The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-06-01
WILL PREVENT
RATE INCREASE
Acknowledgement Had Al
ready Taken Secret Action
to Block Railways
HAD SENT ASSISTANT
TO INSTITUTE SUIT
Believed that Foods Did Not Have
Public Interests at Heart
Thinks They Will Meet
Defeat.
ST. LOUIS. MO-. June IL
There was no adva Ia freight
rates to-day by the Twenty-Five
rniiroaus OF the Central West.


rniiroaus OF the Central West.
---- WASHINGTON, II. e., June L.
Attorney g eencrWali mfw mi mfww
Attorney General WiekershaIa to-day
Is sangulne of success in his suit TO
enJoin twenty five Western railroads
from putting into effect the rate In
ereases which they had announced to
-becoIae effective to-auy, put wnicn
were blocked by the 4 cderal action
at stann!oai, Mo.
WIekersnam Issued a statement. in
when ne saId tnat ne was convinced
last friaay That the proposed in
tIeascS were ''suDNsrstvc OF tine inter-
estA OF tine puoiic. lie saiu that ne
began work oa the SUIT triuay, out
inst ne considered the utmost secrecy
necessary 10 the success OF the unutr-
taxing. lie sent Assistant Attorney
General Grosvenor West at mldnIsnt
SUNDAY night
FROM ti4c statement OF the A,torney
General 1T appears that ne mad al
reaay started inc machinery OF tne
department when he nearu the argu-
menis OF the Omaha snippers com
mlttee MONDAY afternoon. At Jnat
tune ne saId.
~ seems To me that YOU gentlemen
have waived until tsae-IAst minute to
demand that / take action. on can
not expect me to oring suit ia Chi
Cago er some other Guy in the West,
upon suen snort notice, can you 2"
IL Was observed at the time that
Wickersnam was Ia peculiarly amus
cd frame OF mind. he smiIeo ana
talked ABOUT the difficult task which
the shippers were imposing upon MIN,
witn the result that lney we're some
what az s.a and left the department
in grave DOUBT as to whether taoy
had not arrived on the scene too late.
Received Telegram.
THE first Intimation that i recety-
I'D upon the subject" said Wicker
sham to-day, was single telegram
last THURSDAY evening Just as / was
leaving the department. paid but
little attention to II. because II WAS
unsupported But Fritfay received II
number of kilograms. and Congress
man r. III. Hubbard, OF Sioux City,
la. called upon me and gave mo my
first comprehensive View of the sit
uatien.
Il at once perceived tina; the pro-
posed action of the railroads was sub
versive OF the interests Of the pub
lie and l immediately took steps to
bring an injunction suit.
II engaged MIR. Judson, of St Louis,
as special counsel by wire. He Is well
qualified as an expert in interstate
commerce law and has written books
upon the subject j spent Friday eve
ming and Saturday and a part of sun
day In preparing bill OF particulars
asking for the injunction and in pro-
curing from the Interstate Commerce
Commission affidavits to show that tho
proposed tariffs had been filed, and
that each OF the railroads had desig-
mated MIR. Hosmer as their agent to
file them with the commission.
With these documents in hand ]
found that the government had a good
foundation upon which to base Its suit.
Therefore I dispatched Assistant AZ
tcrney General Grosvenor on the mid
night train Sunday to St Louis with
instructions to bring the suit imme-
dtateiy.
When l received the delegate from
the Omaha convention Monday l could
not tell them es the action which
had already taken. nor could indi-
cate at what point | expected 10 in
stitute the suit. | was afraid that
representatives of one OF the rail
roads involved would approach the
Judge and argue with him TO the e.
fect that this was novel proceed
ing, and that a hearing should be
held before tho Injunction Was grant
cd.
Secrecy was absolutely essential. In
my opinion. for the success of my
campaign. That the news leaked out
n early as II did yesterday was due
10 the fact that Mr.. Grosyenor and
Mr.. Judson filed the suit In st. Louis
about noon, and then withdrew 1t on
andtng that the judge was In Hanni-
bal holding court
vutn fA
eminent to expedite as quickly as pos
sibie the hearing before Judge Dyer
to make permanent the Injunction
granted by him yesterday to prevent
the increased rates of the twenty-five
railroads involved from going into
effect.
II Is expected that a hearing win
be held before the end OF this week.
Instructions TO hasten the matter were
sent nv Attorney General WickershaIn
to-day to the special counsel. Gros-
renor and Judson. The attorney
general said to-day that no had
chosen n court in the eighth judicial
circuit in which to bring the suit
because In that circuit the Sherman
ANTITRUST law has received Its fullest
Interpretation In the Standard OIL
and other cases :.
Va Toilette had the support OF all
the democrats in his unsuccessful
ffght. IN addition, tho following re-
publicans voted for the~amendment:
Bristcw, Ciapp. Crawford, Dixon.
Doiiiver, Gamble. La Toilette. Borah.
brown and james.
Seven Senators were absent and not
paired on the La Toilette amendment
--8urkett. Beverfdge and Bourne, re-
pubHcans, and Hughes, McEnery
Hankhead and Smith, OF Maryland.
democrats All or these favored the
amendment and their votes would
have secured Its adoption Follow
4nx tia vote ON La Follette,s amend
nont. Senator Simmons democrat,
North CaroIinaI offered another de-
4 n1nued 10 accomplish physical valu-
1CcoSinsS1 = SixfA Pa9s.l