The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-05-25
COULD is BITTER.
Will Fight the Pennsylvania to
the Last Ditch
On Its Action Toward the West
ern Union.

6chaeffer, superintendent of telegraph OF
the Pennsylvania railroad, speaking Of
the removal of Western Union wires
and poles from the Pennsylvania lines,
said today;
The Western Union Telegraph COM
pany, under its contract with the Penn
sylvania railroad bound itself upon six
months notice after the termination of
the contract to remove It's poles and
wires from the property of the railroad
company and upon failure to do so the
contract provided that the Pennsylva-
mia company had the right to remove
the poles and wires at the expense OF
the telegraph company, in order to save
the telegraph company the expense and
loss incident TO the removal OF the poles
and wires, offered TO purchase the lines
at a fair valuation, but the Western
Union Telegraph company evidently
preferred to allow the Pennsylvania
Railroad company to tear them down
and remove them at its expense The
Pennsylvania Railroad company, hay
ing entered into a contract with the
Postal Telegraph company to provide 1t
with facilities on its lines was COM
PEELED TO remove the poles and wires
of the Western Union Telegraph COM
pany in order to put itself IN position
to carry out its agreement with the
Postal Telegraph company, as the right
of way occupied by the Western Union
Telegraph company was necessary for
that purpose"
The Western Union has asked the
Pennsylvania Railroad company per-
mission to send men on the railroad
property to coil up the wires cut down.
This request was made late yesterday
evening about the time the destruction
of its property was completed. 1t came
in formal shape from b. Brooks, general
superintendent of the Western Union,
through j. p. Altberger. superintendent
of the company in Philadelphia, to
Charles NJ. Schaeffer superintendent of
the Pennsylvania railroad With con-
sent of the legal department, Mr..
Schaeffer issued the permit asked 1t Is
understood the Western Union viii put
men to work tomorrow
THE Pennsylvania railroad is not dis
posed to be ugly toward the Western
Union" said an officer today. We viii
now give them all reasonable facilities
and assistance to gather up their wires,
as they want to do"
So far. practically nothing has been
done toward clearing up the debris. This
will require several days. as the poles
and wires must be gathered up between
trains so as not to- interfere with traffic.
Some bitches occurred in leveling the
Western Union lines. on the middle di-
vision between Huntington and AL
tOona a bout 400 poles. with the wires
on them remain standing. This is be-
cause the line there is on the mountain
side. and it was not certain that IT was
on the railroad property. Consequently
orders were given TO Wllhnolu the ak
until old deeds could be looked up and
measurements taken to ascertain Wheth-
err the Pennsylvania had the right to
strike down these poles. Through Lam
caster there was some trouble because
the pole line zig-zagged back and forth
between railroad and private property.
But every Wire over the system mas been
rendered useless for telegraph purposes.
IL is known that George j. Gould reels
very bitter over the precipitate action
taken by the Pennsylvania railroad
against the Western Union George and
Howard Gould held long conference
with their counsel on Friday and the
ground was fully traversed as 10 re-
pfisals. Judge John +. Dillon, for many
years the friend and adviser of the
GOulds said today
we are making every endeavor to
secure an early hearing on the appeal
before the United States supreme court.
in the usual course of affairs, the hear
ing would not come UP for years. but in
matters of vital public Importance the
court has the power to order an early
consideration. If our efforts are sue
cessful the hearing probably will come
next October"
An article from the May Cosmopoli-
tan is interesting just now from the
fact that the Pennsylvania railway. in
which Morgan and others are interest
ed, IS Waglng war upon the Western
Union. IaVOriIe Gould property
When jay Gould died George Gould
was given the power OF voting the Mis-
souri, Pacific, Manhattan, Wabash and
Western Union stock The article says:
Scarcely HAD this young NAPOLEON of
finance taken hold of the vast inter-
ests entrusted to his care than he had
serious alteration with j. PierpOnt
Morgan over the proposed purchase Of
the New York q Northern railroad nv
the Manhattan Elevated railroad
Gould left Morgans offices much an
gered, and is said never to have en-
tered them again from that day to this
one Of jay GOuld's intimate friends
teered bit of advice to the Young
man in about these words.
George. as an admirer of your
father. and as one Interested in your
highest welfare, earnestly hope you
viii not commit the blunder at the be-
ginning or your career of antagOnizinS
the leading interests in the business
world
George said nothing. but evidently it
set him to thinking. That remarkable
business ability. for which fond
father gave him credit, not long after
ward dewe-0Dsd in q way that showed
ne was pesaessed Of an acuteness that
no one dreamed Of IL he should not
antagonize, Thought he he should make
alliances with the great powers in the
business world. But he had broken
with Morgan. He should Therefore.
Join issues with others equally great.
or greater. If possible.
He turned To the Eoclzefellers, those
commercial giants whose supremacy
has been unchanenged for more than
decade Much has been said during
the last year or two of the financial
backing which the Standard oil inter
ests have been giving to Gould. He
who can answer this question acclra to-
~ VIII be able to 1oretel the outcome
of the battle of railroad giants which
IS now in progress at both extremities
or the United States fin the effort to
block the efforts OF the aggressive sue
cessor Of jay Gould in getting Atlantic.
and Pacific terminals for his ambitious
continental system
Inc Gould family fortunes began 10
expand at a rapid rate with the boom
that set In at the opening of the war
with Spain Most other corporations