The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-07-31
WEDNESDAY. JULY 81. 1885.
WHO INVITED THE PARTY

Turing the months that preceded con-
- gressional voting on the Wheeler-Ray-
burn bill much complaint came from the
utilities about being prosecuted; about the
BIZ being a head-hunting expedition against
worthy industry, inspired only by hatred and
desire for revenge. President Roosevelt was
pictured as interested only for punitive reasons
and newspapers who supported the corrective
purposes Of the measure we're asssiled as
enemies Of innocent investors and of scien-
tihc progress.
Then came the aftermath, the lobby in
vestlgation. with its revelations about the
telephone books and the fake kilograms and
the other skullduggery that had been en-
gineered by one Of the largest holding COM
psny organizations.
Now 1t Is brought out that this same outfit,
the Associated Gas & Electric, has been fat
tening the purse of its chief promoter H. c.
Hopson, to the tune of s28O5 900, in addition
to his annual salary Of $4,000, during the de-
preston years, while, since 1882, the investor,
"the widow and the orphan" about whom so
many company tears had been shed, got pre-
Cisely nothing.
Also that this chief figure is now among
the missing and can not be reached for ques-
tionng this being the second time of con-
venient absence for him when wanted by a
Senate committee His is the concern which,
during the heat of the fight that preceded the
investigation, was putting forth maudlin ap-
peals for the preservation of the Constitution,
for sacred regard of senatorial OATH" for
states rights and for our liberties"
No more sinister chapter of corporate ar
rogance has been written since the original
public be damned" was proclaimed.
There should be and we hope there will be
q lesson in this for the utility business as a
whole The lesson is that the utilities them
selves invited the party. Not Roosevelt. Not
Wheeler. Not Rayburn Not the newspapers.
The utilities. through Just such conduct as
that at which the Associated has now been
caught.
A S the railroads in their early days through
"a their arrogance invited the regulatory
legislation. which they got, so the utilities
asked for this. And as long as such crew as
that which mans the Associated is allowed to
continue in the utility field. the law will be
cunning for the utilities.
The sooner the decent elements in the
utility business recognize that and having
recognized. clean their own house the better
of they will be, and the public will be. The
enemies of the business are not the Roosevelts
and the Wheelers and the Rayburns. They
are to be found within the camp of the util-
titles themselves.
Incidentally nothing makes an average
human being madden than to be played for
sucker when he knows he is being played.
Nothing could add more to the public indigna-
ton against the Associated Gas and Electric
Co. than this from S F. Burroughs, vice preSi-
dent. testifying as to the absence of Hcpson:
I have no doubt he will show u IS soon
as he learns the committee wants hun"
Here is a man who is in business in This
country in a big way. so big in fact that he has
been able to draw unto himself nearly S3,OOO,-
600 in the worst economic years of our history
He lives IN an age of newspapers telegraph
telephone and radio His name is in the front
page headlines Of every newspaper in the ma
ton. Before he dropped out of sight he knew
that the company from which he drew his
millions was under fire. He is now being sought
BY a committee of the United States Senate
But he can't be found. His office doesn't know
where he is. and an Official of that company
has the SNUG effrontery to tell the world that
he is sure Hopson will show up if he only
learns that his presence is desired.
AS a means of MISUNDERSTANDING that is
the last word. 1t is doubly effective in light
OF the fact that this same Hopson pulled the
same disappearing act less than two years ago