Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-07-20

there you were There was no help
for the matter, and Gormly's only re-
source was to pay the money, unless
he wanted 10 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 20 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 a very desperate sftua-
ton. Here he was saddled with a
tWenty-fye-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 a vast store several
miles from the warehouse; here was
a 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
tiers before all this came to a climax.
The railroad people meant to make
linn 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 a corpo'
ration.
There had been no clamor in the pa
pers over this matter; but there was
a 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 depriving it of the fran
chise it was abusing, to safeguard the
people in their rights in any further
5rJy O'Ni0n+
GENTLY high and sufficiently vast to
attract the attention, and, should he
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 a
high and noble point of view, in which
self interest took 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 it in 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 a
statement of the whole situation ex-
actly as it was. There were no threats,
no menaces, no limitations of any fu-
ture plans or purpose; just a blunt
statement Of facts printed in large
double-leaded type, and signed with
the familiar facsimile OF his now ia
nous autograph.
CTO BE CONTINIJFDO