Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-03-03
UNION PACIFIC TRIES BLUFF
Announcement from Hartman Head
quarters that New Building
VIII Not Go Up.


Unless the announcement OF the Harri-
man railroad is, as suspected by some
Omaha business men, a clear bluff, Omaha
will have to worry along for a while longer
without q new Union Pacific headquarters
building.
Following upon the heels OF the an
nouncement of the revised plans calling for
a building Of twelve stories costing 81 200-
o00-and incidentally upon the heels of the
passage by the legislature of the 2-cent
fare bill and the decision of the United
States supreme court that the Union Pa
cihc, with the Burlington, would have to
pay its just share of taxes like the rest OF
the property owners OF Nebraska-comes
the announcement, made through General
Manager Mohler, that all plans for the
new building have been cancelled. The re-
port is given out also from the McCagus
Investment company which had the con-
tract for wrecking the old buildings on the
site.
It's nothing in the world but a big game
of balderdash," observed a man who has
the interests of Omaha at heart. THE
railroads are dealing in the worst sort of
silly rot these days; they are dying hard.
Forced to pay their just taxes like other
people have been doing, they Jump to the
argument that their taxes have been raised
Nothing of the sort. They are simply the
same old taxes, which, previous to this
general awakening of the people, they have
ignored instead of paid. Poor railroads
the next we will hear will be that they
have not only stopped building new head
quarters and new lines, but destroyed their
old ones and gone out OF business. Well.
after all, it's natural they should gall this
way under restraint for they have en-
Joyed special privileges 50 long that It must
be irksome indeed for them to have to
come up to taw and shoot from the same
mark as the rest Of US"
do the railroads take the people for a
lot OF fools2" put in another business man.
1.-THE reports of Hill and Hartman show
| their earnings to be constantly on the in
| crease; they have reached unprecedented
| figures OF late and yet they try to make
tie people believe they are being imposed on
because they are being made to observe
laws like other people"
| On his return from Chicago Friday, Mr..
Mohler said he probably would have to
make this order, but it was not generally
believed the step would be taken in view OF
the fact that all preliminary plans for the
| building had been made. Thomas II. Nc
| Cague Of the McCague Investment COM
pany was summoned to Union Pacific head
quarters and informed by Mr.. Mobler and
officials of the land department OF the com.
pany, that his contract for the removal OF
the old buildings was to be considered can,
celled and that nothing was to be done al
present as the company had abandoned
1.-THE idea Of erecting the building
Mr.. McCague had begun the wrecking o.
one OF the smaller buildings on the site
having torn up the floor, but took his mer
of the work upon receiving the orders from
Mr.. Mohler.
1t was proposed TO start Monday morn
ing to Taze all the buildings on the sit,
and large force of workmen had beer
hired by the McCague company to begiI
work at that time but the men were al
discharged Saturday
Mr.. McCague said he had been informe,
the old buildings were not to be destroyed
but were to be left standing in their pres
ent condition and probably will be used 70
rental purposes. The buildings had all beel
vacated with the exception OF that OF tn
Kennard Paint and Glass company, and tn
latter would have been vacated by Monday
Labor Temple moved its effects out OF tn
building Friday TO its new rooms in tn
Patterson building.
1t is a matter OF much comment that
contract as large as some OF these ar
can be abrogated by one party TO tn
agreement by the mere waving OF the ham
because OF the Intervention OF some ex
traneous AFFAIR over which the other part,
70 the contract could not possibly hav
had any control