The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-12-24
Great Fight Is impending Be-
tween Richmond Man and
the Railroad King Over the
Alton Road.
REID PREPARING FOR
EXTRAORDINARY COUP.
He and His Associates Are
Taking Steps to Get Full
Possession of the Much
Sought for Line.

From the tone of dispatches from
A New York and Chicago, railroad and
financial circles seem to think that
Daniel G. Reid and his associates in
the Rock Island, are preparing to ex-
ecute an extraordinary coup by which
i the control of the Alton and uncere-
his followers who recently admins
tered similar treatment to Stuyves-
ant Fish and his associates in the
81 Illinois Central. A dispatch from
. New York says:
William III. Moore, 3. F. Yoakum
Daniel G. Reid and their associates
are said to own a controlling proper
tion of the stock of the Alton. and
there is nothing to restrain them
from retaining possession except the
remarkable agreement with e. Fl.
Hartman. by which the Moore and
the Hartman interests are to alter
nate each year in the management Of
the property.
The Rock Island men have taken
charge of the Alton for the coming
year. and they are making an inves-
tigation of its affairs, which has al
ready shown an unsatisfactory con-
dition.
II is declared by the friends OF Mr..
FELTON, that the Alton was allowed to
- i re
President Blackstone, and his success
sor was forced to reconstruct the
road in many Of it's parts.
One of the charges made against
Mr.. FELTON, is that he bought steel
cars at $1,000 each and that many OF
them are now practically worn out,
while he might have bought wooden
cars for half of the money or less and
they would still be in condition for
use. 1t is argued further that by
buying the high-priced steel cars he
was unable to get a sufficient number
for the roads demands.
A Chicago dispatch says:
"Oficials of both the Alton and the
Rock Island continue to maintain the
greatest reserve about the reported
discrepancy of $3,000.O0O in the Al
tons accounts, and their attitude in
dicated strongly that serious trouble
for somebody is brewing.
The only director of the Alton In
Chicago yesterday was James b. For
gan. president of the First National
Bank. Mr.. Forgan declined to dis
cuss the matter.
1T looks to me- said railway Of
'ficial who knows the inside facts re-
garding the relations between the
Rock Island and Alton. "as if the
Rock Island interests either had seiz-
ed upon the first valid cause or were
seeking a pretext for picking a quar-
rel with the Hartman interests and !
busting them from the Alton. In ac-
cordance with the terms of the (
agreement made two years ago the |
Hartman interests were in control \
last year. and the Rock Island inter- |
ests are In control this year The I
control will revert to the Hartman
Interests next year unless the Rock
Island people can find cause for
breaking the agreement. and it looks
TO me as IL this is their real object in
charging and letting the charge be- /
come public that the road was not
run on the square last year"
That the Rock Island interests will \
seek to bring the Alton into closer
relations with their other lines. IL
they actually have firm control of it.
is natural inference in view of their
past course
Though President FELTON, is a close
friend of Mr. Hartman, there is
doubt that he will be retained should
the Rock Island obtain control.