The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-06-06

STRUGGLE
Continued from Page one).

Continued from Page One).
reach It's conclusions and promulgat'
them in a dignifed manner, just a
= eourt would do For the Interstate
Commerce Commission now regards 1t
self as a court and hands down 1T
decisions in much the same fashion
that a court does.
| The report against Hartman, as
drawn by Attorneys Severance and
kellogg is a drastic document.
| puts the great magnate forward IL
anything but desirable light, shows
that he and those Ieagued with him
control the railroads in about one
| third of the area of the United States,
| chiefly in the West, where, according
TO the attorneys, it is impossible to
build or operate an Independent line
f, Of road, Language could hardly be
! more condemnatory, notwithstanding
reports in some newspapers that Inter
state Commerce Commissioner Lane,
the President g right hand man, is now
going over it carefully for the pur-
pose of putting some teeth into 1t.
1t shows that Hartman and his lieut.
enants control the Union and South
ern Pacific, the Chicago and Alton, the
Illinois Central, the Rock Island, the
Santa Fe. the San Pedro and Los An
geles, and certain lines along the
north coast of California.
Their methods in acquiring this con
troll are scored. Ex-senator Clark, the
copper king, who started to build the
great line from Salt Lake City to Los
Angeles was held up as though he had
been in the hands of highwaymen. Har-
riman is crediting with threats to
parallel every mile of his road Finally
a traffic agreement with the Clark line
was secured, but the Union Pacific first
purchased half of the stock in the
Clark line and now, according to the
report. owns all the stock.
HARTMAN AND SANTA FE.
Hartman started in with forceful
methods to secure control of the Santa
Fe, which also runs through far south
western territory. He and those oper-
ating with him secured by purchase a
sufficient share of the Santa Fe stock
to force the election of two Union
Pacific directors on the Santa Fe board.
Then the Southern Pacific and the San
ia Fe began to develop the Northwest
ern Pacific a new line to be built in
part and to consist In part of lines
already built The two interests were
to alternate in the control of this prop
erty The high handed manipulation Of
the Alton property, by which the
capitalization was increased $65000 per
mile "without one dollar of considera
tion,'' is detailed The Union Pacific
and the Rock Island operated together
in putting through that grand robbery
scheme.
The frenzied manipulation by which
Hartman secured absolute control of
the Illinois Central is likewise told
in this report.
THE RECOMMENDATION
An important feature of this highly
interesting document is its recommen-
dations for litigation and also for leg
islation. These are claimed by some
critics to entrench upon the Presidents
prerogatives and upon the prerogatives
of the Department of Justice. AS for
litigation the report recommends that
a suit be instituted to compel the Union
Pacific to dispose of the majority of the
Southern Pacific stock, that a contract
by which the Union Pacific and the
Rock Island are guaranteed control in
alternate years of the Chicago and AL
ton be dissolved, this control suppress
ing competition with the Illinois Cen
trail, and that several other suits Of
like character be begun. 1t is claimed
that the part of the Interstate Com
merce Commission was only to compile
the evidence and turn it over to the
Department of Justice where the At
torney General would decide what
should be done. On the other hand
there is warrant for the Interstate
Commerce Commission making such
recommendations, although it is not
customary for such recommendations
to be made public before the Attorney
General has received them. 1t is worth
while remembering that Attorney Gen
eral Kellogg was recently in consulta-
ton much with President Roosevelt at
the White House and that the Presi-
den knew something or what he and
Mr.. Severance were going to write.
The attorneys recommend in this
famous pamphlet also that legislation
be enacted to prevent the ownership
by railroad of stock in another road
This is nothing out of the ordinary,
although it is claimed that these rec
concentrations could better have been
made by the President and have been
made public by him first.
The President alone can say when
the Department of Justice shall pro-
ceed with civil suits to undo the man
Hartman, who has promoted such in
furious schemes upon the public and
put all the transportation lines of one