The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-07-16

Washington, July ia report was
made public today by the interstate
commerce commission of its inquiry
| into the railroad operations Of Edward
| H. Hartman and of the operations
| Of the so-called Hartman lines OF
| railway which has been in progress for
several months.
The report, which was written by
Commissioner Franklin K. Lane, is
! the unanimous expression OF the COM
mission on tho subject. Copies of the
report have BEEN transmitted to Pres
ident Roosevelt
1t is expected by the commission
that it will be determined by the pres
| ident and Attorney General Bonaparte
| from the statements Of facts set out
in the report whether the government
will institute any sort Of proceedings
against Mr.. Hartman or the corpora
tions involved in the inquiry. No
recommendations are made by the com
mission that either criminal or civil
prosecutions be instituted.
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
operating and maintaining control OF
the various lines Of railway in the Har-
riman system and presents fairly
complete history of the operations of
| the various lines.
| Excerps from the verbatim testimony
| of Mr.. Hartman are given to show
as stated in the report:
"That it is only the law which pre-
vents the concentration into Mr.. Har-
rimans hands of every railroad lying
between Canada and Mexico is the
frank admission of Mr.. Hartman him
self made at the hearing.
Together under one head all ex-
listing transcontinentaI lines or SIS
many as possible, and to exclude the
incoming of all competitors, became
manifestly the Hartman policy which
was inaugurated in 1901 by the issu-
CuCo OI 91UU,UOU,OOO VI NoAA NSi CACAS
bonds by the Union Pacific"
Mr.. Harriman's eventual control OF
many of the competing transcontl-
mental lines was prevented, it is point
ed out, by the supreme courts decis-
ion in Northern Securities case. 1t
is shown by the report it has been
no part of the Hartman policy to per-
nit the properties brought under Un-
| ion Pacific control to decline, as in
every case they are better today than
thew were when Mr.. Hartman &C
Quired them. \
Particular stress is laid by the COM
mission on the elimination of compe-
tition in the transcOntinental business
among the Hartman lines and the
commission indicatestes that that is
the matter of large significance deyel-
oped in it's inquiry.
Special reference is made to the deal
by which Mr.. Hartman secured con-
troll of the San. Pred0 road and to the
manipulation of the Chicago and AL
ton. a very careful synopsis of the
financial operations in both instances
being given.
HARRIMAN'S STATEMENT
New York, July 13 Mr.. Hartman,
speaking by telephone from Arden to-
night, said.
From what / am told the report is
a political document and part Of a
personal pursuit of me. The tone Of the
report and the method of its promulga-
ton show that. Imagine a court or
judicial body sending copies OF its
decisions around secretly to newspa-
per publishers days in advance under
pledge to publish it simultaneously
Sunday morning.
"That is what the commission did.
Their opinion was put in type several
days ago and sent to newspapers
throughout the country with the fol-
lowing printed in bold type at the
head: