Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-04-11
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.
Washington, April 9, 1907

Washington, April 9, 1907.
tits not generally known, but it
is q fact, none the less, that when
the Spaniards laid to ambush tine
Rough Riders at Gausimas in Cuba
the whole plot was spoiled because
one man was too eager, and shot at
the head of the column before it
got well into the line of fire.
There is Il remarkable similarity
about the things that have happen
ed in the political world this week.
Whether the Hartman letter with
the attendant discussion was re-
sponsible for springing the mine
too soon, it is simpossible to say. If
that discussion had not arisen.
political enemies of the Admins
tration might not have gotten gay
and talked 50 much. But the fact
remains that some one leaked, and
about the prettiest plot on record
in American politics has been
spoiled.
The attitude of the Hartman
interests before the Interstate Com
merce Commission this week has
been that of men deeply wronged
in an effort to do what was right.
Arguments are being heard by the
commission from the counsel for
the railroads and the special attor-
Iieys for the commission to decide
what course should be taken in re-
gard to the questions that Mr..
Hartman refused to answer at the
recent New York hearing, and
what sort of a report should be
made to the Attorney General on
which he might base a prosecution
if he saw fit under the Sherman
Antitrust Law.
The most remarkable argument
by any of the railroad ATTORNEYS
was that OF John G. Milburn. who
stated to the Commission in the
most serious fashion, that there
was no ground for proceeding
against Mr.. Hartman under the
Sherman Antitrust Law. He
said that the antitrust law was
aimed only at a combination of
railroads or other corporations who
entered into an agreement to fix
rates and prices, but that in the
case OF the Southern Pacific and
Union Pacific Railroads, Mr.. Har-
riman had bought them both and
that even if he bought them with
the announced intention of sitting
competition and restraining trade,
the law could do nothing with him
because he could do with them as
he wished. Mr.. Milburn said
that any attempt on the part of the
government to regulate the roads
under such circumstances would
be interfering with private proper
ty, and could not be justified for a
moment
Attorney Severance for the Com
mission replied that this was an
entirely fallacious view Of the mat
ter, and read number of decis-
IONS, including that of the United
States Supreme Court in the North
crn Securities case which fully
covered the railroad contention and
showed that the Sherman law was
designed to prevent combinations
In restraint of trade whether the
stock of the combined companies
was owned by one man absolutely
o. held by a trust.
The first general transfer and
promotion in the consular service
as the result of the new rules gov
erning that branch of the. govern
ment has been announced. There
are almost 200 cases, most of them
not important, but others decided
~ so. Most of them affect men
who have been in the service long
time and have earned recognition
by their work. 1t is the beginning
o. u new regime in the service, and
will tend to make it more of a life
career and less of political grab
bag.