Both sides had much to lose and to gain in the epic clash to come over who controlled the main arteries of transcontinental rail traffic. Their struggle vividly showcased the unbounded financial clout these titans had amassed. It rattled Wall Street so fiercely that Harriman, Hill, Morgan, and Schiff would end up inadvertently making the case for restricting and regulating the outsize power they had exercised so freely in the past, permanently altering the relationship between corporations and the U.S. government.
