Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09

e. n. Hartman.
Copyright by George Grantham Bain.)
stupendous railroad empire and If left
alone in the retention of his health anoth-
er ten years he might be found in COM
mand of the entire transportation situa-
ton of North America.
His big career as it now stands has
been compressed within the limits of ten
years. Nothing much was heard of him
before he engineered the deal that re-
ment. and that was only nine years ago
in 1899. True, he had shortly before
bearded ]. p. Morgan in his den and
forced the hitherto undisputed despot of
Wall street to modify his Erie reorgani-
cation plan, but that incident created
little excitement outside of the financial
center, and when he appeared in Wash
ington to save Union Pacific he was,
comparatively speaking, an unknown
man.
he has never lost 1t, although he gave up
against influence and combinations that
would have destroyed most men similarly
situated. He has at times been confront
ed with the entire power of the federal
administration at Washington, actively
and openly aided by apparently invinci-
BILE Wall street alliances. and secret
enemies. in his own camp almost as
at rong. How he ever escaped ruin in the
face Of the tremendous interests COM
bined 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 a fair way
to achieve fresh triumphs.
He is not only the acknowledged king
of the railroad world. but absolute ma ster
of the speculative arena. 1t was Harri-
man who took up the stock market when
Morgan #
generals were willing to lay back and let
nature take its course-that was last
spring after the ''wreckage corps" had
unloaded at fabulous profits the stocks
posits in banks kept beyond the reach
of lawful owners. The situation savers
were ready to take their winnings and
quit fora year or two. Not SO with Har-
riman and his chums. They picked up
the stock market where Morgan and his
friends had dropped it, and in associa-
ton with II c. Frick William Rookie
Teller. John A. ArchboId. young John D.
Rockefeller. II. H. Rogers. James Still
man and others got under stocks and be-
gan a. campaign that has turned out to
be the most remarkable ever witnessed
on the New York Stock Exchange.
The advance in price may not have been
warranted by business conditions--many
think it was not-yet stocks have been
boosted 20 to so points and 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 I'm the
billions of dollars The rise has carried
the average of prices nearly two-thrds
of the way to the high levels of 1907. 1t
was an astounding performance. and chief
credit is due the indomitable Hartman,
branded as the most undesirable citizen
of Wall street.-the selected bad man.
from a long list of wealthy malefac-
tors
1t is not the purpose of this letter to re-
flute the attacks on Mr.. Hartman or tC
minimize or excuse his financial immorali.
ties. but simply to take his present meas
ure as a Wall street proposition and tc
speculate in an entirely legitimate manner
on what might happen If he should be re
moved from the sphere. of his astounding
activities. He is a mere mortal after
all. and rather frail one at that. He
Is verging on sixty-twO years Of age. He
is on a so-called vacation which is tc
last two months and which is to embrace
a journey of 10000 miles and take hin
INTO kanetascopic succession of scene.
and situations certainly more dangerou:
than the daily routine of passage between
the 9TH avenue mansion and 100 Broad
way, or ArdSley-on-the and II,
Broadway. This expedition makes entire
ly unnecessary any apology for the dis
cusston on the question of what might oc
cur In the event of his death. Nobody
imagines for an instant that the values h,
has crea ted, or helped to create, would bt
wiped out by his demise. but such al
event could hardly fail to produce grea
confusion In the transportation world ant
In Wall street for the time being. For
be 1t known, Mr.. Hartman leaves nt
heir to whom he can transmit his geniu.
and no trustees qualified to carry out hi
misunderstood and less than half finished
plans He has been a law unto himself
and In the conduct Of his affairs he hal
surrounded himself with agents ant
groups each acquainted in part or whole
with fractional features of the big pro
gram. but none familiar with all 1t II
hardly conceivable that any man can b.
found big enough to take up the worl
where he would leave off. If plucked sud
denly from this Hfe-Or any group O
men. He leaves no understudy. He ha
never trained one to fill his job.
In the past the business world and Wal
street successfully withstood the shocl
OF the death of its biggest and most in
fluential men-its Tom SCOTS. it
Commodore Vanderbilts, its Gov Flow
ers, its Jay Goulds, it's Jim" Fisks. a..
w. H. Vanderbilts. It's "Phil' Armours
it's Marshall Fields and its A. T. Stew