The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-01-27
BONAPARTE IS READY.
Announces Beginning of Suit Against
Hartman and His Partners.

Washington, jan 27.-Attorney Gen
eral Bonaparte announces the govern.
ment's suit to compel the dissolution OF
the Hartman railroad merger. The men
named as defendants are f. ii. Aarr1-
man, Henry c. Frick, Jacob H Sch1ll'
Otto H. Kahn, James Stillman, henry
II. Rogers and William A. Clarke. The
railroads named are the Union ana
Southern Pacific, the Oregon Snort Line,
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, and
the Los Angeles, San Pedro q Salt Lake
The Farmers Loan & Trust company
of New York, which is the depository
of the stock of the latter railroad, ana
the Northern Pacific, Great Northern
and Burlington are also involved in the
action as being more or less under the
control of the Hartman system.
Control of the great transportation
business of the entire west is involved
in the case, and the governments IN
tention is to wrest that control from
those who now exercise 1t and establish
independent competing lines to be OPP
Grated in accordance with law.
From the statement of the attorney
general it is seen that the Whole net
work Of railroads in the west IS virtual.
ly one system. In management, the
nooliug of rates, the distribution OF ter
ritory and of business and In every
thing else that tends to destroy com
netftion and leave the public at the
mercy Of conscienceless corporations
The Union and Southern Pacific roads,
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, the
Los Angeles, San Pedro & Salt Lake,
and the Oregon Short Line, al great
TRANSFORMATION concerns in themselves,
are absolutely under the control OF the
Hartman management.
with the Great Northern, the North
ern Pacific and the Burlington com.
munity of interest has been estapnsneo
through
PURCHASE of stock in the former by the
latter and representation of the latter
in the management of the FORMER.
So II is shown that all the lines OF
the west upon which the natlon oepenu ?
fo,, transcontinental Transportation ana
The western states depend for local
RECOMMENDATION facilities are as com
n1eteIv banded together for the pro
motion of their own interests against
the interests of the public as IL tney
were all under one ownership.
This GIANT combination in restraint
Of trade was formed for no other pur-
nose than to place in the hanos OF
few men entire control OF all western
transportation lines ana was accom-
nlished as the result of conspiracy
entered into by Hartman, Frick, Rog-
ers and others named by the attorney
General These same defendants picked
out by the attorney general as the cor
spirators who must pc Iorceu 10 ldhe
their greedy grasp from the transpor-
tation business of nearly one-haf the
Country are seen to be not great CAPT.
talists banded together for great en-
terprise, but representatives of the
Standard Oil company. Their holdings
and their power are Standard Oil and
the purposes for which they have Ia
bored in defiance of law and public well
fare are Standard Oil purposes, made
all the more dangerous because the
policy followed is the blighting policy
that has been pursued in every other
department Of the Standard OIL trust
The action decided upon is a civil ac-
ton, but it is not impossible that as
the proceedings progress basis for ac-
ton against the conspirators as crimi-
mails may be found.