Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-01-18
Interstate Commerce Body Disturb
ed by The Ambitions Of Some Of
lis Members.
MANY IMPORTANT DUTIES UHD0NE
Differences Develop In the Work Of
Smashing" the Hartman combina.
tion-Members of Congress Think
Commissioners Are Ensrossed In
Doing Things Out of Their Province

WASHINGTON. ID. c., Jan. IT,
friction, If not decentralization, exists
n the Interstate Commerce Commits.
non such as was never ANTICIPATED
when the commission was enlarged
lnd vested with extraordinary powers
Or the regulation OF railroad rates.
Whether this is due to rivalry among
no various members of the commits.
Ion or to misconception OF its
lowers will develop later.
Four of the members of the former
'ommission-Mcssrs. Knapp, chair
nan; Prouty, Clements and Coclxrcll
were retained by President Roose-
ielt. who named three new members
-Messrs. Harlan, of Illinois; Clark, of
nwa, and Lane, of California. These
new members have shown themselves
cry aggressive and ambitious, and
mis- Is understood 10 have upset all
he traditions of tho commission.
There are said TO he decided diff
Ferences as to what the commission
ihould do in carrying out the inves-
igation which 1t was widely declared
would smash Hartman and the
ransccntinental railroad combina-
lon 1t was announced when the
commission set out to probe the op-
Nrations of the Hartman combination
nat 1t would rip up" the whole sys-
EN-. The commission held n short
iession in New York and another in
'hicago, and then the statement went
ut mat the commission was coming
Jack to Washington. II came back
md has been here ever since
The statement was made In tho
apital today, and not denied in tho
ffices of the commissica, that there
would be nothing further done in re-
ard to the Hartman matter until
february. Information is very indef.
mite as to when and where the inves-
lgation of MIR. Hartman will he
,esumed, One hint is that it will be
n Washington. There is much mys-
terry about this
Commissioners Uneasy.
One intimation is that several
members of the commission are rath-
'r uneasy as to the effect of proceed.
ing further, because they might have
o gd 10 the extent of smashing the
ntire Hartman combination" in
which event they would have to 20
urther, PERHAPS, and smash" every
'arge railroad combination in the
East. Still another intimation is that
he commission has ascertained while
nncoverins the operations I'm Southern
Pacific and Atchison stock, that Mr.
Hartman and his associates are prob,
ably too powerful group to trifle
With unless the commission were pre-
Jared to stay in the contest until it's
termination and intended to invoke
every law at its disposal. This 1t did
not understand the administration de.
sired TO do
On the heels of this comes n state,
ment that the President is still press.
ing the commission to keep after
he Hartman combination, and that
here is friction between the mem.
"crs who are in control of that body
nd the Chief Executive.
Members of Congress who have
recn watching the operations of the
commission are of the opinion that
he new Board. torn with conflicting
ambitions, each member trying to
distinguish himself more than his fcl.
lows. has failed utterly to perform
the duties imposed by the regulation
law, and its members have set them
selves to do things that were never
contemplated by Congress- the body
70 which the commission must an
'wer.
For instance, it is pointed out that
the commission has tried to end coal
ramines. when ii was made clear that
he famines were due. not to any fail
IRE of the railroads to handle freight
Uttered them. but to coal dealers ne.
slecting TO lay in ample supplies for
I hard winter.
Again, 1t is shown that the commits.
sion has been used as detective
agency to make cases for the In
terror DEPARTMENT in the matter of
land frauds and for the Department
of Justice iii the matter Of other VIC
lations.
Then the commission has been
holding sort of coroner's inquest in.
to the cause of the recent Baltimore
e Ohio Railroad wreck in this city.
Furthermore, IL has had i'm contenl-
Dlation an investigation of the water
ing of railroad stock and the reason
for the increase of railroad earnings.
important Questions Ignored.
All the while important questions
properly arising under the railroad
rate law have been ignored. MANY
cases have been waiting and visit
to the offices of the commission in
this city will disclose an atmosphere
Of apparent decentralization, of fever.
ish and misdirected energy and other
evidences OF the strain under which
the various members are acting.
For instance, today matters grow
ing out of the rate law were required
to wait while tho commission held q
&c In,