The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-23
RAILROAD NEWS.
Puzzle: Who Controles the Chi
cag0 and Alton?
Seine Say Hartman = Others
Say Hawley and Gates.
TIME WILL Il Ell l..
Has Little Stragetic Value to
the Rock Island
But Would Be Valuable to the
Union Pacific.

Much speculation in regard to the
control of the Chicago & Alton is in
dulged in. The Hartman interests in
the Chicago e Alton have issued a call
for proxies to be used at the annual
meeting to be held in October 4. The
blank proxies are made out in the
names of E. H. Hartman, Mortimer L.
Schiff, and S. NJ. FELTON,. No doubt is
entertained in railroad circles here
that when the smoke of the battle has
cleared away the Hartman people will
still be found in control of the Alton
1t is the custom to issue such call
for proxies for the annual meeting,
but usually the request is made that
they be sent to the president of the
company in case stockholders cannot
attend.
Whether Hartman has lost control
of the Alton probably will not be dis
closed until the annual meeting. and
possibly not then. One of his closet
allies said yesterday: Rock Island IN
terests now hold the Alton stock which
was bought by the Hawley-Gates
crowd. They offered it to Mr.. Harri-
man before he sailed for Europe but
he declined to buy it, saying he held
all he needed. 1 do not believe that
Mr. Hartman was foolish or careless
enough to let control OF the Alton slip
away from him. My belief is that vi,
timately the road will be purchased
| jointly by the Rock Island and North
western .
A prominent railway official who is
not unfriendly to Hartman said yes
| terday: Edwin Hawley and John ".
Gates attempted to duplicate with the
Alton their famous Louisville q Nash-
Vile deal. BEFORE they had acquired a
majority of the stock Hartman learn
| ed of their scheme. His first act was
| to Gust Hawley from the directorate OF
all his companies.
''Then he urged all the holders of Al
4 md
deposit it with a committee headed by
him, with the understanding that II
would have full power to sell the ROAD
on a certain basis to some DIVIDEND
paving company. Hartman made over
| lures to the Northwestern company,
but it fatty declined to purchase at his
valuation
a majority of Alton securities today.
Before the Frisco merger was conten-
plated the Rock Island interests p!ann-
ed to buy the Alton and quietly pickco
up in the open market very large
amount of stock If they have also ac-
quired that bought up by Hawley ana
Gates they today control the Alton
1.-THE Rock Island mas it's new line
between St. Louis and ha ani,9a;s G I;5e
| between here and ST. Louis renders II
unnecessary for it to shave the ALTON:
Therefore / believe they Will surrender
| control of it to Mr.. Harriman-at a
Concerning the reported changes in the
control of the Chicago and Alton ROAD ehe
| Wall Street Journal says;
.sChicago and Alton has definitely pass
| cd ont of the control of the Hartman
interests and it lies at the option nn OF OF I reE
Rock Island to. control 1t entreiy OF sb ri
tain merely a large interest, Whlcn snaA
give it a voice in the traffic policies.
| The strategic value of Alton is not aIto-
gether obvious. ~ ,,
Alton probably has the richest Local
trafric of any road west Of Chicago ous
as a link in a line reaching as It does
from Chicago to Kansas City and AGAIN
from Chicago to St Louis tnenG isa, 10
Nv The Dresent Rock Island mileage. This
co co pa BY the use of the Chicago and
Eastern Illinois, has one OF the pest nIles
into ST Louis, and by the old Chicago
Rock Island and Pacific line, though not
the shortest it has a very excellent COM
| petitiye- entrance to Kansas City from
| Chicago and from st. Louis to Kansas
| City it also has a line.
therefore, there can be no ooVaons 8o-