America 1881: Legend of the West

Chapter 630 Northern Securities Press Conference
A few days later, the Waldorf Astoria.

Northern Securities held a regular press conference here. Vice President Mr. Harriman answered questions from reporters on behalf of Northern Securities.

"Mr. Harriman, what do you think about the Minnesota prosecutor suing your company and claiming that your company is suspected of being a monopoly?"

a reporter asked, standing up.

"Nonsense!" Harriman denounced righteously, "That's slander."

"But it is said that in court, they provided sufficient evidence to prove this, such as your further plans to acquire the remaining railways and increase freight rates again."

The reporter asked relentlessly.

Harriman was about to answer.

But I don't know if it's because the heating in the room is turned on too much, or because I stand for too long.

The big light at the top of the room shone over.

He suddenly felt dizzy, his calves were a little weak, and he was trembling and unable to support himself.

Severe soreness spread from my waist.

Harriman couldn't help but hold his hand on his waist, and glanced at Eva sitting in the back row of the audience.

The woman was taking out a small mirror to touch up her makeup as if no one else was watching.

Realizing that Harriman was looking over, he moved the small mirror away.

She gently sucked her thumb, circled the tip of her tongue around the nail cap, and then smiled charmingly at the vice president.

Harriman shuddered and began to shake.

Morgan couldn't stand it in the audience.

He stood up, gathered his clothes, and walked up.

At this time, he was already sixty-six years old, but he seemed to be in much stronger spirits than the shaky Harriman.

Morgan took the phone and motioned for Harriman to go down first.

"Mr. Harry is feeling a little unwell. I will answer your questions on his behalf."

Morgan continued:

"First of all, Mr. reporter just now."

He turned his attention to the reporter who was asking the question.

"The accusation you made about our monopoly is non-existent."

"The railroads involved in this case in Minnesota belong to two different companies. It's just that Northern Securities holds shares in both companies at the same time. There is no so-called monopoly."

"According to our information, the judges in Minnesota do not accept the prosecutor's accusation, so their probability of winning is almost non-existent."

The reporter who just asked the question raised his hand again, but was decisively ignored by Morgan.

The old banker continued his statement:
"Everyone always accuses Northern Securities of its acquisition, saying that such behavior will destroy the market and bring disaster to the economy."

He paused deliberately and raised the corners of his mouth slightly with a mocking look on his face:
“Have you ever wondered what railroads were like in Minnesota before we came along?”

"Vicious competition! Two railway companies can build two parallel railways between two locations and then fight for customers."

"They do not have unified standards, their operations are in chaos, there is malicious competition between various companies, and all kinds of chaos emerge in endlessly!"

"The Western Railway Company has obviously solved this problem." Someone murmured below.

Although the voice was small, it was keenly captured by Morgan.

His ears looked nothing like those of a sixty-year-old man.

"You are right. Mr. Chen's Western Railway Company pioneered this, but he focused more on other aspects, so he entrusted the future of this country's railways to me. We have a very good relationship."

Morgan nodded and said.

"Let me give you another example, Mr. Harriman's company."

His eyes searched the first few rows of the audience for the figure of the vice president who had left the stage, but surprisingly he did not find him.

Morgan kept looking and found Harriman in the last row.

The guy had his hands under Eva's skirt.

And the woman next to him actually looked at him with a confused look on her face, the blush on her face already rising to her foundation.

Harriman seemed not to have heard him mentioned at all, and was a little indifferent to his lover.

Morgan suddenly felt a little nauseous and stopped mid-sentence.

"In short, many railway companies use all means to compete and cause their shareholders to suffer losses."

"And since the emergence of Northern Securities, such things will never happen again. We have brought order and created wealth! May I ask, do you welcome this so-called 'monopoly' or not?"

The reporters below took notes one after another, and many people forgot to continue asking questions.

But the reporter just now didn't want to give up. He didn't even raise his hand and stood up:
"But! Mr. Morgan! The price of coal and wood in New York City this year has increased by 20% due to the increase in freight! Many poor people can no longer afford coal for heating!"

"Mr. Reporter, please raise your hand before speaking." The host on the side stopped him, but was stopped by Morgan mid-sentence.

Bankers are very calm.

He looked at the reporter, smiled and said:

"Mr. Reporter, this is very normal market behavior!"

"The era we live in is the best era in the history of America!"

"The economy is booming, the world is focused here, it is full of opportunities and hope, and millionaires are being born every moment!"

"But some people always like to complain. Have they ever reflected that if they can't afford coal, might it be because they don't work hard enough?"

The reporters below began to whisper to each other.

