Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-07-07
AFTER BURLINGTON
HARTMAN SEEKS TO ANNUl
LEASE TO HILL.
Said He Hopes Then 10 Obtain
Enough of the Stock to Control
Lines for His System--.C. H. Ven.
ner Acting in the Matter for the
Hartman interests.

Chicago, July 4.-E. H. Hartman
has set up the pins for another bowl
at James j. Hill. He did this during
his second visit to Chicago to attend
the Republican national convention.
and the purpose of this latest move
which is to be brought to head in
Chicago is to get control of the Chi
cago, Burlington & Quincy railroad.
Hartman is fighting Hill in New
Jersey, and now proposes to open a
fight upon the Western railroad mag
nate here in Chicago. The Southern
Pacific system desires the Chicago
Burlington & Quincy in order that a
direct line from Chicago to San Fran
cisco may be secured. The Chicago
Burlington & Quincy railroad, of ILL.
nois, is now under lease to the Chi
cago, Burlington & Quincy railway of
Iowa. The Iowa company transferred
all of its stock and the control of the
road to the representatives of Hill
The Burlington conducts its lines as
far as Billings, Mont. Hill controls
the Northern Pacific and Great North
ern. BY controlling the Burlington
he has all the North Coast lines under
his management.
1t is understood that Hartman has
entered into an alliance or arrangement
With G. H. Venner of Boston. Ven
uer is known to be a stockhOlder in the
Burlington and is also known to have
been at the head of more litigation to
enforce the claims of minority stock
holders than any one other high finan-
cier of Wall street.
Venner will now, at the instance of
the interests represented by himself
and Hartman, bring suit to annul the
lease through which the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy has given con-
troll of its system to Hill: also to have
it declared invalid, claiming that it
amounts to transferring an Illinois
railroad to Minnesota corporation.
Venner had taken the preliminary
steps to .he fight against the Burling
ton by serving the Burlington with
notice, some time in May, demanding
that it annul the lease with Hill. The
demand was made in behalf of Ven
ner, through his counsel at Chicago.
But it is also known, that Mr.. Harri-
mans counsel, W. B. Guthrie, of New
York, was permitted to supervise the
demand and make such corrections
as he might suggest before Venner's
papers were served upon the officers
of the Burlington.
Certain foreign stockholders of the
Burlington, together with bondholders
who are residents of Germany, have
contributed their stock to the warfare,
and prominent brokerage house in
La Sale street has been constituted an
agent to secure such other stock as
will come into the fight. Hartman
and his allies have represented to the
outstanding stockholders that under
the present system, while Hill con-
trolls the road, its headquarters are
practically at St. Paul, and they get
only per cent on their stock at best,
while the earnings of the road entitle
the stockholders to 20 per cent divid
ends.
The suit is to be brought in the Uni
ted States circuit court, and if the
lease is annulled upon the ground that
it violates the statutes of the state of
Illinois the stock will be returned to
the original holders. Hartman thus
hopes, through his representatives, to
obtain enough of the stock to turn the
Burlington into branch of the Union
Pacific