Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1910-02-25
j. p. MORGAN DENOUNCED BY Ex.
GOVERNOR GUILD.
"Drunk with Wealth and Power,
6aWIs His Orders to Stock Mark.
cts, Directors, Courts, Govern
nnents and Nations"

ments and Nations"
Curtis Guild, Jr., former Governor
Of Massachusetts, publishes in his pa
per, the Commercial Bulletin, a scath-
ing editorial entitled, "Mr. Morgan
and Massachusetts" Guild declares
]. Pierpont Mgoran is forcing public
ownership upon conservative men.
The editorial bitterly assailS the fl
r,ancier. 1t goes so far as to de-
ride his personal appearance, and in
sarcastic apology to previous opin-
ions of railroad officials involved
terms them the puppets Of the New
York magnate.
when the New York, New Haven
& Hartford railroad" says the edi'
torial, started to control transpor'
tation in Massachusetts it began by
defeating in the Legislature a bill to
permit the Boston & Maine railroad
tn acquire trolley lines, course the
New York, New Haven & Hartford,
foreign corporation, itself was pursu
ing.
"The Governor called attention to
the iniquity Of railroad conditions In
Massachusetts in special message.
"The railroad defeated the COVER
nor in the Legislature. 1t failed tc
defeat him in the courts, in which re
lief was next sought. Without dis
senting voice the Supreme Court oi
Massachusetts declared the railroad
a Violator Of the law.
''Until last week 1t generally wae
supposed that the individual RESPONSE
BILE for this defiance Of the counts
the law and the people of Massachu
sets was Mr.. Mellen, president ol
the road, and that the vice-president
Mr.. Byrnes, would prove a bettel
friend to the requirements alike oi
law and OF citizenship.
The railroad has been allowed tt
work its will in merging with the
Boston & Maine railroad. Everything
1t asked has been done by the legis
lature.
What has the road done? It has
fulfilled not one promise so fervently
made by Mr.. Mellen. 1t now ask
that having broken the law in tht
past it's acts be legalized and that Ii
be given such control of transporta
tion, light, heat, water power electric
wires, politics and government il
Massachusetts as never has been ask
ed before by any man or body of mel
'AIr. Byrnes, the suaye and courte
Gus, suddenly becomes before the leg
islature an apostle of the historic 'th,
public be damned policy of the Van
derbilt family.
THE mask is off. We have all o
us done injustice to Mr.. Mellen-
gross injustice. Nor is Mr.. Byrne
the truculent braggart. Both of thes.
men are really only hired mega
phones through which a beefy, ret
faced, thick necked, financial bully
drunk with wealth and power, bawl
his orders to stock markets, direct
us, NOull0 SDNCl anu LtieASAAA
"Mr. Morgan has Massachusetts ol
the hip he says, and refuses to recog
nize the right of the public to a lool
hole of safety in the case of fuIur
mismanagements.
Public ownership of railroads is
bitter step to take, but'if Mr.. Morga
refuses to consent to public regulS
ton of his huge monopoly, he is tc
day forcing approval of public owne'
ship upon conservative men who hav
hitherto dreaded it.
THE sea of public opinion is risin
and the signs of bad weather are III
mistakable. If industrial, political an
social conditions are overturned, tn
blame will lie not on the men dom
their best at the helm and oars
keep conservative government afloa
but on the heavy passenger, drum
with pride and power, who uses hi
privilege to rock the boat"