St. Paul daily globe., 1893-06-01
Uncle Sam Makes a Move
Under the Sherman
Antitrust Act
Looking to Dissolution Of the
Trans Missouri Freight
Association.
Local Roads Prepare to En-
force the Law Against
Ticket Brokers.
Annihilation of a Story That
the Northern Pacific
Cut Salaries.

The proceeding of the United States
to break up the combination of the
Trans-Missouri Freight association is
being argued in the United States cir
cult court of appeals. The cause in
wolves general interest, as it affects
eighteen railroads doing business be-
tween the Missouri river and the Pa
elfic coast. The contest was begun by
tae United States through the attorney
general filing bill of complaint in the
federal court of Kansas against the
Trans Missouri Freight association and
sixteen railroads, in which it was al
legged that the railroads had violated
the provisions of the Sherman anti
trust law, and seeking to dissolve the
combination.
The roads named as co-defendants
are the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe;
the Chicago, Kansas 81 Nebraska;
the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific;
Chicago, st. Paul, Minneapolis q Oma-
aha; Burlington & Missouri River road
in Nebraska; Denver & Rio Grande;
Denver and Rio Grande Western; Dem
yer. Texas & Fort Worth; Fremont,
Elkhorn & Missouri Valley; Kan
sas City, Fort Scott & Memphis;
Kansas City. St. Joseph q Council
Bluffs; Missouri Pacific; st. Joseph &
Grand Island: st. Louis & San Fran
cisco; Union Pacific, and the Utah Cen
tral.
The complaint of the government is
made under the antitrust law, which
not only gives the power to dsband the
combination, but also imposes penalty
of trebble the damages proven to have
been sustained by individuals or con-
Germs. Representatives of the railroads
are making very vigorous fight. and
claim that at the most the case is moth
ing more than one that should be con-
sidered under the interstate law, which
seeks to regulate the association only
and not to disband, and which provides
for no more than actual damages proven.
1t is urged that the case under no cir
cumstanceS can be considered under the
antitrust law, which is prohibltive, and
would dissolve the TranS-Missouri
Freight association, and the effect would
be to force the roads operating between
the Missouri river and The Pacific coast
into rate wars, railroad bankruptcies,
receiverships, foreclosures, reOrganiZa-
tionS and the extinction OF the weaker
roads.
The case was decided adversely to
the United States at the hearing in the
United States circuit court for the dis
trict of Kansas, and was appealed by
the government. Judges Sanborn,
Shiras and Thayer sat at the hearing
Yesterday, and allowed six hours for
the argument. j. w. Ady, the United
States district attorney for the district
of Kansas, began the argument yester-
day, and was followed by George X.
Peck. of Chicago, in two hours argu-
ment on behalf of the Santa Fe. The
argument will be proceeded with today.
Mr.. Peck has prepared very elaborate
brief in the case. In addition to this
number of other briefs have been pre-
pared. There is an array of attorneys
in the case. and, besides that, number
of other railroad attorneys were present
to hear the argument in the case, among
them Judge Thomas Wilson, of Winona,
and ex-Ccngressman Peters, of Kansas.
who was formerly interested i'll the
case. The attorneys of record in the
case who were present are:
The United States is represented by
J. w. Ady and the railroads by George
R. Peck, of the Santa Fe, of Chicago; j.
F. Vale, of the Rio Grande, of Denver;
A. L. Williams and N. II. Loomis, of
the Union Pacific. OF Topeka; G. A.
MosmOn, of the Burlington. of st. JO-
seph, and w. f. Guthrie, of the Burlipg
ton & Missouri, of AtchlSon,