New-York tribune., 1909-09-10
NEW-YoRk DAILY TRIBUNE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER TO- 1909


In February of this year he bought half of the
Mutual Life's holdings of Guaranty Trust
stock.
HIS OFFICIAL POSITIONS.
MI Hartman president of the Oregon
Railroad & Navigation Company, the Portland
and Asiatc Steamship Company. president and
chairman OF the executive committee OF the
Union Pacific Railroad Company. chairman of
the executive committee of the Wells Fargo
company, member of the board OF managers OF
the Delaware & Hudson Company. president OF
the Oregon Short Line Railroad Company. the
Southern Pacific Company, the Texas & New
Orleans Railroad Company, the Southern Pacific
Coast Railway, the Oregon & California Railroad
Company, the Central Pacific Railway Company,
the Louisiana Western Railroad Company. the
Morgan Louisiana & Texas Railroad and Steam
ship Company, the Pacific Mail Steamship Com
pany, the Railroad Securities Company and the
Southern Pacific Terminal Company.
He was also director of the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad Company, the Brooklyn Heights Rail
road Company the Chicago & Alton Railroad
Company. the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company.
the Erie Railroad Company, the Illinois Central
Railroad Company. the Iwaco Railway & Navi-
cation Company. the Leavenworth Kansas &
Western Railroad Company, the Nassau Electric
Railway Company. the New York, Susquehanna
& Western Railroad Company, the Orange County
Road Construction Company. the Pacific Coast
Company, the Pere Marquette Railroad Com
pany the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake
Railroad Company, the Union Pacific Land
Company, the Wells Fargo Nevada National
Bank, the Western Union Telegraph Company.
the Guaranty Trust Company OF New York. the
International Banking Corporation. the Mercan-
tile Trust Company, the National City Bank and
the Night and Day Bank.
Mr.. Hartman was frequently in the courts
after achieving prominence in the railroad world
He lost in his attempts to invoke the law against
Mr. HilTs redistribution of Northern Securities
stock, but he was moro fortunate in the case of
his former friend Stuyvesant Fish, who obtained
an injunction forbidding the voting by the Har-
riman interests of nearly three hundred thou
sand shares of Illinois Central stock at the meet
ing al which Mr.. Fish ousted. The injunction
was finally vacated by the courts.
THE INSURANCE PROBE.
He figured In the insurance investigation.
James HAGEN Hyde testified at that time that on
Mr.. Harriman's advice the Mercantile Trust paid
his friend r. Is. Odell, jr. $4,000 to settle the
suit brought by the Ex-Governor for recovery OF
his losses in the United States Shpbuilding
Company. Mr.. Hyde also said that Mr.. Hartman
advised him that If the settlement was not
made the Legislature might pass bill repeal
ing the charter of the Mercantile Trust Com
pany. Mr. odelI being then Governor. Thomas
7. Ryan. Mr.. Harriman's oldtime enemy. also
testified that the railroad man had demanded
that Ryan give him one-half OF the Hyde stock.
and intimated that he (Iariman) would use
political influence IN connection with possible
legislation. Asked II his relations with Mr.. Odell
gave him that influence he replied. Il should
think that Mr.. Odell had political influence be-
cause of his relations with me" He said his e.
forts to make Mr., Ryan divide the Equitable
stock was due 10 his suspicion OF the purity of
D NJ &c IIe a
Hyde's testimony regarding the Mercantile
Trusts payment TO Mr.. Odel, and denied that
he had eger advised Mr.. Hyde 10 settle or
threatened any legislative action. He admitted
that he had spoken TO Mr.. Roosevelt about ap
pointing Mr.. Hyde Ambassador to France, but
insisted that he had not recommended the aD-
pontment.
Speaking OF Mr.. Ryans motives in acquiring
control OF the Equitable Mr. Hartman said
the stand: 'T told him that II 1 was not satisfied
that his motive was pure I would oppose him in
every way"
And what did YOU intend to do" asked Mr..
Hughes after a little while.
The witness replied:
Well. have been against some people--I do
not know what ] have intended 10 do. I would
say that any effort I could make I would devote
to the destruction Of an unworthy object" Mr..
Hughes asked II he had taken any steps in this
direction.
Not yet was the reply, with an emphasis
that has brought the words into a permanent
place in financial tradition and even has led 10
their adoption in the colloquialisus OF the time.
In 1907 the Interstate Commerce Commission
got at the Hartman railroad combination.
and the railroad man went on the stand and
testified extensively regarding his deals. Up TO
.his time Mr.. Hartman had uniformly held TO
a policy of retioence- About this time he began
to all. pisn
pressed the utmost Willingness 10 testify before
tho commission. Nevertheless, he proved the
most difficult Of witnesses. interruptng and cor
recting his examiners frequently that MIR.
Kellogg, counsel for tho government, al last
threw up his hands in despair and said: Well.
Mr. Hartman, you will apparently have your
way about II. anyway" Certain questions re-
garding their private transactions he ard otto
r. Kahn refused To answer. and the Supreme
Court upheld them in this position The In
terstate Commerce Commission reported as a
result of the hearing that the Joining OF the
Southern Pacific and the Union Pacific had
suited I'm stamping out transcontnental and
transpachc competition; recommended that
railroad corporations business should be
fined TO transportation and that 1t should not in
vest generally In the securities of other carriers
AS result of this investigation tho government
decided that Mr. Hartman was immune from
criminal prosecution. but proceedings be-
gun TO break up the Hartman railroad mergers,
and the is still In the courts.
THE ROOSEVELT CONTROVERSY.
In 1907 there arose the famous controversy
between President Roosevelt and Nr. HART
man. private letter of the latter to Sid
ney Webster his personal counsel and friend,
was made public In which Mr. Hartman
said that President Roosevelt had asked him
for contributions for the national campaign in