The Washington times., 1909-09-11
Is His Great Railroad Sys-
TEN to Hold Together or
DiSintegrate?
WALL STREET EYEING
THE GOVERNMENT
Federal Suit Against Roads Will
Be Pushed Just as If Moth
ing Had Happened.
By !. c. wELLIvER.

man, Wall Street and Washington are
likely to spend considerable time eye
ing each other before either makes
decided move The future OF the mar
veloGs system which the financial genius
OF Hartman developed and his admin
istrative capacity perfected, is absolute
ly enigmatic. In the present opinion of
RI those Government authorities who are
most intimately concerned with Gov
eminent relations 70 the big properties.
But the general belief in Washington
is that the great financial grooup which
has been conferred in Hartman will
make 40 determinative move at once.
Hartman maintained a great system
OF scattered Investments in various rail |
systems. as Cutposts TO his general !
scheme. IL s looked U7cn as we'll
nigh inevitable that there will be some
shifting Of these interests and proba-
bly,. for the present at least. somewhat
more consolidation Of holdings. on the
other hand. II is expected that the big
inside properties of the Hartman group
viii not be held so closely together as
they have been in the past That any
one man will succeed to the position
Hartman held. as despouc dominator
of the entire series Of corporations. is
not believed likely.
The legal department of the Govern
ment, as well as officials charged with /
enforcement of the interstate commerce /
laws, and wondering whether the ques-
ton Of what was Hartmann will be /
answered, now that he Is done with his 4
work WAS he the great originating /
genius. the real center OF power which /
originated in his brain. or was he mere 4
" the agent of a powerful financial 4
group, the reflection Of the policy OF 4
a number OF persons whose interests |
were closely linked together"
Hartman the Mystery.
That question was asked today bv a /
high official who has had occasion To 1
know good deal about the legal rela-
tons Of the Hartman system: and he |
admitted that he had never been able /
10 decide Did Hartman represent
standard OIL in the railroad world or 1
was ne such a transcendent genius that 1
he could command even the millions of l
standard on, while remaining the real
and actual master OF his SYSTEM No /
body can tell For years EVERYDAY |
from Roosevelt and Moody down IA |
the humblest employee Of the Interstate |
Commeree Commission has been con- |
occurring There was a time. Il is ex-
2 md
Henry H. Rogers were looked upon as
the agents OF Standard OIL in raiIroad
investment. But latterly Mr. Rookie
Keller was much less prominent faCror
In connection with the Hartman opera |
uOhs, WniIe Mr. Rogers in his later
years confined his railroad enternrise
manly 70 the Nirginian road. finished
Just before his death
ri me :. financing Of Hartman through
lne temous episode OF the Northern /
racine corner was always attributed /
largely . the Standard OH Interest. buf /
IN me insurance Investigations there
were developments which Indicated that
hartman planned his own campafgns
ana raised his own cash from a VARIETY |
OF o., sources. That Hartman was him |
SER a financial star Of first r1agnft,Ide /
ana much more than the agent 90 49,, /
kIsst lhtefest-seeking investments. was |
hrn1ly accepted In the last few years |
More Than an Organizer.
Hartman was more than an organizer
ana manager Of railroads. though he /
was one or the first Eeniuses in these /
hhes. he was. besides all this. a fnan-
clsI system peculiar to himself. Those
ia the best position 70 know o. his a. /
fairs believe that his personal fortune /
was very large and absolutely, sac,,ro
but they do not believe Il is now so dfs-
posed that it can nearly continue com
trol OF the properties OF which he was
ms mead Rather. ii is believed that his
later dispositions were with reference. 10
security rather than 10 any effort al
perpetuatiOn Of control.
Expectation IS, therefore thar the ,-.
rious Hartman roads viii IN the near
future have their own lndenerde,.
heads and revert 10 a larger fnde,.r,.4
ence OF policy. but that a conmunif,- 81
interest viii continue 10 bind them 10
getner. II is generally agreed that
nelther hruiischnidt, Stubs, Lorce. nor
any OF the other men who nave beer
mentioned as possible Successors comb
succeed 10 the fun financial and mana
gerial powers Of the maker Of the sys-
IF I could live long enough. I co,Id
90 right on consolidating ain the rail-
rosos OF the country. and i would do
so, frankly declared Hartman on one
occasion 70 Federal tribunal which |
was investigating his system. He was
wonderfully frank when he chose to be.
HAD not his health failed, there Is little
doubt that he would have gone on IN
this path.
In recent wears the war between Har- 4
riman and Hill was less open and vim /
oictive, yet the extension Of the St Paul /
road 70 the north Pacific coast was re-
garoed as the move of the Hartman
powers against the citadel OF HIS l.
power. Hi cOuntered 70 by buying uD
the Colorado and Southern and reaching Z!
out 20 the Gulf, where the Southern
Pachc-Illinois Central combination Of (
I1dEIlIldn was strongest.
Salt Lake Case.
The salt Lake case" against the Har-
riman combination has been pending in L
the Federal courts long time. and will
be pressed by the Government lust as
81 nothing had happened Il is a case
under the antitrust law. and it's status
IS not changed by the passing Of Harri-
man. None the less. that case was
started under Roosevelt, and by his or
ders IL was aimed primarily against
Hartman, between whom and Roosevelt
there was bitterest enmity Therefore,
~ the new management OF the Harri-
man properties shall show disposition
10 make concession 10 public opinion,
and to decentraiize control rather than
centralize Il still further. IL is consid-
cred probable that the results Of the
litigation will ultimately prove rather
Hartman was determined not 20 sur
render under fire. Tho people who I'm
to him will dominate his
can make the concession
without surrendering. They need not
90 on defying the antitrust statute II
fhev nrefqr not 70 do So and the gen I