The sun., 1903-04-25
BIER DEGIES fHE RAIDERS.
FORCEFUL DEFENCE or TIE
READING COMPANY'S COURSE.

| ALNDASO GOMIhNA . OVCAOSs
witness Admits That He Dsughs Out
Prs)ectsa RatlssaA and Aiss Cen
peting Csai Properties-says III
Action was Legal and Busfncssitis
and He's Prepared % Repeat N-CAa
Ienges Those VINO Think Otherwis
to Try Issue In Ceurt-Resenis lde
ThAt Dusincss Men Are LAwbrcake erl
George p. Baer. president OF the Readin
Company. which is the holding oompan,
OF the Philadelphia and Reading Coal an
Iron Company, the Philadelphia and Read
Ing Railway Company and the variou
other companies making up what is know
As the Reading system. appeared as wit
ness before the Interstate Commsrce Com
mission In this city yesterday and some
what oonfounded Clarence j. Shearn, tn,
lawyer for the petitioner In the charges
against the ooal-osrrying roads, by quoting
to him the law on the subject Of corpora
tions and their organization and rights
under the laws OF the United States anc
under the Law Of the State Of Pennsylvania.
Mr.. Baer cheerfully admitted that BY
their purchase OF the Temple Iron Com.
pany he and his associates had taken ovel
Simpson d Watkins. the leaders in the
movement among the independent op.
| orators to establish an independent rail.
road to carry their coal to tldewater.
He said that. although he did not b.
Beve that the talk OF this independent road
was anything moro than an attempt To
force him and his associates to purchase
the Independent holdings, he still regarded
1t IS q perfectly legal proceeding for the
coal-carrying roads to protect their In
terests by doing all in their power to pre-
vent the building Of another railroad into
the anthracite coal region.
THE VOTING Tsusr.
II took half an hour for Mr.. Baer to tell
the offices be holds In various corporations
and just what tho Reading Company. OF
which he Is president, doeS.
He admitted that the capital stock OF
the Reading Company was held By . voting
trust. and that J. p. Morgan was one Of
the trustees. Asked II II wasn't fact that
the Reading Company controlled the Phila-
delphia and Reading Railway, he answered:
thu. sS% mean s9s: T. yS: p: ssoGs Of
does 1t control its business. answer no.
But there IL no conflict between you a.
president Of the Reading Company and
you as president OF the railroad company
u therefs asked Mr.. Sheayn.
Indeed there Is, at times answered
Mr.. Baer with q laugh.
As TO THE PENNSYLVANIA CONSTITUTION.
Mr.. Shearn next proceeded to one OF his
most important charges. which 10 that
the coal-carrying roads are violating the
law OF Pennsylvania. which says that q
minioS railfosd g company E SsnnSt % %:nEsse IN the
II wasn't true that an arran cement had been
made between the Philadelphia and Read.
ing Coal and Iron Company and the Read
ing railway to evade the State Constitu-
tion on this point.
Mr.. Baer ssid that It was not true and
that he for ono would be glad TO have the
matter tested In any court that the petitioner
might select. He was suSe. he said. that
the Constitutional prohibition Of ls7S ton
this point would not apply to either the |
Heading Company or the Coal and Iron |
Company.
Why HB BUYS ur MINIS AND RAILaoAps. |
Mr. 6hearn turned to the subject Of the [
manded to know what object the Reading |
Mr. Baer kuShinsly Declared that 4 Wss
10 get control Of the road Ar. Bhearn |
wanted 70 know Why ~. BAsr wanted, TO
Because i was q connecting railroad and
nd 'sS%sa. oSs4. r.. i%as csntes saEb.S saiRE q %
Jersey r was the road over which the trafle Of
rsTk "a lm.1. and i p ~ n. s..TS:s q hs CSanst
ninsl: and .hle6. isiliSs into adverse hands.
nigh nishs Gu. Of the .rs.t Rsvsd!rs :{stsm from
ss e.: jsssS csn. snss ed US
es.on than ' tSss"thss % 0 sSs pSeossss Ss.te
oai in the STATE Of pennsylvania A. Il was
air price The iavr OF the State Of Psnnsyi-
sR. s:r% e y. II .Sd To DC s.n IT, .. hsv:
sos " %ars Ssa T Any Say tS:% %cn.
snf Would "a Be can n.sa q M J REfs ssy that
st.S q aomIeats TIE @ snssrs sc S eS. .tus HS
ose; II y for the purpose Of making the
,fadmT s1 mnn.x sysssT sos a. RaynS .ystem e earn
urity holders We do not aim 70 dominsts
he anthracite situation. nor any other trade
ve s do aim 70 get as much anthrseite trsfho
eurss Of busi4sss. Il Is possible for us 70 Ssf.
sysry Spf 4. " p @
q The more, thorou ghly you dominate the
SG make for your :tooahoidersi 4. Sssir.
lly., The, more thinls you can SELL Il they
An DC 900 ~ pIogt the greater pront | ,
! ppose you make. 10 not that simple and
Q. It is. absolutely, And tbs more coal
SntrS tRs pe. q .s,ts CO: eo:l sSs
ilSr III Ss sas4sis; A. Do not sSo': sslas:
Mr. shesrn9 should ssy 40.
. then?
THE RAILaoAD THAr Wasn't suILf.
After IN hour Of questionin M from re-
orts OF the Reading Compap and other
'mpanies, which Mr.. Baer asked to be
Jared because the reports spoke for them | I
lives and didn't need to be confirmed BY ,
m. Mr. 6hearu turned to the pct charge |
the petitioner. which u that Mr.. Basr {
nd his associates Of the coal-carTyins | '
,ads bought out the principal projectors 4
an independent railroad Into the coal .
sion and thus stopped the building Of !.
e road.
Mr.: Basr admitted that be knew that
10 Independent operators had pledged y
. future output Of their mines to the !,
Mr.. Shearn-Did you know that Simpson
Watkins were actively interested in that =
ilrosd ysntyrsf a. knew they we're oon- !
'Teq Tnn yes How active they were I
D. BE- 90 ,oS SS' !.So:e, ssoS .h.. their su,pu. ...
3 sdsd ed ,s.I million tons yssr' A. That is a
Q. DO you reoollect what total topusse y
10 pledRed 70 thia NeW YoPk WvCeninG = ~ | j,