The Cairo bulletin., 1906-11-10
HARTMAN LINES
WILL Be PROBED
BY COMMISSION
SYSTEM, IN SOME FEATURES,
SAID TO RESEMBLE NORTH
ERN SECURITIES.
INQUIRY BY CONGRESS
Nav Result From the Oustine of Fish
General Phases in Recent Con-
test Said to Warrant Inter.
ference BY U. S.

ference BY U. S.
Washington, p. c., Nov. 9.-A gen.
feral invest gat ion of what Is known as
| the Hartman system of railroads, I'M
1 der the authority conferred by law,
is one of the subjects TO be discussed
| BY the I'M erstato commerce commits,
sion. BecauG Ct the pressure of work
before the commission and great
amount Of labor and time involved in
such an undertaking the matter has
thus far been considered only in an
informal and tentative way and no
final decision has been reached as to
when the proposed inquiry shall be
gin or The methods to be followed in
securing the information desired.
The propriety of Investigation has
been talked of by the commission for
somc time and that body, it is said,
really stands committed to an inquiry.
Like the Northern Securities.
eve have been infromed, mem
Der of the commission said tonight,
/
lures. IS not unlike the Northern Sc
curt ties company which was dissolved
through the interposition Of the Attor-
! ney General of the United States,
Any steps which may be taken by
the commission along the lines re-
ferred to will be, it Is said, in accord
ance with general powers Of the com
mission conferred by law, and not be-
cause Of any immediate specific com
plant of violation of statues.
In January, if time permits, the
commission will take up the complaint
of the municipality of Spokane against
1.-The Northern Pacific Great North,
ern, Burlington, Unicn Pacific and the
| Oregon Short Line railroads involving
| d scrimination in charging higher
rates for shorter than longer hauls
| This complaint was the first filed with
1.-THE commission under the amended
interstate commerce act. Ii is regard
ed as Of considerable importance, as
4 it Is disposition will logically have
bearing en- the whole question Of
| transportation in the west from Cana-
dian border to Mexico and Chicago
and ST. Louis to the Pacific coast. It
is also of importance with propoced in
vestigation of the Hartman system
whose territory and connecting lines
cover a large portion o fthe west.
Proposed Inquiry BY Congress.
II was also announced today that
the transfer Of control of the Illinois
! Central Railroad TO the Union Pacific
may be made the subject of inquiry at
the instance OF Congress, The fight
of the Fish-Harriman interests invol-
YES two or three matters that are
considered to Justify inquiry.
Illinois has a verv large interest in
the Illinois Central under the charter
which gave the road immense conces-
sions in that state, he company con
tracing to pay the state per cent
per annum forever of the gross earn
ings of its 705 niles Of original lines
in Illinois.
Second. the Dubuque e. Sioux City
section of he system holds a very val.
liable land grant from the Federal
Government. whose conditions may be
found to afford excuse for federal in
terpositior.
The charge that under Hartman
the property viii become forthwith n
great political road affords opponent
Of railroad power in politics concern.
Under Fish the road went in very lit
tie for politics There is plenty Of
power now vested in the interstate
commerce commits isn to look into
recent doinss.
Hints az Big Frauds.
President Fish has threa encd, il is
sad. that he would retaliate against
Hartman by making sensational dis
closures concerning the alleged i'm
mense land deals, whereby the Harri
man system has been benefited 10 the
extent Of many millions of dollars
These matters have been recently un
covered i'm part by the interstate com
missions inquiry in Nebraska. CoIora
do Wyoming and Utah, and il g.
known that further investigation Of
land affairs in that section is now on
fott
But there is another and more in
iporlant phase 10 which attention has
been directed The Union Pacific anf
Southern Pacific long have been the
most determined opponents Of a Pana
Ina Canal II would be a dangerous
competitor. as well they know The
fact that, fre ght can be taken from
New York to San Francisco in les.
. time by sea Uhrog gh the canal thar
lit averages nov BY rail L. something
a that the general public only recently
, has come to realize.
Concluded on Third Page.l