The Washington herald., 1907-10-12
WAITS ON PRESIDENT
Question of Crusade Against
"Bad" Corporations.
MAY EXCEPT BIG RAILROADS
on Hartman Case at De-
pnrtment of Justice-InVestigat
OF Hill Roads Would Serve No Use
fHI PurpOSe-GOvernme Has Tn
der Consideration Great Systems.

Whether the administration intends 10
modify its crusade against the sO-calIed
bad corporations so as TO except hom
the application of the "big-stick" poHcy
the great railroad systems Of the United
States, Is expected to be determined soon
after, President Roosevelts return to
Washington.
Efforts are making in certain quarters
TO secure the issuance by the Interstate
Commerce Commission of an order pro
viding for an inquiry into the operations
Of the Boston and Maine, and New York,
New Haven and Hartford Railroad com
panies on the ground that the recent con-
solidation Of these two roads is in ex-
press violation Of the terms Of the Sher-
man antitrust act. The Attorney Gen
eral has already given some attention TO
this matter
In a conference held at the Department
# Justice yesterday the Hartman case,
which has been hanging FIRE for many
months. was considered. II has been de-
cided by the Interstate Commerce Com
mission that no useful purpose would be
served by an investigation Of the manage
ment Of the Great Northern and Northern
Pacific companies. better known as the
Hil roads, which have also been charged
in an Informal way withsviolauons Of the
antitrust act Whether the Attorney
General viii disregard the conclusions
reached by the commission in this con
necti0n remains 10 be seen.
Several Questions Up.
The government, therefore, has up Cor
consideration one way or another the
question as to whether the Union Pacific
and the Southern Pacific. Hartman lines.
the Boston ard Maine, and the New
York. New Haven and Hartford and the
Great Northern and Northern Pacific
shall be prosecuted under the Sherman
act as combinations in restraint of trade.
There Is good reason to believe that the
administration. in view of the supple
mental railroad legislation programme,
already partly outlined by the Presi-
dent, Will proceed with great delibera-
ton before any action is taken looking
to the filing Of suits in the courts
against the railroads named The Pres
ident has practically placed himself on
record in favor of the repeal OF the Sher-
man antitrust act in as far as It ap-
plies To railroads.
Agreement Violates Law.
In the case Of the Hartman lines.
as brought out in the report of the Inter
state Commerce Commission, most Of the
consultations against which complaint
was made have been cancelled or aban-
doned In recent consideration of the
Hartman case at the Department Of
Justice. attention has been directed sole
ly to the arrangement or agreement un-
der which Union Pacific and Southern
Pacific are operated. an agreement
which, on it's face. most officials assert
is in violation of the law.
There IS reason 20 believe that at
conference held at the Department Of
Justice yesterday between Attorney Cen
eral BOnaparte and Frank B. Kellogg,
special counsel for the government in
both the Standard Oil and Hartman
cases, some consideration was given to
the Union Pacific-SOuthesa Pacific mer-
ger, the only point open to attack on the
Hartman interests through the medium
of the antitrust act.
New York Proceedings.
The proceedings instituted in New
York to compel Mr. Hartman to answer
certain questions put to him by the In
terstate Commerce Commission were
also discussed. Neither the Attorney
General nor Mr.. Kellogg would make
any statement in regard to the interview
except to admit that it pertained to the
Hartman case.
The government hopes 10 obtain an or
der of the court by which Mr.. Hartman
will be compelled to answer the questions
which he refused to answer when he was
before the commission in New York
last spring. and every effort viii be made
to convince the court that it is desirable
that these Queries should be answered
and that the request for information.
which Mr.. Hartman alene can supply.
is entirely reasonable and eonformable
to law. The unanswered questions re-
lated TO the Alton DEAL in which Mr.
Harriman's operations I'm high finance
stood out very prominently at the time
of the commissions hearing in New
York
The railroad situation viii be canvassed
by the President and his advisers upon
Mr. Roosevelt's return. The hope is ex-
pressed here that Mr.. Roosevelt will bag
plenty Of game in Louisiana in order
that his taste for the chase may be nit