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Show IIABRIMAN'S GREAT FIGHT. President. E. IT. Harriman has had many a hard fight in his day; ho has triumphed over many a formidable competitor; has invaded the enemy's works at various points from time to time, and come off victorious; ho has been haled into court at irregular intervals, in-tervals, and has steadily held his own; he has imposed upon this vast inland umpire his own terms while benefiting it immeasurably; ho has doubled the earning capacity of his groat, transcontinental trans-continental roads, and has successful" resisted every effort to cause him lo reduce rates; he has become, in spite of all opposition, ono of the great railroad rail-road magnates and financial kings of the world. In all his mngnificent career in railroading and in finance he has met with no permanent reverses; and apparently no object ho has striveu to gain has escaped him. But now ho is engaged in a losing los-ing fight; it is the fight of his life, and it may be for his Jife; il is a fight for privacy in his personal and domestic relations. re-lations. He is trying to have a retired, re-tired, restful period, wherein, as is given out, ho may recuperate his strength aud build up his impaired vi-talirj". vi-talirj". And yet. he is of so much consequence con-sequence to the enormous financial and industrial interests of the country, that he cannot escapo tho prying inquiries and intrusions of thoso who would report re-port upon his physical and nervous condition. con-dition. Wc arc told, for instance, in one ptirt of the dav that he is resting well, gainiug in strength, and that he will soon be about again pursuing his usual activities; later in the day we are told that ho is in an exceed inglj' bad way, that great specialists in various vari-ous forms of surgery, with all their paraphernalia, arc in attendance, and that he is about to undergo an operation opera-tion which "it is hoped" may relieve him and put him in a way to recover. Persons who liavc soon 1pm nro quoted at ono hour as sa3'ing that Harriman is sitting tip aud overseeing his work in a cheorful, optimistic spirit; and then.wc aro told that he is proslrato, and that nothing but the most scientific, scien-tific, unremitting attention, both medical medi-cal and surgical, can afford him any hope of even temporary recuperation. It is a fight against tremendous odds that Mr. Harriman is making for privacy and rest; thoso who aro against him in this aro so many, their resources are so va'st, his enemies use such diligent dili-gent aud extraordinary means of find ing out about his hourly acts and sayings, say-ings, that he is liable to loso in tipitc of all that can bp done. No mailer how completely ho hedges himself witli guards, no matter how inaccessible .he may-seck to make his hill-tort. home, the country insists upon hearing all about him, and those who assume il to bo their business to meet this demand of the country are correspondingly diligent. dili-gent. Primarily it would seem that a man who seeks only for retirement and quiet is enlillod to what he wants; but noi. so with Harriman, because of his importance to "the .street"; and because be-cause he holds the key lo so many interlocking inter-locking interests, anything that might happen to Harriman would be such a blow that it would bo felt in every part of the Republic; and this increases the perseverance and activity of those who arc engaged in letting the public know how ho is from hour to hour, in spite of his determination to keep off all intruders. in-truders. We see nothing for it except for Mr: Harriman quietly lo slip away from his place in New York and come to this mountain country, bringing with him every attendant and resource that is essential, and bury himself completely out of sight. Here only can he obtain tin; rcfcl and absolute hermitage that he seeks, Wo commend the suggestion to those in charge of him, as really the only way to securo tho absolute rest and retirement from public worries I hat seem to be essential to his case; audi here also he will luv among friends, whereas the wild, hostile animals of "the street" are determined not to let him alone as long as he remains within reach of their claws. |