The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-11
Interstate Commerce Commits
sion Inquiry Has Drawn At
tentiOn to Railroad King.
OUTCOME OF INVESTIGATION
NOW EAGERLY AWAITED
Government May Proceed
Against Combine Under Sher-
man Antitrust Act.
Special TO The Tribune.


WASHINGTON. March 10.-Upon
the outcome of the inquiry of the In.
terstate Commerce commission into the
operations of the so-called Hartman
lines depends whether or not the Gov
ernment shall proceed in the Federal
courts, under the terms Of the Sherman
anti trust act, against what is un.
doubtedly the biggest and most COM
prehensive railroad combination ever
formed in the world Just at this timo
the Hartman consolidation and its
founder occupy the center of the public
stage. The public is talking about the
disclosures brought ont by tho Inter
state commerce commission and public
attention Is attracted toward the in
teresting, personality of Hartman. the
railroad king par excellence the cham
pion stock 3obber of them ali.
John D. Rockefeller, America g lead.
ing coin collector, stopped in Washing.
ton day or so ago, enroute for Flor
ida, When the investigation now in
progress under the direction Of the com
mission was mentioned TO him he fairly
howled with merriment. ''That is one
of the funniest Jokes of the country -
he said. .'It makes me laugh to think
OF 1T Realizing that he had once
again violated his rule never to talk
| about business affairs TO reporters, Mr.
Rockefeller retreated, waving the news.
paper men away.
Hartman in Washington.
Just before Congress adjourned Mr..
. Hartman came to Washington, accom-
panied by Mrs. Hartman and their
son, Roland. The head of the family
had but little while before gone
through grucling session in New York
city before the Commission. He was
fatigued and needed rest.
am here TO show my son the
sights OF the National capital.' said
Mr.. Hartman. ''As ] believe it is n
liberal education for one to come here
and see how the wheels of government
go round, I thought I'd come here for
my recreation.
Mr.. Hartman got very chummy
with the town before he had been here
t%entyfour hours. He spent great
deal of time on the "avenue, - visited
the capitol, the Washington monument,
the Smithsonian institution and the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing In
the latter institution be was shown
that there are other ways of making
money.
it is safe TO say that Hartman was
one of the most interesting figures
among all the prominent mon and wom-
en- who were present during the closing
hours of the Fifty ninth Congress. The
New York capitalist got into the at
. luoSpueIe ol washington. ana DeIOre
his departure he merely smiled instead
, of displaying a frown when the mega
pone man on the rubberneck wagon or
the grizzled guide cried out in loud
tone: Ladies and gentlemen. the man
with the black moustacbe and goatee is
b. h. Hartman of railroad fame. Look
sharp or he may disappear in thin air.
He sure is a wizard. y
Prohting by Experience.
Some good people in Washington be-
lieve that the Rockefeller group of
iinaneiers, of which Mr.. Hartman. is
one have reached the conclusion. after
bitter experiences. that the policy of
old Commodore Wander that "the
public be damned - is no longer pop
ular in this country, While Messrs.
Hartman and Rockefeller profess TO
see only funny side to the inquiry
made by the Interstate Commerce Com
mission into the conduct and manage
ment of the railway properties over
which they exercise a dominating con
troll, it Is known that they have re-
Gently experienced feeling that some
thing may happen to them if they are
not careful The Government is very
much in earnest in the crusade it has
undertaken 10 regulate corporations
against which the various laws relating
to common carriers and combinations in
restraint nf trade are directed
President Roosevelt followed with
the closest attention the hearing at
New York. where Mr.. Hartman told a
story of stock iobbing and manipula
who are familiar with the "goings on
in Wall street. Very few people real
ize the extent Of the transportation in
terests of Edward II. Hartman, His
rise 10 fame was me:eoric. He was
practically unknown TO the country a
few years ogo. Mr. Hartman got a
grip ON the stock OF the Union Pacific
in 1905. He has increased his holdings
in railroads and ocean transportation
companies until now his lines extend
out to Portland. and from there BY way
of water across the Pacific; one of his
lines runs from Ogden TO San Francisco,
and thence across the Pacific to the
Orient; from San Francisco Hartman
can travel on roads he controls south
ward down To New Orleans. thence 70
New York by water, ne ousted Stuy-
vesant Fish from the Illinois Central. as
is we'll known. and has certain con
troll over that system; he also doml-
mates the Chicago & Alton; he owns or
controls prac cticallv S30,000,000 of stock
in the Baltimore & Ohio; all these hold
ings trace back to Hartman S taking
over Of the Union Pacific and the issu-
ance BY that system Of SlO0,OOO,0O0 III
bonds.
Desires Still More Power.
Hartman hasn t got all he wants,
and he admits it He frankly states
that if it were not for Federal laws he
would seek TO consolidate all the rail
roads in tho United States,
Hartman was in Washington three
or four DAYS before he honored the In
terstate Commerce Commission with a
call. He dropped in late one after
noon, us he put it, ''to pay his re-
- Now. peonle NAV obusa Har.