The San Francisco call., 1904-04-12

Court was a sharply defined plan to
bottle up" the Great Northern. force
its sale and divide the northern trans
Continental lines between new interests.
the Union Pacific taking the Burling-
ton. the ST Paul taking the Northern
Pacihc and the Northwestern taking
the Great Northern such a statement.
coming from President Hill, has caused
a sensation and is Of the greatest sig
nihcsnce. Hill said:
1t isn't the Northern Pacific alone
that is concerned. Control Of that line
is part OF a plan under which the pur-
pose is TO shut on the Great Northern
on the south and north, leaving il in
such a position that it viii have TO sell
out. I have no doubt that now could
command almost any price for Great
Northern. up to 250 perhaps.
The scheme OF division is simply
this. that the Union Pacific wants the
Burlington, the ST. Paul is aiming to
take over the Northern Pacific and the
Northwestern, il the petition succeeds,
will take its chance of getting the
Great Northern If the Hartman suit
wins ] have already said the Great
Northern viii sell out. We will retire
from the struggle and leave the North
west 10 fight us own battles.
INTERESTS IN COMMON.
Tai Ike the directorates of the St. Paul
and Chicago lines and you can easily
see the common interest running
through the systems I have named.
Under this scheme I am telling you
rrrr = al 4l,.,
ST Paul-Duluth line Of the Northern
Pacific and the Northwestern the st.
Paul Duluth line of the Great North
ern. The entire northern trans-conti-
mental field would be absolutely Within
the grasp Of these two systems, and the
Union Pacific would strengthen its po-
Eition on the south with the Burling-
ton.
Something else 10 throw a little
light on the situation. When the
Northern Securities Company was
being formed Hartman came to
me and offered me power Of at
torney for ten years If I would
take in the Hartman lines
told him didn't want tkem. He urged
me to consider the proposition, which
would give US control Of the railway
Gulf OF Mexico on the south. the Pa
oiic on the west and the international
boundary on the north. I told Harri-
man / was working for che develop
nent Of the northwest and would not
and could not work in the interests OF
both sections. Every morning for a
week he renewed the proposition. We
didn't accept it.
This plan viii accomplish what was
sought then, in throwing the big lines
Of the West under common control"
ELIHU ROOT Is COUNSEL.
Elihu Root. former Secretary of War.
arrived here to-day 20 take up his work
fn connection with the case to be
argued before the United States Court
tomorrow as 10 whether the petition
on the part Of the Hartman interests
for leave 70 intervene in the settlement
of the Northern Securities Company's
affairs shall be denied or granted.
The first question for consideration
viii be whether Hartman and Pierce
viii be permitted to file their petition.
lf that is decided in the affirmative.
further proceedings inr the regular
order may be had. If IL is denied. It
probably will end the proceedings. and
the suit Of the United States VS.. the
Northern Securities Company will
stand as 1t did before the motion for
leave TO intervene was filed.
The Supreme Court decision in the
case Of Minnesota against the merger
is considered by the States legal ON
GERS as a virtual victory for the State.
although II puts the litigation back