The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-01-08

~ H~ ftSpeot1oh "Ao ~cthCClucu- ftl
haps there was in his mind the heights
Ito which he has since ascended- ii
Is not unlikely that a vista strencbed
before him in which he beheld himself
the foremost financial figure Of Amer
ica-the car Of most of its railroad
properties. Could he have been say.
ing to himself then Not yet, not
YETI"
In 1881 Harriman's father died. The
mother had gone long before. The
Rev. Orlando Hartman passed out OF
life at 6s in the arms of a surround.
ing of which he could, not have ever
dreamed in the days when he was
seeking a pulpit which would pay him
sufficient to buy bread for himself and
family. His son, Henry, was worth
more than a million then. Those of
the other children who survived the
father had done well for themselves.
William was in a fair way to be fica.
He died only a little while ago. Lily
had become the wife of a banker.
Charles d. Simmons, Of Brown Broth
ers; Annie was the wife OF a Van
Rensselaer,. and Orlando was in Brook.
Ign dealing in real estate. He Is still
there.
By this time the little man In n
deason's collar and hard black tie.
and whose trousers were always bag
ged at the knees. had got his "smell'
of railroading. He had tripped J. Pier
pont Morgan in that bankers scheme
for the reorganization of the Erie
railroad. Morgan had drawn terms
for the stockholders. Hartman drew
counter terms and much better terms
for the stockholders-and himself. He
beat Morgan then and he has beaten
him since.
His Quarrel With Fish.
1t was only a few years later-in
1SS3-that he went into the Illinois
Central. Stuyvesant Fish helped him
there, but that didn't matter to Harri-
man during the last six months of
1906. Fish had bucked him, or rath.
er his ally, the Standard Oil, in tn.
reorganization of the Mutual Life In
surance Company. Fish tried to get
what the public beliebed would be an
honest administration. Hartman de-
manded that the present controlling
outfit remain In office. It is still there.
and Fish is out of the presidency OF
the Illinois Central, which shows that
Hartman will fight and spare not
even his best frlend-unless he has
to spare himself.
Harriman's training in Illinois Cen.
trail prepared him for his assimilation
of the Union Pacific in 1897. He has
done some remarkable things with
that great transcontinental property.
He has done great things with most
of the roads which he has taken up.
He has called his "benevolence" Il
"harmonizing of interests" Wall
street has been calling 1t Hartman.
ling for a long time, and since he
swallowed the Baltimore and Ohio a
few months ago this pun has become
n byword.
Edward Henry Hartman is an
economist. He always does what IS
best for Hartman and for those who
help him help Hartman. Railroads,
when n is developing their posi-
b~il!ties, Hartman developes; he
doesn't open up a new country: he
isn't a pioneer-need money. Life
insurance companies are wonderful
feeders in ready money. Hartman
had the Equitable Life. He lost 1t
when young Hyde sold out. Now he
is fighting for the Mutual Life. He is
pretty sur that he is going to get it.
He knows Thomas F. Ryan has the
Equitable and he doesn't like Ryan.
He said as much and in as many
words when he was a witness before
the Armstrong Insurance Investigating
Committee . That was when he also
informed the State of New York that
he. and not Benjamin B. oiell, of
Newburs-on-the. Hudson, was the gov
ernor of New York .odell didn't like
that, but Hartman said it. He avow-
ed that he had made" Odell.
Hartman is called direct in his
methods by those who DO not know
him we'll. He is direct in his speech,
when it serves his purpose TO be di-
rect. He is pleasant in his address
when 1t serve him to be pleasant. But
Edward Henry Hartman makes the
newspapers vendor in the corridor Of
the Equitable Building, where he still
keeps his offices and the Offices of the
Union Pacific Rairload Company, feel
that every time he opens his mouth
that E. H. Hartman is worth just
about $3.50, oOO, 900.
The story goes that the country folk