The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-09
HARTMAN FACES
AN INQUIRY IN
CALIFORNIA
Steps May Be Taken Soon
to Dissolve the Merger
of the Magnate's Lines
PROTEST ENTERED
BY OIL PRODUCERS
Claim That Independents
Have Been Disseminated
Against by Corporation

The Southern Pacific offlciais, through
their friends at Washington. have re-
ceived warning that the Government is
to follow up its Salt Lake investiga-
ton with a comprehensive inquiry into
the Hartman interests in California
and other Pacific Coast States. 1t is
said that the work planned by the In
terstate Commerce Commission In Cal
ifornia will embrace IN its scope the
entire Hartman system. with its $1,000
miles OF road and more than $4,000
100000 OF capital. AS the Hartman
enterprises vie with the steel and the
oil trusts for primacy In the American
business world the attention Of the en-
tire country will be focused upon the
California case
The Government has selected Harri-
man for special observation at a time
when he occupies the most conspicuous
section Of the arena in the struggle for
commercial success. Hartman, little
known and glorying in his secrecy, Is
about TO be dragged into the light as
Rockefeller was few years ago. One
important feature OF the inquiry into
the Hartman system viii be to deter
mine the ananeial relationship existing
between the railway and the oil octo-
pus. Hartman has always posed as an
Independent factor III Wall street. but
the suspicion has gained ground that
he is In a way nothing more than
Rockefeller's rubber stamp.
ACTION OF DOUBLE SCOPE
The action planned against the Har-
riman lines is Of double scope. The
organization of the system and its
method OF doing business will be
studied under legal microscope. 1t
is charged that the Hartman system
in it's entirety is q merger organized
and operating contrary to law. 1t is
claimed that 1t violates the statutes as
surely as did the Hill merger In the
Northwest.
OF the Hartman system the Union
Pacific is the pivot. The Union Pacific
owns controlling interest in the
Southern Pacific and the Oregon Short
Line. The Oregon Short Line and the
Southern Pacific are competing lines
In the State OF Oregon, as the North
ern Pacific and the Great Northern in
the Northwest. The Southern Pacific
and the Salt Lake and Los Angeles
roads also compete in Nevada and Cali
fornia, although under practically the
same management.
Harriman's various roads are for the
most part operated by the same off,
GERS. Hartman serves as president of
the companies and varies his direc-
torate with the locality.
Should II be established that the
merger is in restraint OF trade (and
where competing lines are owned by
the same interests such is held to be
the case) an action would follow In
the Federal courts to dissolve the trust
just as an action has already been
commenced against the STANDARD Oil
Company.
The Governments determination to
press the investigation of the corpora
ton was given a new impetus when
Hartman wrested control of the Iili-
nois Central from Stuyvesant Fish.
This gave Hartman a new entrance
into Chicago and network of lines in
the South extending as far as New
Orleans.
OIL TRUST FAVORED
The second feature of the investi-