Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-03-16
Looks Like a Gigantic Financial
Merger is on Foot
TO CAPTURE SOUTH WEST.
Sequel 70 Rockefeller and HYDE
Throwing In Their Lot Win Mis-
souri, Pacific Last Week.

Step by step the plans Of the Goulds
IN the direction Of a transcontinental
line from ocean to ocean are material
izlng. Four years ago there was one
director representing the STANDARD OIL
interests on the board OF the Missouri
Pacific. Each succeeding year another
has been added Now by the identih-
cation OF John d. Rockefeller, Jr,, and
James II. Hyde with the Missouri Pa
cilio railroad there Is formal an
nouncement OF the association with
George Gould Of all the influences and
resources which the names OF Rookie
Teller and The Equitable Life associa-
ton suggests to the imagination.
Great as have been Mr. Gould's re-
sources and intimate as have been his
associations with some OF the more I'M
portant banking groups Of New York
In the past, an alliance with the Stand
AIRY oil people. representing the most
powerful financial group on Wall
Street, can have but one meaning, that
he proposes to launch odt In the dlree-
ton OF railroad expansion.
Following the acquisition Of the Rio
Grande Western by the Gould interests
a couple Of years ago certain promi-
nent official upon his return from New
York stated to the writer that Mr..
Gould's plans, which might take half
a dozen years to materlalize, were sim
ply staggering In the contemplation OF
their scope.
Already the roads that have been ac-
Qulred by Gould wholly or In part, are
the Rio Grande Western, the Denver u
Rio Grande Rio Grande Southern, Mis-
souri, Pacific, st. Louis, Iron Mountain
and Southern. Wheeling 4 Lake Erie,
the Ann Arbor, The Western Maryland,
0noludIng the West Virginia Central &
Pittsburg) the International & Great
Northern and the Texas Pacific.
IL can be seen that Gould is gradual
ly working west and taking In all the
prominent lines south Of an imaginary
line drawn through Kansas Following
this slow but sure move come periodi-
cal Establishments Of railroad systems In
the south.
"Goulds moves are fascinating things
to watch, and speculate upon" unused
a Rio Grande man this morning. I'VE
have heard a lot regarding the Rock
Island and Frisco merger lately, and
where there Is smoke there Is fire. The
o.. 81 40 h1 oh nj tho
Frisco is a Standard OH man and that
the Rock Island is one of the biggest
competitors Of the Gould system In the
southwest .leads me to think that you
will find that the Standard oil people
are getting their claws on this big sys-
tenn Just take the map and see what
is left In the west after you take out
the Rock Island; with the exception
Of the Santa Fe Gould will have about
all there is Before Hartman began
his railroad cOnquests In the far west
he and Gould were presumably fast
friends. Lately. however, there seems
to be not much love lost and Gould Is
fighting Hartman on every step with
the result that the Southern Pacific Is
having great old time in the south.
Then, too, comes the news that the
Rio Grande Is to extend from Mays
vale TO the southwest and contractors
are now looking over the ground with
the idea in view Of bidding on work
that Is TO connect the Rio Grande with
the Santa Fe near Marvel All this
means a fight on the Southern Pacific
and Hartman interests in the South.
At this time all this may sound like
t...t ~, .tt
ton and II in the next few years the
Standard OF and Gould combination
does not have a monopoly on the rail-
road business Of the south and south
west I miss my guess, It looks as
though Jim Hill will have the northern
route. Hartman the central and Gould
and the Standard Oil the great south
practically across the continent"