Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-04
Small investors Complain
of Administrations Course.
PREDICT RUIN AND PANIC
influence on Prosecution Still to Be
Determined.
TAFT MAY GIVE EAR TO THEM
Big Delegation Coming to Washing
ton to Ask President to An
nounce His Policy.

The White House and Department Of
Justice are receiving a large number Of
communications. anonymous and other
wise, evidently from small investors in
railroad stocks and bonds. declaring
the course taken by the administration
to enjoin the railroads from putting
increased freight rates into effect will
prove ruinous to many people and prob
ably have a serious effect on the coun-
try generally.
Just how much attention President
Taft and Attorney General Wicker
sham will pay to these communications
cannot now be stated. The President
will get back to Washington tomorrow
night. and will resume business in the
executive Offices on Monday morning.
Unquestonably the injunction proceed
ingss of the administration are the sub
ject OF universal comment, and Will
naturally receive further consideration.
The President has shown a desire to have
the widest information on all questions.
Communications from all classes Of peo-
pie will not go unconsidered, SO far as he
Is concerned
Employees May Take Action.
The thousands of small investors
through the country, together with rail-
road organizations likely to be affected
by the attitude of the administration,
form a body whose sentiments and views
will not be ignored by the President or
any other man In public life. Intina-
tons arc that railroad employees are be-
ginning to feel alarmed and that they
Will join with the officials Of the rail-
roads in bringing their influence to bear
here to get D. clear announcement from
the administration as to its future course.
The understanding is that the biggest
lights of the railroad world will come to
Washington next week for conference
with the President, pleading the possible
damage that will be done to them and the
general public through the action that has
been taken and seeking to ascertain just
where they are to stand. They Will point
out that the public and the government
heartily approve the increases that have
been made all along the line in the wages
of railroad employees, but that it will prove
disastrous il the roads are not permitted
to Increase their incomes to meet the ad-
ditional obligations and at the same time
increase their facilities for dong business.
The roads are prepared to point to the
messages Of former President Roosevelt
and President Taft advocating approval
of pooling in the railroad rate laws Of
the country. They will indicate that a
inent is necessary among roads exchang-
ing business, SO that the schedules will
be fair to each as we'll as fair to the
shippers.
Western Roads Seek Conference.
The report that representatives of the
twenty-five western railroads against
which suit has been brought by the gov
eminent would come to Washington to
confer with President Taft the first Of
the coming week was the subject of gen.
eral inquiry here today.
1t was not possible to learn whether
President Taft has acquiesced in their
request for q conference The President
Is out of the city. The Attorney General
was non-conlmittal.
AT the Department of Justice it was
said today that the situation in regard
roads with the interstate commerce COM
mission remained the same. No COM
plants had been received from the east
ern shippers.
Two anonymous letters from New York
city, however, protesting against the
bringing suit against the railroads of the
western trunk line Committee, on the
ground that ii disturbed business condi-
lions and injured investors, were received.
anonymous communications.
Other Combinations in Peril.
1t was pointed out at the interstate
commerce commission today that if the
government is sustained in its suit against
the western trunk line committee, it
would he able to attac ksuccessfully a
large number of combinations among rail-
n hot In,
almost every case the roads confer with
one another before they file scheduls rails
ing rates. and that the roads declare 1t Is
impossible for them not to have an under
standing with competing roads in regard
TO rates.
1t is expected that there will be a large
number of protests from shippers in re-
gard to the many increases in rates filed
with the interstate commerce commission
by roads i'm the east and west. But the
commission will not take up these pro-
tests until next fall, probably. 1t will
take recess for the summer about the
middle of this month and will not meet
again until September.