Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-01-31

CURED as an investment some thous.
ands of acres of land located in the
outskirts of Auburndale, on the line ca
their road. The land was bought cheapMs
and there had been some talk of lay
Ing part Of 1t out as public park. This
promise had been made at tho time in
good faith, but 1t was no condition of the
sale. II afterwards, owing to the rise
IN the value of real estate, the road
found it impossible to carry ont the
original idea, surely they were masters
OF their own property! The people of
Auburndale thought differently and,
goaded on by the local newspapers, had
begun action in the courts to restrain
the road from diverting the land from
its alleged original purpose. They had
succeeded in getting the injunction,
but the road had fought it tooth and
nall, and finally carried it to the SUI
preme Court. where Judge Rossmore,
after reserving his opinion, had finally
sustained the injunction and decided
against the railroad. That was the sit
uation, and he would now like to hear
from the members of the board
Mr, Grimsby arose. Self-confident
and noisily loquacious, as most men Of
his class are in simple conversation,
he was plainly intimidated at speaking
before such crowd. He did not know
where to look nor what to do with his
hands, and he shuffled uneasily on his
feet, while streams of nervous perspir-
alton ran down his fat face, which he
mopped repeatedly with big colored
handkerchief. At last, taking courage,
he began:
Mr.. Chairman. for the past ten
years this road has made bigger earn
ings in proportion to its carrying ca
pacity than any other railroad in the
United States. We have had fewer
accidents, less injury to rolling stock,
less litigation and bigger dividends,
The road has been we'll managed and"
here he looked significantly in Ry-
der's direction" there has been big
brain behind the manager. We owe
you that credit, Mr.. Ryder"
Cries of Hear! Heart" came from
all around the table.
Ryder bowed colby, and Mr.. Grims-
by continued:
But during the last year or two
things have gone wrong. There has
been lot of litigation, most of which
has gone against us, and it has cost a
heap of money. 1t reduced the last
quarterly dividend very considerably,
and the new complication-this Au.
burndale suit, which also has gone
Eagainst us-is going to make still
bigger hole in our exchequer. Gentle
men, don't wont to be prophet Of
misfortune, but I'll tell you this-un-
less something is done to stop this hos
tility in the courts you and stand to
lose every cent we have invested in
the road. This suit which we have just
lost means number of others. What
| | would ask our chairman is what has
become of his former good relations
with the Supreme Court, what has be-
come Of his influence, which never
failed us. What are these rumors re-
garding Judge Rossmore? He is
charged in the newspapers with having
accepted a present from road In
whose favor he handed down very
valuable decision, How is it that our
road cannot reac1 Judge Rossmore and
make him presen,ss?"
The speaker sat down, flushed and
breathless. The expression on every
face showed that the anxiety was gen
eral. The directors glanced at Ryder,
but his face was expressionless as mar
BILE. Apparently he took not the slight
est interest in this matter which so
agitated his colleagues.
Another director rose. He was a
better speaker than Mr.. Grimsby. but
his voice had hard, rasping quality
that smote the ears unpleasantly. He
said:
"Mr. Chairman, none of us can deny
what Mr.. Grimsby has just put before
us so wildly. We are threatened with
not one, but with hundred such suits,
unless something is done either; to pla-
cate the public or to render it's attacks
harmless. Rightly or wrongly, the
railroad is hated by the people, yet we
are only what railroad conditions com
pei lis to be- With the present fierce
competition, no finer question of ethics
can enter into our dealings as bust
ness organization. With an irritated
public and press on one side, and a
hostile judiciary on the other, the out
look certainly is far from bright But
is the judiciary hostile. Is 1T not true
that we have been singularly free from
litigation until recently, and that most
of the decisions were favorable to the
road? Judge Rossmore Is the real dam
ger. While he is on the bench the road
is not safe. Yet all efforts to reach
him have failed and will fail. do
not take any stock in the newspaper
stories regarding Judge Rossmore
They are preposterous. Judge Ross
more is too strong a man to be got rid
Of SO easily"
The speaker sat down and another
rose. his arguments being merely re-
iteration of those already heard. Ry-
der did not listen to what was being
said. Why should he? Was he not
familiar with every possible phase OF
the game? Better than these men who
merely talked. he was planning how
the railroad and all his other interests
could get rid Of this Judge.
1t was true. He who controlled legis-
latures and dictated to Supreme Court
judges had found himself powerless
when each turn of the legal machinery,
had brought him face to face with
Judge Rossmore. Suit after suit had
been decided against him and the in