Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-09
THE HARTMAN CASE
Discussed by the Interstate
Commerce Commission.
THE COURSE NOT DECIDED
May Be Another Weekly Conference
Before Settlement.
TESTIMONY IS VERY BULKY
All Members Want to Read It Care
fully Before Deciding What
is to Be Done.
THE COURSE NOT DECIDED
TESTIMONY IS VERY BULKY

Monday was the regular conference day
OF the interstate commerce commission and
among the other things discussed was the
future course Of the commission in the Har-
riman case. 1t was not definitely decided
what course should be pursued ard there
may be another one of the weekly confer
ences before the matter is finally settled.
The testimony is bulky and all OF the COM
missioners want to read 1t over carefully
before deciding what is to be done. One of
them In discussing it said: at is not a mat
ter In which we can make up our minds in
fifteen minutes. There Is q question with
me whether anything will be gained by
pressing the principal witness for any
further testimony. Every one knows by
this time the sort of financering to which
the Alton was subjected and about the re-
1ations that are sustained by the various
transcontfnental lines that have and have
not come under the Hartman domination.
The ultimate question of prosecution
will rest with the. Attorney General, any
how. There will be long report to him,
and 1t will have to be carefully prepared
and will embody the views of the whole
commission. and not the opinion of any one
OF us or any set of us. 1t will probably be
matter Of weeks before 1t is ready to
transmit. Then the Attorney General will
decide whether there is ground for a civil
or a criminal prosecution. and how the
matter shall be conducted from a legal
point of view.
Result Of Harriman's Methods.
Enough has been developed already to
show the methods by which Mr.. Hartman
and his associates worked. II they were
to be allowed to go on along the same
lines. 1t would not be long before all of
the railroads of the United States would
be under one management, with all the
features that would accompany unlimited
pooling. OF course, under an honest and
he
certain advantages in a singleheaded
management. But as human nature is now
constituted, you cannot get an honest AMI
benevolent management of that sort. The
railroads Of the country would save inn
mensely in not having to keep up the i'm
mense number of branch offices, the i'm
menSe number of freight solicitors and
other duplicate executive offices. But there
would be no protection for the public. The
interstate commerce commission. with the
best will in the world. could not handle the
situation. The railroads could make more
unjust rates in night than the commits
sion could straighten out in a year. We
never would be able to catch up with them
and the public would be entirely at their
mercy. With competition remaining it
will act automatically to keep rates down
to something like a reasonable figure.
Therefore l think personally that the mat
ter Of combinations has gone quite as far
the public
Would not the Newands scheme wor,,
unlimited pooling under government super
vision. with a limitation of dividends, give
the advantages of economy and still keep
down extortionate demands on the part Of
the roads,
Possibly was the reply. but the mo-
ment you limit the possibility of mans
making money that moment YOU remove
some of the incentive for him to work and
there is a serious question whether the rail-
roads under that restriction would exert
themselves to give the best service and the
best equipment possible"
Not Government Ownership.
''Is not the whole thing, then, working
around to the point of government owner
ship?" asked. where the roads are
owned by the government and run for the
benefit of the people. just the same as the
Post Office DEPARTMENT.
You don't for a minute expect me to an
swer that question" was the reply. Il will
say however. that the very possibility OF
such thing is long way off yet. and the
chances of graft under government owner
ship would be too immense to contemplate.
II you think for moment and consider
what the possibilities in that line are you
will appreciate it. There would not be a
new type of car. a safety device. an i'm
provement in an engine or a patcntable ap-
pliance of any sort that would not have to
be passed on by some one man and adopted
or rejected on his recommends ton. The
millennium has not arrived yet. Maybe It
will come some time. but l don't expect to
live to see it