Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-10-22
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE COAL
TRUST.

out by the Republican state committee.
contains some statements which en-
title It's author to the first prize for
both mendacity and stupidity. No one
could have written the article without
malicious purpose of misrepresenting
the facts, for it contains statements
that must have been the invention of
the writer. No one could have writ
ten the article who was possessed of
ordinary intelligence and foresight, for
the most cursory examination of the
history Of the case, and its official
records will disclose the falsehood and
impale the falsifler.
After reciting the well-known fact
ley and Jersey Central, coal carrying
roads, undertook to form combina-
tion, it goes on to allege that Governor
Pattison received a complaint against
this combination, and refused to in
terfere;" it characterizes this neglect
on his part as "a black and damnable
record"
Let us now see and prove how
quickly this lie can be nailed. Twenty
four hours after the first notice of this
combination was brought to the at
tention of Governor Pattison he re-
ferred it to Hon. w. u. Hensel, then
attorney general of the state. That
official Immediately summoned the
companies complained of before him;
he gave them a fair and impartial hear
ing, and, at the conclusion of it, held
that the spirit, if not the letter, of the
constitution, had been violated; he
Immediately went into the courts of
Dauphin county and filed a bill in
equity against all the companies COM
planned Of; he required them to an
swer, and the various steps of this liti-
CATION are thus pointed out on page Is
of his official report to the general as
sembly of the state at the session Of
1898:
After such hearing and argument on
behalf of the railroad corporations, to
hn n hn mr. n ~
ference by the state existed, | deter
mined that the interests of the COM
monwealth and the rights of the pub
lie demanded that the questions in
VOWED in the attempted combination
and consolidation of the coal trans
porting and coal producing Interests
and OF parallel and competing rail-
roads, should be judiciously determin-
ed; and accordingly on March Is, 1892,
in the Dauphin County Court of Com
mon Pleas, l filed bill in equity
against the Philadelphia and Reading
Railroad Company, the Philadelphia
the Port Reading Railroad Company,
the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company,
of New Jersey, the Lehigh Coal and
Navigation Company, and the Lehigh
and Wilkesbarre Coal Company. ayerr-
ing the facts, as | had gathered them,
of the combination of the railroads,
contracts and agreements and for de-
cree that they be declared null and
void, and that the property Of the
leased lines and companies be surren-
dered to their former owners and the
companies operating them.
In due time the companies defendant
filed answers and demurrers to the
bills. The court appointed ]. G. Mac
Alarney and Charles. H. Bergner, ex-
aminers, and from time to time they
have held many meetings In Harris
burg and in Philadelphia, taking testi-
mony in the cases. The facts have
been secured by personal inquiry and
examinations, and the commonwealth
succeeded in obtaining admissions
from the defendants from time to time
Of the accuracy of the statements,
maps and other evidence, which have
been prepared to sustain the averments
Of its bill. The testimony In the case
on behalf of the commonwealth Is
about concluded, and but for an un-
avoidable interruption in its progress
the matter could have been submitted
for argument in the Dauphin County
Court of Common Pleas before the
close of the year.
In November, 1898, all the companies
defendant annulled these leases and
agreements, and filed an aswer in the
courts, in which they set forth that
the leases complained Of had been for
feited, annulled, vacated and termi-
mated, and that each company defend
ant had re-entered into possession,
control and operation of their respec-
tive properties, and upon this showing,
and after they had paid all the costs
of the proceedings, the courts Of Dau-
phin county allowed the bills to be
dismissed.
Everything that was complained of
was promptly made the subject of ju-
dicial proceeding; everything that was
demanded by the situation was pushed
promptly to judicial conclusion; and
not a single complaint of this, or any
other kind, against any combination,
trust or corporation was ever made to
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