Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-10-20
RUNNING TIE RAILROAD
Small Stockholders Attend the
Annual Meeting of the llli-
nois Central
ALL GIVEN PASSES TO CHICAGO
Vanderbilt and Other Big Financiers
Meet on Common Footing With the
Farmer and Mechanic Who Own One
or More Shares of Stock in the Road

Chicago, Oct. 20.-Had you been on
station at Twelfth street yesterday
noon you might have thought you were
witnessing conference between the
Great Britain and the Boer farmers of
lord high peace commissioners OF
The Transvaal, instead of the annual
stockholders meeting of the railroad
company.
For more than one-half of the Him
OILS Central stock is held by farmer
and small corporations OF the state
thru which it's lines run, and this eie-
ment always make it point to run
np' to Chicago for the annual meet
lne. and see what them Wall street
fellers" are doing with their property.
This year they approved the lease OIL
minor roads made recently by the oil
rectors, and reelected to the board
Charles A. Peabody, John Z. WeillhS
and William Morton GrinneM.
Vanderbilt with the Farmers.
TIC, the right of President Stuyvesant
Fish, who occupied the chair, SAT ths
little knot OF trim, well dressed New
Workers who represented the BRUSH
part of the gathering. The most NOT
able figure was young Cornelius van
dertilt, with a closely clipped Vandyke
beard and sunburned face. clhef
eastern directors present were Charaes
M. Beach of Hartford, Conn, John W..
Auchincloss, Mai. w. Morton Grinnell
Walter Luttgen, and G. A. Peabody.
Around the millionaries sat ranks OF
sunbrowned farmers from ILLINOIS ana
Iowa. with an occasional wife, daugh-
far or sweetheart. Seven year old
GLADYS Lane Of Mounds ILL.,, munched
suRared popcorn and wiped her sticky
fingers on the back Of Mr.. Vanderbilts
chair. The girl, who expects TO &C
ouire "three new shares of stock this
wear. opened the meeting by exclaimlng
whan two white haired sisters from
Watseka entered:
90. mamma, they've canned without
q chaperon!"
BIase But Earnest Air.
The small sllareowners betrayed only
mild curiousity regarding their veal
thier partners. The road senqs each
Of them a pass to the annual meeting
and they look upon the whole proceed
ure. with the blase but earnest air OF
men of affairs going thru a famfllar
business operation. A Clinton stock
holder told Mr.. Vanderbilt that ne
| Cooked as fresh as two year old,
and a Grundy county banker congratu-
lated President Fish on the way
"Charley" Deneen's tour thru the
state was handled.
Altho the down skaters" present
represented only 17,116 shares of stock.
while President Fish, Director Beach,
and J. q. Harahan held proxies for the
other 659,175 shares, every member OF
the minority put his hand to his ear
and made as conscientious efforts to
hear the documents droned forth by
Secretary Hackstaff as if the fate OF
the entire corporation depended upon
his vote.
Small Stockholders Are Many.
"This meeting is by no means sem
tilnental affair."" commented Director
Grinnell, "altho it has its value from
that standpoint. 1t is held as requir-
ed by law. The Illinois Central has a
larger percentage of small stock own
ers than any other American railroad.
and they have as good right to have
share in it's control as any big hold
er.''
President Fish issued a statement
showing that for the first time in ten
years a decrease had to be recorded IN
the number Of shares held in the UNI
ted States. This amounts to 3,ll9
shares. leaving in this country 77.6
per cent of the 950,400 shares, A ma
jority Of the entire capital = $3.50.
sl1ares-.is owned by persons, firms ana
corporations each holding less than eoo
shares. Eighteen per cent OF One
stock is held in lots of less than
hundred shares, by 1906 different per-
sons.
At the close Of the meeting. at