The Savannah morning news., 1903-04-17
WILL THE MERGER CASE BE APP
PEALED.

The impression seems to prevail in
| New York and in Washington that
there will be no appeal from the de-
cision in the case of the government
against the Northern Securities Com
pany, though, as far as known, moth
ing to that effect has been said by
either Mr.. Morgan, representing the
Northern Pacific Company,or Mr.. Hill,
representing the Great Northern Rail-
read Company. The belief appears
to be growing stronger that in the
event of an appeal the decision would
he affirmed, and that therefore the
better plan is to accept it, and to find
the antitrust law-to accomplish the
object aimed at by means of the
Northern Securities Company.
One of the ways reported to be un-
der consideration is the placing of
each of the properties under the con-
troll Of a board of trustees the two
boards to have no connection with
each other. 1t is evident that the pur-
pose Of these boards would be to pre-
vent the competing roads from injur-
ing each other by cutting rates and
granting rebates. In fact, their pur-
pose would be the same as that of the
Northern Securities Company, which
has just been declared illegal.
No doubt a number of ways have
been suggested for accomplishing
practically the same object which
that company was formed to accom-
plish, but it is a safe statement that
no one of them will be adopted unless
it is clearly apparent that it is not in
violation of the antitrust law. The
defendants have sixty days in which
to take an appeal, and they will cam
vass the situation carefully before de-
Gliding upon their course.
A Washington dispatch says that
the Attorney General has been asked
to permit the decision to be modified
in some particulars, but that he has
declined to do so. 1t is not likely of
course that he will do anything that
might be construed as making conces-
sions to those from whom he has won
such a signal victory. He would be
very severely criticised if he did.
There is great anxiety to know
whether he win proceed at once
against other railroads which are be-
lieved to have violated the antitrust
law. 1t seems to be the understand
ing that he will not file any other
suits against railroads until the final
disposition of the case against the
Northern Securities Company. 1t is
alleged that there is a demand that he
proceed against the coal roads, but it
seems that he has no evidence that
they are violating any statute. The
Interstate Commerce Commission is
investigating them, and may discover
that they are violating the antitrust
law. In that event it is probable that
suit will be brought against them.
AS a matter of fact, how ever, If the
Northern Securities Company should
decide to accept the decision against
it, steps would at once be taken by all
of the roads that are violating the
antitrust law to comply with that
law. Therefore there is no good rea-
son why the Attorney General should
begin other suits against railroads at
present. 1t will be time enough to do
that when it becomes apparent that
there are roads that persist in vio-
lating the law.
Wall street was given great scare
by the decision, but it seems to have
recovered from it's apprehensions, and
there are able Wall street fnanciers
who are expressing the opinion that
the country, as a whole, may profit by
the shaking up which the trusts have
been given.