania crowd the people
baltimore naturally desired that the
western Maryland road should not 90 in
the same combination and thus tie the eli
hand and foot, as P%ittsburg had been ti'
under the domination OF the Pennsylvan
railroad.
George Gould happened along just in tin
TO take advantage of this public sentimel
in Baltimore. Just as he had become Il
beneficiary OF n similar public sentiment
Pittsburg. Baltimore sold the WEBSTER
n4..~lana road IN Gntld and Thus he q