Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-01

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lines In the Russian seat Of government.
The men who had backed him before were
only too willing to back him again. and so,
today, a former Yankee horse car driver
is the street railway king If Russia.
Another Pittsburg man who has recently
become widely known as a street railway
power is Judge J. H. Reed. His prom
irence and his fortune OF 81, 900. 900 have
come to him only within the last few years,
but both are the direct result of years of
study OF corporation law during spare mo-
ments.
When a young man Judge Reed went
from a neighboring town to P%ittsSurg,
where he read law in the office In which
he earned his bread and butter by tran
scription. He stayed there until he was
admitted to the bar and then he rented a
dingy little room and hung out his shingle.
As he had precious few clients to repre-
sent for the 0rst few years of his legal ex-
perience. he took the opportunity to verse
himself thoroughly in corporation law, of
which he had been extremely fond as a
student. Some years later, while he was
prosecuting a case in court against a rail
read. that prOperty's officials became aware
of the fact that he was more than a match
for their attorneys, and some time after
the case had been disposed of they made
Mr.. Reed their legal representative in
Pittsburg.
Along in the '90s the railroad got into
a suit in which a million or two was at
stake, and William X. Vanderbilt, who, by
that time, owned a majority Of the stock.
summoned all of the roads attorneys to
New York for a consultation as to the best
method of defending the case. A score of
lawyers were present and nineteen gave
lengthy and involved reasons why the suit
should be defended this way or that. When
the nineteenth man had finished. the TWEEN
tieth, who had been sitting quietly in a
corner of the room, arose.
Mr.. Vanderbilt" n. said. the Pennsyl-
vauia supreme court will never take any of
those views o: the case.
at won't. eh?" inquired Mr.. Vanderbilt.
"Why won't it?"
in a few brief sentences the speaker told
why his colleagues arguments would not
be considered good law. and then. as sue
einctly, he outlined the position which he
believed the court would take.
Mr.. Vanderbilt was on his feet the in
slant the attorney finished.
You're right" he almost shouted; well
make the case your way, and you're to
present it."
The supreme court took the view that
Judge Reed said 1t would and, as an i'm.
mediate result, Judge Reed was made pres
ident Of the P%ittsburg, Bessemer G Lake
Erie railroad.
A year or so ago whon eighteen corpora
tions, representing the street railway and
gas interests OF Pittsburg we're CONSOLE
dated. Judge Reed was chosen president o:
this $1O4, OOO,0O0 combine-and all because
he had made himself familiar with corpora
ton law while waiting for clients and after
Office hours.
Two of the controlling factors in the
corporation of which Judge Reed is the
head are p. A. B.. Widencr and William L.
Elkins. These two men operate more miles
Of street railways in more American cities
and towns than any other two men in the
business. They have made an
checker board Of Philadelphia with their
properties; theirs are important voices
in the management of New York's sur
face lines; they have no competition
in a score of towns in the interior of Penn
sylvania; the people of Chicago and Gin
cinnati travel by railways largely under
their control, and many suburban and in
terborough trolley systems in Connecticut
and the central states, especially Ohio, are
operated by them.
The story of their rise goes back to the
'70s, when Mr.. Widener was a butcher and
Mr.. Elkins an oil dealer in Philadelphia.
OF the two Mr.. Widener Vas heard Of
first in that city. Besides looking after
his butcher shops. he dabbIed in politics
and one day he found himself a power In
his ward. After that he chose TO have him
self elected to the city council, and while
SerYing in that capacity he made the &C
quaintance OF many Of the Quaker City's
prominent citizens. Among these was Rob-