The Washington times., 1903-05-25
The Wabash, With George
Gould Behind 1t, Will
Fight the Pennsylvania to
a Decisive End
Gould Has Gained Outlet
to the Atlantic = Postal
Telegraph Gains at Ex-
pense of Western Union.

Many are the millions OF dollars
George Gould has paid for the privilege
of having his Wabash Railroad system
enter Washington and reach the Atlantic
seaboard.
Every pole belonging 10 his Western
Union Telegraph Company has been
swept from along the tracks of the Penn
sylvania Railroad These poles have been
chopped down, and $4,000 miles OF wire
has been coiled up around the poles
awaiting such disposition as the tele-
graph company may see fit to make of il.
The last poles to go were those between
Baltimore and Washington. These feu
yesterday.
This wholesale destruction is Presi-
dent Cassatt's retaliation for Mr.
Gould's determination to enter the terri
tory heretofore controlled by the great
transportation system of the keystone
State.
Yet, despite the extraordinary removal
OF facilities, the Washington manager
Of the western Union announced last
night that business was being handled
without loss OF time. All points in Penn
sylysnia, he said, were being reached.
Western Union Confident.
In the meantime the officers of the
Western Union are complainant. Their
attorneys have the case in hand. and
long legal battle, already instituted in
the Supreme Court of the United States,
will be fought out. Should the Western
Union win the Pennsylvania will have %
pay about 100000 900 for the campaign
OF demolition ended yesterday.
Until two years ago the Western
Union and the railroad corporations were
the best of friends, and the Postal Tele-
graph and Cable Company was having
hard time to obtain foothoId in Penn
kylyania.
1t was crowded TO the limit of the
law whenever possible. For twenty-one
Jears the Western Union handled all of
the railroad company's business. It's
wires extended over the whole system
from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great
Lakes. Two days ago the Pennsylvania
gave the Postal the right TO its wires
running into Atlantic City, temporarily
cutting OF the Western Union from that
place and breaking the Atlantic Ocean
connection. In Chicago similar orders
were issued and the wires viii soon
cerne down along the lakes.
The story of tho cause of this battle
of giants is interesting. A welI-known
railroad man of Washington said last
night:
Gould Forced TO Fight
Mr.. Gould had to make the fight and
take any reprisal the telegraph company
might plan. because he was slowly but
surely being cut off from connections
with the Atlantic by railway rivals,
who have a pool called "a community of
interests The fight now on is the
greatest the country has ever seen.
Though the public has not been aware
of it, war for control of territory by
n.ulti-millionaire railroad men has been
going on for nearly fifteen years. This
has been for a readjustment and con-
sClidation OF interests. The man who
has been doing most OF it is J. Pierpont
Morgan. Behind him have been the
RockefeIlers. the Vanderbilts. and their
friends. Mr. Gould was left out. One
by one the smaller roads were absorbed
by the great systems. in such way
that his lines were being crowded into
the interior of the country without an
outlet to the seaboard.
this go on until he had been entrapped
he would have been at the mercy of his
competitors, having to deliver to them
his freight for transshipment at what
ever figures they desired to charge.
''Mr. Gould saw what was happening.
Then he went TO work. About two years
ago it was announced that the Wabash
Railroad would enter Pittsburg. Car
negie and some of the other big manu-
facturers of steel and iron, who thought
they had not been treated right by the
Pennsylvania, gave him their support.
THE Pennsylvania protested and tried
to arrange a compromise. Mr.. Gould
would not listen. Meetings OF repre- !
sentatives OF both companies were held, /
but nothing came of them.
Then the authorities of Pittsburg, al
the request of the Pennsylvania, took !
part in the matter, and threw every OBJ !
stacle possible in the way.
with invincibIe enterprise. the Wa /
bash overcame them and entered the /
Smoky City.
When this happened the Pennsyl- !
vania saw that for the first time in /
years it was going to have a royal fight /.
on hand
."The lease OF the Western Union
Company had expired. and for several /
months draft OF a new contract had /
been in the hands Of President Cassatt /
The railroad world was. expecting daily /
to hear that this contract had been rat
flied. when it was startled by an order
from President Cassatt to the Western /
Union to get its wires and poles off OF |
the Pennsylvania property, and all of |
the instruments out of the railroad
Offices.
This was q tremendous blow to the
Western Union Company. A contract
was made Immediately with the Postal
Telegraph and Cable Company.
Great as was the retaliation. il did
not stop the Wabash. The Western
Maryland Railroad, with its valuable
franchises, was put on the market.
There was a battle for its possession.
Among the bidders was the Reading
Railroad. which, while not exactly con
trOlled by he T3es7r-vH,=a1fo |