The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1910-06-06
Meeting is Arranged by Ripley of Santa Fe--.
Taft COncurs in Opinion of Attorney General
Relative to Facts Regarding Injunction
Railroad Men Will Point Out Alleged
Necessity of Certain Amount of
Cooperation.

Washington, June 6. - President
Taft got back to the White House last
night from his four-day trip in the
middlewest, and was Immediately in
formed by his secretary of the arrange
ments which have been made for his
conference with the railroad presidents
today.
The meeting with the president was
arranged at the request Of President
E. P. Ripley of the Santa Fe system,
who merely represented that the rail-
roads involved in the governments dis
solution and injunction suit against
the Western Trunk Line committee
desired to state their side of the case
to the president.
Mr.. Ripley, President F. A. Delano
of the Wabash, President S. NJ. FELTON,
of the Chicago Great Western and
President Marvin Hughitt of the Chi
cago & Northwestern will be present.
President Taft saw Attorney Gen
eral Wickersham this morning and
went over with him the developments
in the railroad situation that have
occurred since he started on the west
ern trip. Mr.. Taft left Washington
just after the government had obtain
ed its hurry up injunction against the
Western Trunk Line committee. The
facts in the case had been laid before
the president, however, by Mr. Wick
ersham, and the president had con-
Cured in the attorney generals de-
cision to begin proceedings under the
Sherman antitrust law.
While Mr.. Taft has been in the west,
increased rates have been filed also
by the Chicago and Ohio river commit
tee, representing twenty-four railroads
in the central west and by all the
eastern trunk lines. Mr.. Wickersham
will explain these developments to the
president, and will give him the re-
suits also of an investigation which his
office has been making as to the cir
cumstances surrounding the filing of
the rates by the Western Trunk Line
committee.
The railroad presidents will have
their innings at the White House in
the afternoon. Attorney General Wick
ersham will be present also at that
conference. Mr.. Taft's friends said
last night that the president will call
upon the railroad men to answer the
evidence which shippers of the west
laid before the department of justice.
Mr. Wickersham has said that this
evidence tended to show that the rail
road presidents formally met and vot-
ed upon increases in rates. and in
structed the Western Trunk Line com
mittees agent to file them with the
interstate commerce commission.
Mr.. Taft's friends say that if the
president is convinced that the facts
are as alleged it is extremely doubt
full if the railroad men will get him to
recede from the position that the adj
ministration has taken
The railroad men on the other hand
will direct Mr.. Taft's attention to the
attitude which the administration has
assumed right along in regard to rate
making through trunk line committees
and associations. They will, it is said
point out that it is absolutely neces
sary for a certain amount of co-opera-
tion between railroads in the matter
of establishing freight rates, and both
the Taft and the Roosevelt admins
trations have publicly acknowledged
this fact The railroad men undoubt
edly will call the presidents attention
to his own utterances on this subject
and to his recent recommendations
that traffic agreements be legalized.
Chicago, June G. The legal corps
of twenty-five western railroads will
meet here today to devise a defense
to the governments injunction sui
against an increase in freight rates
Gardiner Lathrop, general solicitor fol
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe rail
road, called the meeting and will bS
in charge. The railroad lawyers vii
choose special counsel to take charge
Of the defense, while they VIII assist
President E. P. Ripley of the Santa
Fe, President F. A. Delano of tht