The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-06-12
Is Attacked in Court by
the Government.
THE DISSOLUTION
OF the Combine Between Railroads
and the Companies that Mine
Anthracite Is Sought.

Washington, June 12.-The follow.
Ing statement was made public at the
department of justice Tuesday:
"A petition to be filed tomorrow by
the government in the United States
circuit court at Philadelphia is aimed
at the anthracite coal monopoly. The
Reading Co, a holding corporation,
the Philadelphia & Reading Railway
Co. the Behigh Valley RGilroad Co,
the Delaware, Lackawanna G. Western
Railroad Co., the Central Railroad of
New Jersey. the Erie Railroad Co.
and the New York, Susquehanna &
western Railroad Co., composing all
the roads that tap the anthracite re-
gions save the Pennsylvania. the New
YORK. Ontario & Western and the
Delaware e. Hudson (which last does
not extend to tidewater) are made de.
PENDANTS, together with the subsidiary
coal mining companies
AS yet no evidence of sufficient
force to connect the three last named
railroads with the alleged unlawful
combination has been found Should
such evidence be forthcoming in the
progress OF the trial they will be
In brief the petition rectes that
the defendant railroads control all the
means of transportation between the
anthracite mines and tidewater except
the lines of the Pennsylvania railroad
and the New York, Ontario G. Western
railway, WHICH reach only a limited
number of collierles; that they trans.
port annually about rs per cent. of the
total anthracite tonnage: that in their
own name or through coal companies
whose capital stock they own they
control about 80 per cent. of all the
anthracite deposits and produce about
20 per cent of the annual supply:
that independent operators, although
owning probably little more than ;
per cent. OF the anthracite deposits.
yet produce about 20 per cent. OF the
annual supply, which would be sold I'm
competition with the output of the de.
PENDANTS were 1t not for the restraints
imposed by the latter.
The petition then charges that the
defendants have conspired to silence
competition among themselves in the
transportation and sale Of coal and to
prevent the sale OF the independent
thereby establishing a monopoly.
The petition prays that the defend.
ants be enioined from further carry.
ing out their combination and that the
contracts be cancelled and that the
mergers between the Erie Railroad Co.
and the New York, SusQuehanna &
Western Railroad Co. and their coal
companies and tine Central Railroad
Co. of New Jersey and their coal com.
panies be dissolved"
Developments since the conference
at the White House last Friday even.
ing in which the president, Attorney
General Bonaparte, Secretaries Root,
TAFT, Cortelyou and Garfield and Inter-
state Commissioners Knapp and Lane
and United States Attorney Kellogg.
OF st. Paul, participated, make it
probable that the government will be.
gin proceedings under the antitrust
act against e. II. Hartman and his as.
sociates for violations of the law in
connection with the so-called Chicago
& Alton railroad DEAL the Union and
Southern Pacific transactions, and
perhaps in connection with the South.
ern Pacific and the San Pedro traffic
agreement.
The contemplated prosecution of the
bituminous coal carrying roads. how.
ever, will likely await the result of the
action by the courts in the cases to be
brought against the Hartman roads.
u is explained that there are some i'm.
portant questions that are common to
both cases, and therefore the suits
against the bltuminous coal roads will
not be brought until the courts have
rendered judgment in the Hartman
cases.