Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-25
FINANCIAL WORLD WATCHES
CONDITION OF MAGNATE
KING GRANTS INTER-
VIEW TO REPORTERS
Declares He Shall Open New Territory
and Build Additional Lines,
but Will Not Discuss
Locations
[By Associated Press. ]


~ United States today, while the
financial world stood on It's tip toes in
anxiety and expectancy,
He came back as he left, June last,
an Ill, tired man, seeking health.
Tonight, surrounded by his family
and physicians at his magnificent,
| though uncompleted summer home at
Arden -on-the Hudson, he has begun
the ''after-cure," which he needs after
the eneryating baths and dietetic treat
ment he underwent at the Austrian re-
sort, Badgastein.
Never has there been such a remark
able home coming of a private citizen
than e. II. Harriman's. Great stock
market operations paused as his ship
drew near, the stock market itself
marked time, and the industrial world
| turned it's eyes seaward, as 1t were,
! eager for glimpse of the man whose
| Illness abroad has furnished much ma
terial for financial rumors.
! Mr.. Hartman remained on board the
Kaiser Wilhelm III until the vessel
docked at HoboIIen. Then. after be
ing assisted ashore, he boarded a
| Southern Pacific tug and was taken to
Jersey City, where he was assisted to
his private car From there the trip
was quickly made up the Hudson to
| his home at Arden Then it was that
|
self-his health and his hopes of early
recovery. Reclining on a couch, he
talked to more than a score of news
paper men.
MIR. Hartman Talks
"I am entirely satisfied with my
trip abroad, as far as my health is
concerned" he said, land have moth
| ing on my mind except to come home
and take the 'after-cure.' L lost ten
pounds while over there and for a
little fellow like me, that is great
| deal
"The doctors advised me to come
home and to rest" he said, although
they intended at first that I should rest
abroad. The photographing those doc
| tors put me through was worse than
upon my arrival here-for they took
sixteen different photographs of my
digestive organs on the skiagraph. And
to make the pictures a success, they
began, feeding me ON bismuth and rice.
Bismuth and rice, 1 understand, show
up better on the plates.
"I had a great deal of fun during
it all, but I lost three pounds during
! the photographing process and once
looked little tack in the machine
which they stood me up against; I
came in contact with It,"
Turning to railroad matters, one of
! the questions asked concerned his re-
ported option on a controlling inter-
est in New York Central stock which |
would give him an unbroken line of
steel from coast to coast.
Will Not Commit Himself
"That is an easy one" said the |
| financier smiling, but I would not |
tell you If I had. I expect to find |
more officeholders than stockholders |
"There are more new laws and they |
never seem to displace the old ones; |
new laws means new off1ceholders to
administer them"
| "Do you refer to the corporation |
| taxi" he was asked.
"Yes-and some new state laws" was
the reply.
| Legislation seemed to arouse his in
terest and warming to his subject, he |
sat upon the couch.
"Three years ago, I was called |
speculator,' he said.
THAT was when Union Pacific was
placed on a 10 per cent and Southern |
Pacific on a per cent dividende basis. |
| had hard time convincing my as |
socates that the roads could pay such |
dividends but 1 had come to realize |
that we were building, not better than
we knew, but quicker than we knew.
1t was difficult for me to comprehend
| that the development and returns
which followed our construction work
| in the west were so enormous and so
rich.
'I guess the public and the press are
| convinced now that | am not spec !
ulator."
Mr. Hartman would not say just
what new undertakings he proposed. |
To Open New Territory
But" said he, at is in my mind to
open up new territory and to build
new tributary lines. This means new
settlements and more people"
Touching on his railroads in Mex |
leo, Mr.. Hartman said he had no
immediate proposition in mind, at any
rate not until new equipment was
needed. His. intention was directed to
a recent magizlne article which said
there was feeling in the west against
him because of high, short haul rates.
1T is alleged you exact more to
haul from New York to Salt Lake
City than from New York to San
| Francisco" some one suggested.
"I don't want to go into rates at this
time. he haid. my method is to
serve the public and have them get
what they pay for. 1t is like buying d
new suit of clothes-you want to get
, the most for your money. The public
gets it's moneys worth. I give them
| the pest equipment tne pesI eIach anu
regular time"
The interview came to an end only
at the insistence of Judge H. S. Lovett.
While Mr.. Hartman protested that he
could talk without limit as long as
the subject was railroads, the judge
urged him to desst.
His Family with Him
Mr.. Hartman. the Misses Mary and
| Carol Hartman his daughters, and
fOrland, a.son, returned from Europe
with Mr.. Hartman. The voyage was
uneventful. Mr. Hartman was visibly
pleased with his reception down the
| bay by friends and members of the
family who came down to greet him,
DR. w. Gordon Lyle, Mr.. Harriman's
| physician, who came over on the
steamer, said the family desired him to
CONTINUED Page Ehree)