The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-08-10
Who Will Succeed to Control of
Harriman's Railway Empire.
Wizard Is Now Over Three Score
Years of Age.
A GLUTTON FOR WORK
Something About the Man Who
Operates Big Systems.
Other Items of Interest in Rail.
way Circles.

What would happen II e. H. Harri |
man should die?
Mr.. Hartman is far and away the
most important figure in the railroad
world today. There has never been a
man In personal, Individual. supreme
control of as many miles of railroad as
E. H. Hartman. or upon whose plans
so much depended.
He is absolute dictator over more
than 10000 miles of the best railroad
lines in the United States. barring
only the New York Central and the
Pennsylvania systems and giving the
Jim Hill roads in the Northwest a
competitive ''look-in." The roads over
which Mr.. Hartman exercises su-
preme control represent nearly 20 per
cent of the total mileage of the United
States and fully Is per cent of the
capitalization. the aggregate of stocks
and bonds being in excess Of $4,000 600
600 in a grand total of about $4,000, 000.-
600.
Mr.. Harriman's plans are VIGOROUSLY
in a state of incompleteness. To Chl-
cago newspaper men he has said with
in the week that he did not know
where he was at" a confession that
came from the heart He is working
out dreams of stupendous railroad en-
pire. and If left alone in the reten-
ton Of his health another ten years
he might be found in command of the
entire transportation situation of North
America.
has been compressed within the limits
of ten years. Nothing much was heard
of him before he engineered the deal
that redeemed Union Pacific from the
government, and that was only nine
years ago-in 1899. True, he had short
ly before bearded j. P. Morgan in his
den and forced the hitherto undispu-
ted despot of Wall street to modify his
Erie reorganization plan, but that in
cident created little excitement out
he appeared in Washington to save"
Union Pacific he was, comparatively
speaking. an unknown man.
1t was then that he got his stride,
was up against influences and combi-
nations that would have destroyed
most men similarly situated. He has
at times been confronted with the en-
tire power of the federal administra-
ton at Washington. actively and OPP
emily aided by apparently invincible
Wall street alliances. and secret enc
mics in his own camp almost as strong.
How he ever escaped ruin In the race
of the tremendous interests combined
for his discontinue is the marvel of
latter day financial history. yet he
looms up greater and more powerful
than ever before and seemingly in
fair way to achieve fresh triumphs.
He is not only the acknowledged
king of the railroad world, but abso-
lutte master of the speculative arena
1t was Hartman who took up the
stock market when Morgan and the
rest of the old time generals were will
ing to lie back and let nature take its
course-that was last spring after the
"wreckage corps" hac unloaded at
fabulous profits the stocks bought at
panic prices with public deposits In
banks kept beyond the reach OF law.
full owners. Inc sltuatlon savers
were ready to take their winnings and
Quit for a year or two. Not SO with
Hartman and his chums. They picked
I'D the stock market where Morgan ana
his friends had dropped it, and In as
ISOLATION with H. c. Prick, William
Rockefeller, John D. Archbold, young
John D. Rockefeller. H. H. Rogers,
James Stillman and others, got under
stocks and began campaign tnat mas
turned out to be the most remarkao PIE
ever witnessed on the New York Stock
Exchange.
The advance in prices may not have
been warranted by business conditions |
many think It was not-yet stocks
have been boosted 20 to oo points, ana
held there There is no going back ON |
the record Of the tape. The thing was
done and the recovery in prices can |
be measured in the billions OF dollars
The rise has carried the average OF |
prices nearly two-thirds of the way to |
the high levels of 1907 1t was an |
astounding performance. and chief
credit is due the indomitable Harri- |
man. as the most undesirable citizen OF |
Wall street.-the selected bad man"
from long list of wealthy malefac- |
tors"
1t is not the purpose of this letter to |
refute the attacks on Mr.. Hartman, or |
to minimize or excuse his financial i'm |
moralities, but simply to take his pres |
ent measure as a Wall street PROPOSE |
ton and to speculate in an entirely |
legitimate manner on what might hap |
pen II he should be removed from the |
sphere of his astounding activities.
He is a mere mortal after all, and 1
rather frail one at that. He is verging |
on 81 wears Of age. He is on a So |
called vacation" which is to last two |
months. and which is 20 embrace /
tourney of 10000 miles and take him |
into a kinetascopic succession of scenes |
and situations certainly more danger
Gus than the daily routine of passage |
between the Fifth avenue mansion and |
100 Broadway. or Ardsley on the Erie |
and 120 Broadway. This expedition |
makes entirely unnecessary any apol-
osv for the discussion on the question |
of what might occur in the event of his |
death.
Nobody imagines for an instant that
the values he has created or helped |
create would be wiped out by his de-
mise. but such an event could hardly |
fall to produce great confusion in the