Morgan didn't care at all whether these people would spread his words. He was just a businessman, not a politician. He didn't need votes, so he didn't care about the opinions of ordinary people.

The press conference ended quickly.

During the break, Morgan met Chen Jianqiu in the corridor at the door with a cigar in his mouth.

"Mr. Chen, why are you here?" Morgan was a little surprised.

He remembered that he did not invite Chen Jianqiu, and he did not see this yellow-skinned Chinese boss at the venue just now.

However, Morgan still held Chen Jianqiu's hand.

"Oh, our Gunpowder Association is also having a meeting at the Astra Hotel next door. I just happened to come out for some air."

Chen Jianqiu pointed to the other end of the corridor and said.

Since the reconciliation between Astor Jr. and his cousin, the Waldorf Astoria and Astra Hotels have been connected by a 300-meter long corridor.

As a close friend of little Astor, it is understandable that Chen Jianqiu would hold the Gunpowder Association meeting at the Astra Hotel.

Morgan took back his hand and asked softly:
"Has the government given you any trouble lately?"

Although the Gunpowder Association's model is different from that of Northern Securities, Morgan can't say that he understands their operating mechanism very well.

However, judging from the market situation, it should also be a monopoly.

If the Northern Securities were attacked, the Gunpowder Association would not be able to escape.

Chen Jianqiu took a puff of his cigar and frowned:
"Yes, I heard that the New Mexico government is preparing to sue us."

Morgan couldn't quite believe his ears.

"New Mexico? Hasn't it become an autonomous state for the Chinese? Why are you suing the Gunpowder Association?"

"It's true that New Mexico is an autonomous Chinese state, but it's also the largest arms production base in the West. If there's profit involved, someone must be thinking about it."

"The autonomous state still maintains the same political system as the rest of the federation. I have to respect the people's choice, right?"

Chen Jianqiu sighed.

"Alas, they are all a bunch of ungrateful wolves who can never be fed."

Morgan suddenly realized.

It looks like there was a fire in Chen Jianqiu's backyard.

He patted Chen Jianqiu on the shoulder and whispered, "Don't worry, as long as the Federation doesn't take action, these states won't be able to do anything to us."

Chen Jianqiu nodded: "Mr. Morgan, let me borrow your good words."

While the two were whispering, Eva came towards them, holding Harriman's arm.

"Harriman, wait a minute, I have something to tell you." Morgan waved at Harriman.

Harriman was flirting with Eva in high spirits.

"My dear, you are so clever."

"I grew up by the sea, and if you want to get something out of the cracks in the rocks, you need a nimble finger."

Morgan coughed.

"Go over there and wait for me!" Harriman patted Eva's round buttocks.

"Harriman, this is not very nice of you."

After Eva was far enough away to not hear them, Morgan got straight to the point.

"I won't interfere with your private life, but I hope you can pay attention to your impact in public. After all, you are the vice president of Northern Securities."

Although at first, he was very satisfied with Harriman's "enjoyment".

But he found that he had somewhat underestimated Harriman's bottom line.

If reporters and other shareholders found out that they had hired such a rude and uneducated person as vice president, they would probably make a fuss about it and be pessimistic about the company's future.

But Harriman was not a pushover and he looked disapproving.

Seeing Harriman like this, Morgan didn't know what to say. He just said take care of yourself and turned away.

"Why is this old man like this?" Harriman looked at Morgan's back and said with some dissatisfaction, "We are all like this in the West. Don't you agree, Mr. Chen?"

Chen Jianqiu smiled and said nothing.

"Do you think he is jealous of my youth and strength?" Harriman said angrily, "I heard from his housekeeper that he has to get up several times in the middle of the night to urinate."

"It's possible."

Chen Jianqiu took a puff of his cigar.

Morgan took the elevator all the way to the first floor.

He had just put on his coat, put on his hat, walked out of the hotel door and was about to get into his car when he suddenly noticed a group of reporters gathered at the door of the Astra Hotel next door.

It seemed that this group of people had just seen off an important person, and when they saw Morgan coming out, they swarmed over from that side.

This caught the battle-hardened Morgan off guard.

Before he could react, the reporters started bombarding him:

"Mr. Morgan, what do you think of what the federal attorney general, Mr. Knox, has said: that the federal government will formally sue Northern Securities?"

"What did you say?" Morgan couldn't believe his ears. "Knox? Where was the announcement made? When?"

The reporters looked at each other and pointed to the Astra Hotel next door.
"Just now, at the Astra Hotel!"

A strong gust of wind blew Morgan's hat up and dropped it onto the street in the distance.

(End of this chapter)