New-York tribune., 1904-10-21
THE BOSTON GAS VAR.
Thomas ". La1CsOR on Er-NaYor
Matthews and III. III. Rogers.

Thomas. W. Lawson discusses the Bay STATE gas
war IN Boston in the fourth instalment of "Ersn-
zied Finance In ''Everybodys Magazine for No
vember. In the article he writes OF his union Oc
forces with J. Edward Addicks against the Stand
ard Oil interests represented by II. H. RO.srs
He has this TO say Of former Mayer Matthews os
Boston:
Chief among the enemies OF Addicks st that tsr.
was the young and brilliant boss Of Boston tts re-
form Mayor. the Hon. Nathan Matthews. When
this Nathan Matthews was at the zenith Oe his
even reform SIsSSrs @ereraJIv fsncV thaTlssi5~<
lie was at that phase in the lives Of aspiring psE-
bate whether the swelling Of the Uranium should
's met 6y larger hst5a3d or s%eS2,ns , haircut. &
State Company tor gas et q = which bad rln q
spring morning the Mayors secretary tsephosed
the secretary oe tie m0sul from Delaware thae as
King. II those who overheard the dialosue can
be credited. the interchange had thsss eheEaetsr-
:. "This is the Mayor Of Boston. tho Hou Nathan
.arhis is J. Edward o'sullfvan Addiczs. Gas King
and United States senator-to-he. What would you
Il would hold converse with you n ressrd 60 a
contract Of much moment which will expire n a
your card 70 my first second or Third secretary ana
I viii not keep yen WAITING l91s. 91s. =, -. a.. r-,.-.
Hall. and my first or under sscrstsry Will rsslos
things agreeable while you Vstt When VIII you
4 would have you understand. Nrr DTzyq-, saas
Add,cEs Gas 70 5ins sen and United states ssnafoT-to
iGoodby 10 YOU. NIT. Gss King ana United ssstas
"csoodby to you. Mr., Mayor
DO not guarantee the conversation that osqgErsd
took exactly tes & Ior IA aeIs Se gSea ~ 5 oS oi m n =
possible to estimate in miles the breach II created
that the BrookIine Gas COMPANY ROsers's corpora-
tion had been awarded ths GonIIaef I i 51t F %
to the consumer was TO be 81 per thousane fee5-
ard Or hsd captIred city Hall and Addic<s re-
allied his error lie soyght tne aay05s 9s 5 coS1 S1s
panies met the rate There was nothing elsa
foT them TO do.
The following account IA given OF the eonhies
waged against the Standard OIL interestsI
Rogers met nv onslaught with a weapon strange
SSsI7ina a pTocIamation over his own sig1aJurs
which gave me TIE lie at the same time tearing OFT
a yard two Of my skin and throwing on a oNeAeG
OF the press when I with a rejoinder which
he in after years referred TO as auISs :, hT ISI
but In that chunk English which those who rset-
y Wlsh TIA 69 c6Te! 5D o 5s he rea "a was spcitlS what
Standard on was and exactly who ana N1aS 1 49, 50
nothing disnifed. generous, refined, but IN steS
exchange battles one mas not f ti % inteThaSge oe
eckeI edged insults was 10 dazs the public sang
hT9 @ iaws6 I aS5nean and lawson fS sending h
he gOt-alrnost ANYTHING misns hsDPSn 1os nIs4ns
cane out with another plain public talk. and save
event even peGsed him my word I would send him and
his jail for bribery and other eIIle1, les 81 - %
fss f3 V5s " silent and loudly claimed victory, Tha
price of Addcks stocks again quickly emphasizes
our success by advancing
After giving an account OF the negotiations 20 sss
Matthews to withdraw his support from Rogers.
Mr. Lawson tells how he met Mr. Rogers 20 make
his peace with him. He writes:
The chief impression recall OF nv experiences
that night is gratitude for Henry Il RogerSs uneN-
pected kindness and admiration tor his manhneSs;
T bSst. striding ahead Of me along tie hall Tho
drawing rooms are lrn OF young peo2IsF IN asfs
He led me into the big, empty dinins room ana
eIST ST RoeeTs began cit Is kind OF you 10 De
nice after the mean things We have salo OF ssch 5
that has passed UP against Lne?'. - 49,. -,
Lay it up against you my boy. Drop thaS az
point and mean what say II you had hut hit 9siq%
sTa,6st ses 0st' yoa as ana HUNDRED Years would make
forget it. know what yo&1vg & GonS zone 113 Iisbt Is ~
mine to do what have dones | have notnlng
f5fn Ia make your lob easier without hurting my
own interests-mind that without hur1lng, ny own
We sat within a few feet OF each other and I
Io0A6 T FOR 81 ana they were honest eyes-hOnest
as the ten-year-old boys. who with legs apart and
Wait until I man. and viii do Il Il die Tor
it," I looked into them and knew MY VOC , LOT
For a minute we looked steadily into-thrOuFh each
Ssek SsefF of ana y bead SGs" IRwsrdy said if bus
ness with this man for day or tor 2 nIesllLe, lem - =
will never face him and say one ching ana mean an
other" and in the years after when we dq mltloIS ~
rT7~Cr mil
Word for a bond OF fair treatment, not once did
deDart from the letter Of resolution ID 70 tnS
recent farao,ls Gas Trial where our roads sud
denly shot off right angles. owing 20 fcul act
Of Dprilr-v Henry H. Rogers never tired or meet
ing an attacks upon me by his associates WIN.
'Ilawsons word is gospel truth with ne"
After detailing their conversation. Air Lawson
says
He raised his hand ard held u out 20 me. mine
sras7ed it, and without a word thus We stood long
enough To- put that seal our friendship Whlc3
none Of the many financial bells We Jointly passed
through in the after nine years was hot enough 10
melt. ,,s-
Eut that is ended Henry n RoseTs's evidsnes II
the Boston Gas Trial was the spark that kircle4
the dead leaves of the past into the confasraIoie
which. spreading beyond the control OF man
has brought light the hidden skeletons OF past
misdeeds and exposed them for all the word 20
He az last broke the spell lawson, yours y
queer chap but all queer, for that FaatteI.
an4 we must work along those lines we each think
best. cnce stood, just you do now, in front cI
a man whom / looked up to all that was WtSesc
and best. He made earnest effort To induee hl9
to choose the ministry for my life work nut chose
dollars instead, and sometimes wonder y choS4
wisely but as said, We all must select our pacS
ard. the ones who must carry ~ j sup
pose no one else should complain