The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-10-21
IN A GRIP OF STEEL
MORGAN HOLDS RAILWAY TRAF-
FIG OF MANY STATES.
THE COMPLAINT OF KENTUCKY
BEGS COMMERCE. COMMISSION TO
LOOSEN THE DEATH CLUTCH.


Among Companies Against which
Complaint Observation-Disclosures
of Community of Interests" Plan
Asked, with Production of Books
and Papers That Show Details Of
DeaI-Ten states at the Mercy of "a
Single Man, While Millions Are
ImpOtent.
Washington. Oct 20.-The Interstate
| Commerce Commission to-day made
public the complaint of the Railroad
| Commission of kentucky against the
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company,
the Louisville and Nashville Railroad,
the Southern Railway. the Southern
| Railway in Kentucky. the Southern
Railway In Indiana. the Cincinnati.
New Orleans and Texas Pacific Rail-
way Company, the Cincinnati Southern
Railroad Company, and the Chicago,
Indianapolis and Louisville Railroad
Company, involving allegations of un-
| lawful combination.
The complaint asks for an investiga-
ton of these roads by the commission,
an examination of the contracts, agree
ments, etc, the production of books,
| papers, tariffs, contracts, etc, the is
| suance of subpoenas for witnesses, an
! inquiry into the management of the
! business of these roads: an inquiry as
| to whether their contracts. etc. con-
stitute an unlawful combination and a
conspiracy to pool the freights Of the
different and competing roads and
device to enable the roads to divide the
net proceeds of the earnings so as to
equalize the earnings of each of them,
and the general results of the arrange
ments made on the commerce Of the
| section involved.
| Morgan n Sole DespOt.
The complaint says these roads cover
all important railroad points and all
railroad lines in their territory, aggre-
| eating $4,000 miles of railway, with an
operating income of over $30,000,000 an
nually, and charges that j. p. Morgan
| G. Co. have secured practical control
and mana gement of the affairs of all
| these lines.
The transportation facilities of this
territory, the complaint charges, prac-
tically win become one system oper-
ated by few individuals and will con-
troll the commerce OF Kentucky. Ten
nessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia.
| Florida, North Carolina. South Caro-
lima, Virginia and Maryland. The cap
| italization of the defendant roads is
stated to amount to at least billion
| dollars.
Zone man or firm. with a few asso-
ciates, controlling the Southern Rail-
| way" the complaint says, has now
secured control of the stock of the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad and
later of the stock of the Atlantic Coast
Line Company and the Atlantic Coast
| Line Railway Company, and has Sc
cured an entrance into st. Louis and
| Chicago through lines by which it
| would be able to force and compel
! other lines out of ST. Louis and Chi
| cago into that territory to make rates
! such as IL should dictate and to die
tate schedules, terms and rates of any
kind to all smaller roads"
Great Section Made Helpless.
The complaint alleges that this pur-
| chase, consolidation and ownership
means the placing of the commerce OF
| that entire section under the control
and operation of a very few men, DOM
| mated by the firm of j. r. Morgan e.
Co.
1t is alleged that the defendant com
panies have not filed with the Inter
state Commerce Commission, as re-
CURED by law, copies of the contracts,
agreements, etc. 1t is charged that
such arrangements, combination, pur-
chase and sale for the producing of
what is called a community of in
terest," constitute simply an agreement
or combination by which all freights of
all roads named shall be pooled or con-
trolled or routed so as to prevent com
petition. This consolidation, joint own
ership and joint control. ii is charged
are simply to pool freights between
these railways in such proportion as
those controlling or managing the COM
bination shall designate and so destroy
competition. The complaint alleges
that as a result the rates will be ad-
vanced, communities Disseminated
against and freight will be routed over
one or another of these lines to main
tain increased earnings and create fic-
titious earnings to give fictitious
values.
Legislation VIII BE Debauched.
"By this control and operation" says
the complaint "the commerce of these
states will become subject to the die
tation of a few individuals and by the
tremendous combination of powers thus
secured legislation may be had, traffic
impeded, and business destroyed in
part Of this territory. The object is
to place all the railways under the
control of a single firm or of a few in
dividuals; to control and manipulate
railroad traffic and practically pool all
the business of all the railroads in this
territory, to produce enormous profits,
etc, and to place all the business and
products of over 100000 people in
422, 900 square miles of territory under
the control and domination of a single
individual. The combination, the
commission charges, is in violation OF
both the letter and spirit of the laws
of the United States and of the several
states involved"
The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion will Immediately notify all con-
cerned of the complaint, and probably
will ARA nRa for a hea ring mot "a rlior