Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1910-09-23

upon their investment was all that the
promoters had right to expect.
Gormly had consulted his attorneys,
had appealed to the city council. and
had done everything that he could to
settle the matter short of publishing
the whole affair. He had failed alb
solutely everywhere The members of
the transportation committee of the
board of aldermen were very sorry.
but they did not see what could be
done. A gentle hint that Gormly
might prefer to indemnify the alder
men for their trouble in case they
should give him permission was met
with panied silence or explosive wrath
1t was furthermore pointed out to him
that the board had no power, the
rights of the people having been vest.
ed in the corporation for ninety-nine
year period. 1t was too bad that the
innocent aldermen had allowed them
selves to be placed in such an unfor-
tunate position; but so 1t was-and
there you were. There was no help
for the matter. and Gormly's only re-
source was to pay the money, unless
he wanted to unload his goods into
truck wagons and vans and cart them
all over the city Of course he could
do this; but it would be much easier,
more profitable and more desirable in
every way if he had the right to run
cars out on the pier alongside of the
vessels of his feet and transport the
merchandise in bulk in that way.
He was in very desperate situa-
ton. Here he was saddled with a
twenty-five-year lease of one of the
most expensive piers in New York;
here he had a great warehouse six
blocks or more away from the pier;
here he had also vast store several
miles from the warehouse; here was
railroad that practically connected
all three, provided one or two little
spurs or switches could be built from
pier to railroad. and from warehouse
to railroad. 1t was perhaps the one
mistake that he had made in his bust
ness career not to have arranged mat
The railroad people meant to make
him pay. They were resolved that
he should; he was equally determined
that he would not
He was not alone in his position,
however; for it was found on all sides
he discovered it by making quiet in
quiries-that other shippers and
merchants seeking similar privileges
were being held up In the same way.
The road had proved enormously ex-
pensive to build; the stock had been
watered numerically. Contracts
which had been entered into for the
construction of switches were found
to be of little value; means were avail
able to break them and evade them.
and the whole water front of New
York found itself practically helpless
in the grasp of this octopus of corpo-
ration
There had been no clamor in the pa
pers over this matter; but there was
tremendous undercurrent of resent
ment and dissatisfaction, and Gormly
thought he saw an opportunity of turn
ing it to his own account. To expose
the Ubiquitous methods of procedure
of the Gotham Freight Traction COM
pany, to bring about its ruin or its
downfall by cepriving it OF the fran
chise it was abusing, to safeguard the
people in their rights in any further
grants, was certainly an object sufil-
GENTLY high and sufficiently vast to
attract the attention, and, should ne
succeed to awaken the admiration OF
any being. And Gormly himself with
out losing sight OF Miss Haldane be-
gan to look at the possibilities from
high and noble point OF view. in which
self-interest took a secondary position.
Therefore, late in November he
came boldly out in the open, and over
his own name vigorously attacked the
Gotham Freight Traction company.
He did 1t in a unique way. too. IN
stead of the full page advertisement
of Gormly's store which appeared
simultaneously in all the great dailies,
there was presented one morning in
clear, direct, businesslike English
statement of the whole situation ex-
actly as 1t was. There were no threats.
no menaces, no limitations of any fu-
ture plan or purpose; just blunt
statement of facts printed in large
double-leaded type, and signed with
the familiar facsimile of his now IA
nous autograph.
The thing was an instant sensation.
The newspapers took 1t up. Other
merchants, freighters, and shippers
were interviewed, and case was in
stantly made out against the Gotham
Freight Traction company which
would have shaken a less ponderous.
less thick-skinned, less Indifferent or
ganization to pieces. Even the author
tiles were interviewed, and they shed
hypocritical tears over the unfortunate
trickery by which the public had been
buncoed out OF it's legitimate rights,
but they took occasion at the same
time to point out that there was moth
ing whatever to be done about 1t
The party in power was one that
had long dominated the metropolis.
To be sure 1t gave the metropolis