Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1907-07-18
IS SORE
RESULT OF INQUIRY BY INTER-
STATE COMMISSION.
NO RECOMMENDATIONS MADE
Law Alone Stopped Great Merger
Of All Roads from Canada
to Mexico.

Washington, ID. c.. July 15.-After
long delay and much speculation as
to its contents the report of the inter-
state commerce commission on the
Hartman investigation has been made
public. The report, while it gives a
complete synopsis Of the evidence
taken In the inquiry, says but little
else and makes no recommendation
either for or against prosecution Of
The great railroad king. The question
Is left open to President Roosevelt
and Attorney General Bonaparte to de-
eide.
Immediately upon the publication of
the commissions finding, Mr.. Harri-
nan gave out a statement in which it
Is evident that the contents of the
report known to him.
In his statement Mr. Hartman
cakes occasion to criticize the commits
sion for its method Of giving the re-
port to the public and declares that
1t is full of misstatements. He also.
intimates that it is given out for po-
iitical reasons, and seeks to create
the impression that 1t Is a piece Of
political literature. He announces
that he will study 1t over and will
give a more complete statement in
the near future.
According to the report made by
Commissioner Lane and approved by
the interstate commerce commission,
the railroad magnate, in his dealings,
has been far from the spirit Of the
law Of the nation and the several
states, but it does not recommend
chat he be punished.
1t Is expected by the commission
that 1t will be determined by the
President and Attorney General Bona
parte, from the statement of facts set
out in the report, whether the govern
men will institute any sort of pro-
ceedings against Mr.. Hartman or the
corporations involved in the inquiry.
No recommendations are made by the
commission that either criminal or
civil prosecutions be instituted as a
result of it's inquiry.
The report is an exhaustive sum-
mary of the evidence adduced at the
several hearings held by the commits
sion in the course of it's inquiry. 1t
enters fully into a discussion of the
policy pursued by Mr.. Hartman in OBJ.
tanning and maintaining control of
the various lines of railway in the
Hartman system and presents fair
ly complete history of the operations
of the various lines.
Excerpts from the verbatim testi-
mony of Mr.. Hartman are given to
show, as stated in the report:
THAT 1t is only the law which pre-
vents the concentrating in Mr.. Harri
mans hands of every railroad line be-
tween Canada and Mexico is the frank
admission of Mr.. Hartman himself,
made at the hearing. To gather I'M
der one head all existing transconti.
and to exclude the incoming of all
competitors became manifestly the
Hartman policy, which was inaugur-
ated in 1901 by the issuance of $780,.
100000 Of convertible bonds by the
Union Pacific"
Mr.. Harriman's eventual control of
many of the competing transcontinen.
tai lines was prevented, 1t Is pointed
out, by the supreme courts decision
in the Northern Securities case. Ii
Is shown BY the reports that it had
been no part of the Hartman policy
to permit the properties brought I'M
der Union Pacific control to decline,
as in every case they are better to-
day than they were when Mr.. Harri
man acquired them.
Particular stress is laid by the COM
mission on the elimination Of competi-
ton in transcontinental business
among the Hartman lines and the
commission indicates that that is the
matter of large significance developed
in it's inquiry