Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-06-09
COURT STOPS RAISE
IN FREIGHT RATES
Twenty-Five Western Roads Are Re-
strained from Enforcing the
New Tariff.
PLEA CITES UNLAWFUL COMBINE
Action Is Begun by Attorney Gen
eral Wickersham On Behalf of
Federal Government.

Twenty-Five Western railroads were
temporarily restrained by United
States District Judge David P. Dyer
in Hannibal, No, from enforcing or
making general advance in inter
state freight rates. The injunction
was granted on petition filed by the
United States government on the allie
cations that the advance in rates were
fixed by the defendants by agreement,
without competition and in violation
Of the Sherman antitrust act
The petition was filed in the United
States Circuit Court at st. Louis and
was brought to Hannibal to present to
Judge Dyer. 1t states that unless such
a restraining order be issued the ad-
Vances will become effective at once,
to the grave harm and injury of the
people of the United States.
The petition was presented by Ed
win P. Grosvenor of Washington, spe-
cial assistant to the Attorney General,
and Frederick n. Judson of ST. Louis,
acting as special counsel. 1t was sign
ed by George w. Wickersham, Attor-
ney General; William S. Kenyon, AS
slstant Attorney General, and Charles
A. Houts, United States District At
torney
The roads restrained from increas-
ing their freight rates are:
Missouri Pacific Railway.
Chicago and Northwestern Railway.
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Rail-
road.
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific
Railway.
Wabash Railroad.
Chicago, Milwaukee and st. Paul
Railway.
Illinois Central Railroad.
Chicago and Alton Railroad.
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Rail-
road
Chicago Great Western Railway.
Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway
st. Louis and San Francisco Rail
road
San Francisco Railroad.
Quincy, Omaha and Kansas City
Railroad
st. Paul and Des Moines Railroad.
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad.
Iowa Central Railroad.
Fort Dodge, Des Moines and South
ern Railroad.
Chicago, St. Paul. Minneapolis and
Omaha Railroad.
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railroad.
Chicago, Peoria and ST. Louis Rail-
road Company of Illinois.
Chicago, Milwaukee and Gary Rail-
way.
Minneapolis St. Paul and Sault Ste.
Marie Railroad.
Kansas City Southern Railroad
Chicago, Indiana and Southern Rail
road.
Western Trunk Line committee.
Brought to a sudden climax in the
West by the successful invocation of
the Sherman antitrust law to enjoin
the lines west of Chicago from putting
their proposed rate increases in effect,
the freight rate controversy was given
an unexpected turn later. While the
Western roads, thrown into consterna-
ton by the application of law from
which they had considered themselves
immune, were preparing to restore
their old rates and to defend them
selves against charges of illegal COM
bination, the Eastern roads were filing
tariffs at Washington with the Inter
state Commerce Commission. These
tariffs advanced commodity rates
throughout the territory north of the
Ohio River and east of the Mississippi.
This move will actively extend the
fight at once to every section between
the Missouri River and the Atlantic
seaboard and is expected to make the
Eastern trunk lines defendants in a
similar proceeding.