The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-18
SITUATION
 UNCHANGED Control Claimed by Both
 Magnates. STILL COUNTING PROXIES Hartman Gives the Newspaper
 Men Some Advice.
 --e There VIII Be No Election Of The Illinois Central Director. Untir
 The Proxies Are All Couatea.

Chicago. Oct, 17.--Until three men, who are locked in room, assiduously counting proxies, arc able to report to the stockholders of the Illinois Cen- trai road, there will be no election of directors. Twice today the stockhold- CTS re-assembled, only to be told that the proxy inspectors were not prepared taken shortly after 3 o'clock in the af- ternoon and carries the meeting over until 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon.
 The attorneys for Mir. Hartman. who have all along been anxious to push matters to speedy conclusion. chafed .soreiy under the delays imposed by the proxy Inspectors. When 1t was evil dent at the morning meeting that the committee would not be able to report. MT. Cromwell went to Judge Edgar Farrar. who represents MT. Fish, with the proposition that all the proxies should be thrown upon a table in u . general meeting and that conflicting proxies should be thrown out. This would have killed all the revocations that have been made and the propo- sition was promptly declined by Judge self as anxious for q ''show down" " The Fish faction, however. declined to consider the plan for a moment and Mr. Cromwell was forced to acquiesca in the delay.
 While the meeting was waiting for some further word from the commit tee. in order to determine the time which the adjournment should be talk en. Mir. Harriman picked up his chair and carrying 1t to the end of the press table. slit down with the remark, T think you gentlemen can do more to settle this railroad situation than any body eise.r
 When asked for an expiation. he said:
 You cap do it by. fefualnE to print one side of 3 proposition until you have seen the man on the other side ard let him have his say at the same time. I am sick and most ether men are also sick of the continued attacks made on the railroads. When charges are made against q railroad the proper thing to do Is to refrain from publish ing them until the party bringing the charges and the representatives of the railroad have had conference with representatives of the press present. As such things arc now run, the charges are printed in the papers and the pub lie receives wrong impression be- cause the railroad side of the question is not given at the same time. It Is the first impression that counts. Very often, railroad Is not able to make Q reply for several weeks after the charge has been brought and the denial is not then noticed because the matter is no longer fresh news. The way to settle such things is to get together at the outset and let the charge and denial go before the public at the same time. This would do away with much of the i'll feeling that is now created against the railroads.
 "An instance of where the Southern Pacific was guilty in technical sense of the violation of the law and was in fact entirely guiltless is found in the trouble we had when the Colorado river broke over It's banks We spent millions of dollars in forcing the river back into it's channel. It was too big a job for the government to tackle and we had to do 1t ourselves. The Colo rado development company which did the work, although we paid the bill, asked for Q rate on the material which was to be used. The Southern Pacific quoted to, the company the same rate 1t charged against itself for the trans portation of It's own supplies. This was a different rate from siss one legally established for the handling of such stuff. We were therefore guilty or a VtOlbklon Ok ldWs III LhCb O0L WI were entirely guiltless in spirit
 Cause of Ill-Feeling.
 Many times charges have been brought against the railroads which could be as early explained as in thls case. It Is only because the explana- tion Is not allowed to be promptly given that so much ill-feeling is created against the railroads"
 When asked if he had proposed this plan to other railroad men, Mir. Harri- man said he had not. that he desired to feel them out on the proposition before doing so. He might take action. he said. within two or three but was not positive just what he would do.
 Before 1t was definitely announced that the proxy committee would not be able to report. the attorneys on both sides were somewhat startled by the suggestion that the transfer books of the company were open When the meeting was originally called, it was not thought that it would last over one day and the announce ment was made that the books would be oTen on October IT. After a nasty conft renee. 1t was decided that there was no way in which the books could be closed today and it was therefore decided that they should be allowed to remain open until 3 o'clock in the Afternoon, when they were again closed until next Thursday at II a. m. It was agreed between the attorneys that no effort should be made on either side to purchase stock during the day. At the afternoon meeting, which lasted put a few moments. it was at first pro- posed to take an adjournment until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. The proxy committee, however. declared that 1t was in no way positive that 1t would pc ready to report at hat time. Upon notion of Mir. Cromwell. the meeting .hen went over until o'clock in the Afternoon.
 RECEIVER APPOINTED.