The sun., 1910-06-05
TO EXPAND RAILROAD SUIT
COrhnssd from Fira, Pogo

attitude ell along that IL had no power
10 enforce the sherman antitrust law;
that IL functions related entirely TO thu
reasOnnhlensss or unreasOnableness Oi
rates.
The commission has for years been
dealing with these agents of the trunk
line associations and has of course known
that the men represented thcse assOcia-
llons IN ding the rites For the sake
OF Appearances. however they have main
tained that they were dealing merely
with an individual. and that the existence
NJ the trunk lines committee and asso-
cations. when Il came Ia the filing of
rates, was unknown 10 them. They
have required agents of these committees
q obtain power of attorney from each
" the ruads. This power Of attorney
was fled by the trunk line agents az
the Ssme time that the schedule 1t rates
was hled. Thus the trunk line agent
would walk into the Interstate Commerce
commission nfiice, slap down powers
81 attorney from twenty-five railroads
but only a single schedule of rates for
IN" twenty-five roads. and all the time
IN the eyes ~ the law he was representing
the twenty-five roads individually end
not AN association. Railroad men IN
washington. however, were ~ the opin-
Ion that this was pretty fine hair splitting
lnasmuch as the Interstate Commerce
commission itself supplied iis own printed
forms ~ powers Of attorney to the trunk
line gents
Members Of the Interstate Commerce
commission say that the only time when
the railroads themselves filed an agree
inent on rates the commission reported
the matter to tho Attorney -(ieneral's =
OiiiCe and the ruads were prosecuted.
That was the Joint Trunk Line agreement
case of 1897, IN which the Government was
sustained by the Supreme Court.
u was learned to-day that senator Gull /
ber-On Of Texas and other Texas members
Ot CunKresSlaid "a formal complaint before
Charles A RonaIartr. Mr. Roosevelt : |
Attorney in the fall OF lDDs !
against the Southwestern Traffic AssOcia- /
ton. senator Culher-On and the other I
members ~ Congress charged that the 7
sherman antitrust law had BEEN violated /
IN the increasing Of rates by this RssOCia- |
ION ~ ROoseyelt's Attorney General |
declined TO proceed against the railroads |
On this ground
TOLtIsu. June T. Assistant United .
States Attorney -tisnsral Kenyon and /
Charles IL Woody. one " the members /
~ the Department Of Justice. arrived IN .
Toledo Yesterday from Detrolt. where /
they gathered statistics and other in
formation regarding the proposed rate |
increase. Mr. Kenyon returned 70 Wash
ington late IN The evening !
Mr. De Woody remained IN Toledo |
and wall probably Ds here Tor a week
He spent the greater part ~ to-day with /
John ). Pratt, Assistant United states
District Attorney. There ~ said TO be-
a possibility that an Injunction -'Iit against
the Central Freight Association will he
fled IN the Federal court here, a. Toledo -
almost IN the centre II the Central fre ght II
Association territory
The twenty y-fouT railroad IN the Central II
Freight Association. operating ia the
ChicaCo and Ohio River territory. ile,i
their PROPOSED new tarid with the Inter
state Commerce Commission on Thurs
iay They acted ia convert. A. lid the
Western Freight Association, against
which tha Attorney General obtained an
Injunction IA Missouri The Central B
Fr-izhl iS-oCiatiOn ruad- lCted through
me agent e. .. Fulton
The iuCreureS proposed ~ the Central
r-isht A--uCiatiOn amount all th" way
from Co IS p-r cent 90 uDmmoditi~-
There ar- a feV CUmWudttIr- thai viii
not be- disturbed
The Central Frrtkht Association covers
a wide territory It. western boundary
j. e." Mississippi River lfs eat gl
BOUNDARY rNt'Id- from Bun falp o. Ptt--
burg aud Wheeling a. puiI,ru boundary
= ghe ONO River. o., northern boundary
extends from Buffalo acTuss the Great
axes 10 Chicago taking IN all ports ou
he east side II lake Michigan aud Mil
xaukee and Racine 4 DOZEN ~ the rpads
n o." association enter Toledo
lnasmuch a. the Trunk line Tram,
association j. governed by the -ams Otiicia
a. the Central Freight
association II j. believed here that any
Iroce-dings the Government may lnstitut
vii include the roads in the Trunk Ian"
association Attorney ~ ND"dv would
lot discuss tnc object uf hi- visit here
,Ihrr than tu Say that b." b. here in the
interests u actions p"nd,ng and con