The Cairo bulletin., 1907-06-03
U.S.PUzzLtDOV[R
HARR|MANACT|ON
FEDERAL AUTHORITIES UNABLE
70 DECIDE WHAT COURSE
SHOULD BE TAKEN.
OPINIONS ARE DIVIDED
Some Holding Out for Vigorous
Prosecution, Wills Others Are
Convinced That Such Action
Would Be Useless.


Washington, June 2.--Just what
the federal authorities win do aliout
tho Ha riman railroad combination
\ will probably be- decided the comiRg
week after series Of conferences
between the president and the inter-
state commerce commission, the sses-
ial counsel If the commission, the AZ
ftoiney general ANA the other mem
bers Of the cabinet
| The president viii first 80 over tie
case with the interstate commerce.
lcommission and Its special counsel,
Messrs. Kellogg ana Severance Thcn
he will take 1t up with the attorney
general. after which he viii consider
lie with the cabinet when a definite
ldocision will ba reached as til the
c6urse that the administration Will
pursue There Is much uncertainty
about the outcome Of the eonsulta-
Itions. for the very good reason that
iit ii known difference Of opinion
exls among the members of fae IL
terstates commerce commission as to
the adyisabiIity Of proceeding agalnt
Hartman and his associates In tile
iconits to dasolye the great railraad
Imerger they have brought aheut in
the west,
Want Criminal Prosecution.
Some members Of The cnnnHlFs'on
are fully convinced that the HERMAN
combination of roads was made in vio-
lation Of the law and that the arpat
magnate and his associates should he
proceeded against criminally for their
fragrant defiance of the law. Taesa
members of the commission say there
II ample evidence for criminal prose
cution, aud they believe II the goHera-
mcnf undertakes such proceedings II
can secure convictions and send some
Of the guilty men % Jail
Il on the other hand, members of tae
s~ysmrnfssion are 81 the opipi8n that
ftna evidence Of the government Il not
sufficient 10 warrant the iuitiatlfla q
SHIFTS with any prospect Of getiag sub
stantial results iii the way og cany y
tions for violation Of the sherman
antitrust act or the interstate CON-
merce aes. The members take the
position that much good has already
been done hy the wide publicity given
the facts developed by the comnais-
sion's hearing Of the Hartman coai.
bIne. ana that a public sentiment has
heen created which win insure the
enactment of new laws forhlddtng
such stock juggling and railroad
manipulation in the future.
If the government undertakes
criminal prosecution Of Hartman and
lis associates that fact viii have
yry unsettling effect on business,
which viii not be Offset BY any gooi
result i'm the way Of convletions
Threfore thse conservative members
OF The commission will strongly +
use the president against proceeding
AGAINST Hartman when he calls them
together for consultation on tae case
next week
It can thus be seen there is con.
siderable uncertainty what course the
administra ion win finally deeide on
Members of the commission Who
favor prosecution say there are four
and probably FIVE. grounds on which
the government can attack Hartman
Five Grounds for Attack.
These are. first. the traffic agree
rent under which the San Pedro ana
nc southem Pacific ma'ntliped the
same rates. charges and classifica-
IONS on competing business; second.
,hc agreement whereby the Union
Pacific and TIE Rock Island altern IT,
Is cont oiled the operation Of the Cat-
cago and Alton: third a Ike agree
meut between the Southera Pacific
and the santa Fe IN controlling the
No hwesten Pacific a road running
rorthward from San Francisco;
fourth. the agreement between thc
uinois Central sud the Alton tn So
roads paralleung each other from the
Missouri liver TO Chicago
AN nf these agreements OF co.,
tracts were declared by certain OH
SAILS to have been made iu direct Vio-
"a ion of fhe law aiuef at conb'n1-
+ons I'm restraint of trade. Tae fita
ransast.on relates 10 an ailegei
ssre4nent between the Southern
pacifc and the Union -acifc. The
ieral advisers Of the government
have fat decided whether these two
roads arc compe ing withil the mean
.ne OF the language q the sherman