The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-06-08
e. H. Hartman Escapes I'm
pending Criminal Prosecution.
Cabinet Meeting Decides That
He Is Immune.
NO SO RAILROADS.
Suit Against Anthracite Trust
to Begin at Once.
Attorney General Will Have
Charge of the Matter.

Washington, JuEe S.-That L. H. Har-
riman, the railroad magnate, is i'm
mune from criminal prosecution as the
result of his testimony before the in
| terstate commerce commission in New
| York recently; that the mission OF
prosecution of bituminous coal carry
ing railroads should be left in the hands
of the attorney general, and that pros
ecution of the anthracite coal roads will
begin in Philadelphia probably next
week, were conclusions reached at no
table conference at the White House
last night
The Hartman case and the cases of
the coal carrying roads were discussed
for three hours by President Roosevelt,
five members of the cabinet, two mem
bers of the interstate commerce COM
mission and special counsel for the gov
eminent.
Following the general conference At
torney General Bonaparte remained
with the PRESIDENT to discuss the So
called harvester trust. 1t is thought
not unlikely that the question will be
left in the attorney generals hands.
The roads involved include the Del
aware, Susquehanna & Schuylkill, the
Phila delphia & Reading, the Lehigh
Valley, the Delaware & Hudson, the
New York, Susquehanna & Western,
the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western,
the Central railroad of New Jersey and
the Erie. The Pennsylvania and one
or two others may become involved as
the suit progresses, but at this time no
formal complaint will be filed against
them.
Those who participated in the confer
ence We're President Roosevelt, Secre-
Attorney General Bonaparte, Commits
sioners Knapp and Lane and Frank B.
Kellogg Of Minnesota, special counsel
for the government.
II, 81
8 o clock. Secretary Loeb was pres
emit The conference adjourned a few
minutes before midnight.
Secretary Taft announced that Mr..
Loeb would issue a statement on the
subject. Special Counsel Kellogg, who
walked from the White House to his
hotel, declined to state what had
tranSpired at the meeting and referred
all his questioners to the statement
which-NIr. Loeb was to promulgate.
Secretary Loeb at midnight issued
the following statement concerning
the abInet meeting:
1.-THE conference was held for the
purpose of affording ample discussion
of the matters which have been. I'M
der investigation by the interstate
commerce commission. The commits
sion has not yet formulated its reports
and the discussion was of a purely
preliminary kind. After a report has
been made the attorney general will
of course carefully consider it.
1.-THE discussion took a very wide
range. Much of the time was given
to the Instrumentation deal. Every
phase of that transaction was thor
oughly gone over and the discussion
was participated in more especially by
the president, Mr.. Kellogg, Attorney
General Bonaparte and Commission
erS Knapp and Lane. The conclusion
was promptly reached that, however
aging the evidence might be
against Mr.. Hartman, the testimony
he had given in the interstate COM
merce commissions investigation had
given him complete immunity from
criminal prosecution.
Commissioner Knapp explained
that he did not complete his investiga-
ton and therefore he was not pre-
pared to give definite opinion as to
the sufficiency of the evidence to war
rant the government in instituting at
this time suit to nullify the Alton deal.
LAS soon as the interstate COM
merce commission has completed it's
hearing a report will be made to the
attorney general who will at that time
take charge of the matters and de-
termine what, if any, action shall be
taken