The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-03-11
FIGHT ON against
SECURITIES company.
.BiIlin Equity Filed by Attor-
ney.GeneraI.
UNCLE SAM COMPLAINANT
Recites at Length Purposes of
Company's Formation.
oz:ESTABLIsH "A MONOPOLY
If Government Falls to Prevent Carrying Out
oi This Combination, Says the Petition,
the Entire Railway Systems of the
Country May be Consolidated.
and Hold the Public at
Absolute Mercy.
TO ESTABLISH A MONOPOLY

.lBS Associated Press.l

I. ST. PAUL, MINI, March 10.-By direc-
ton of the Attornes-Generalo of the United
State, a. bin in equity was flied here to-
day in the Circuit Court of the United
States, for the District OF Minnesota, in
the case of the United States, COM
plainant, against tho Northern Securi-
tics Railway Company. the Northern
Pacific Railway Company and others,
defendants, to test the legality of the
alleged merger of the two roads and
others named in the bill. The action
is brought under the act of July 2, 1890
known as the Sherman antitrust act.
After recitiTs the fact as to the or
sanization of the Northern Securities
Company the Great Northern Railroad
and the Northern Pacific Railroad. the
petition goes on to say that they were
the only transcontinental lines of rail-
way extending across the northern tier
OF States west OF the great lakes. from
the great lakes and the Mississippi River
to the PacifcQ Ocean and were then en-
gagged in active competition with one
another for-freight and passenger traffic =
PLANS DEFEATED.
The Northern Pacific Railroad Company,
it is recitcd, became insolvent in 1888
=
ceiver. While in this condition an ar
rangemcnt was entered into between a
majority of the bondholders of the North
crn Pacific Railroad Company and the
Great Northern Company for Il virtual
consolidation of the two, and placing the
control of. the Northern Pacific system
Z in the hands ofsthc Great Northern his
arrangement con nternplated the sale tmdcr
foreclosure of the Northern Pacific, Rail
road Company to- a committee of bond
holders, and that the Great Northern
Company should guarantee the bonds of
the Northern Pacific Railway Company
in return for one-half of the stock of a
new Northern Pacific Company.
nnnnn1thBUGoh nBani1onnnnnh rdl hdrm
1.-The carrying. out of this arrangements -
says the petition, was defeated by the
decision ofsathe United States Supreme
Court. in the case of Pearsall against
the Great Northern Railway Company in
$50, in which it was held that the prac-
teal effect would be the consolidation Of
two parallel and competing lines of rail-
way. and the giving to the defendant, the
Great Northern Railway Company, d
monopoly of all traffic in the northern
half of the State OF Minnesota rs We'll
as of all transcontinental traffic: north
Q. uhe line of the Union Pacific
UNLAWFUL CONSPIRACY.
The fact of. the joint purchase py the
Great Northern and Northern Pacific
systems of the Chicago, Burlington and
Quincy Railway Company, with its 5000
miles of track, is next recitcd. and it is
then charged that James J. Hill and his
associates of the Great Northern and
Fierpont Morgan nnd his associates of
the Northern Pacific entered into an ul-
lawful combination, or conspiracy, 10 CT
feet a virtual consolidation OF the Norti.-