The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-06-23
Will NOT PROSECUTE MORTON
Administration Will Take No Action Against Naval
Secretary, Former Vice President of Santa
Fe, on Rebate Question.

in dealing with all these corporation
matters has been coherent and reso-
Lutte, and has had my heartiest ap-
proval. The aim of the administration
has been in the first place to stop the
unlawful practices. We have not pro-
ceeded personally against any of the
officers unless there was legal evidence
witully Of such nature as to render
1t our duty to try TO punish them per-
sonally, no less than to try to put an
end to the Objectionable practices.
Therefore, there is no reason why you
should take action against any official
of the Topeka & Santa Fe railroad
which you do not against any other
railroad under precisely similar cir
cumstances.
In both this Colorado Fuel case and
in the International Harvester case l
direct that proceedings for contempt
against the companies be taken by the
government. Whether, as the cases de-
velop, proceedings against individual
in each instance upon whether testi-
mony is obtained showing that such in
dividual officer has, either by act or
connivance, been personally guilty in
the matter. II there are any railroads
guilty of the practices which we have
enjoined other railroads from follow
ing, but which have not themselves
been enjoined, proceedings should be
begun to put them under similar re-
straint Sincerely yours,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
Under date of June s, Secretary Nor
ton wrote the President, explaining the
dealings between his company and the
Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., as one in
which by an oversight the freight rate
was not separated from the cost Of the
coal at the mines. as it should have
been done.
He declared that he had ever been
opposed to graft" and unfair dealing
Ii public or coroprate affairs. He said
the terms of the agreement between
his road and the fuel company, purely
TO protect traffic Of millions of dol
lars, was as follows:
"First-The Colorado Fuel Co. was
at the mines in Colorado, $115 per
ton. This is all they received for the
coal, and there was nothing additional
paid them in the way of a rebate, or
otherwise.
"Second-The railway company was
to haul the coal at very low rate to
FL Paso and Deming, the rate being
$3.50 per ton. This was in reality a di-
vision of a rate, not usually published.
"Third-The El Paso & Southwest
ern people we're to receive and pay for
the coal $405 per ton at Ell Paso and
and it was to be used by the
railroad itself. and the industries along
it, line.
THE tariff covering this arrangement
was published so as to show the freight
rate to be s4.05 per ton," he said, 'in-
stead Of the delivered price at El Paso
and Deming, and did not separate the
freight rate from the cost of the coal at
the mines, as it should have done. I'm
til the investigation furnished by the
interstate commerce commission, did
rot know personally how the matter
was being handled, SO far as the pub
lication Of the tariff was concerned
My own connection with the case was
to see that the traffic was secured to
the Atchison rails, and after that de-
tails were left to subordinates. Thou
sands of tariffs are published every
year.
II suppose 1t was not known to you,
certainly not to the public generally,
that it was the testimony which | gave
before the interstate commerce COM
mission on the practices of western
railroads, so far as grain, dressed beef
and provisions arrangements were con-
cerned, that made ii possible to secure
the injunctions. Without my evidence
1t is quite unlikely that the injunctions
could have been obtained. l was anx-
i0us to see all the western railroads
prevented from doing things / knew
we're irregular and calculated to do the
railroads, as we'll as the public gener-
ally, great injustice.
When the injunction order was is
sued by the court, positive instructions
were given by me verbally to my sub
ordinates to comply in every respect
with its terms"
SALEM MAN ATTEMPTS