The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-06-02
TRUST WAR BEHIND
WICKERSHAM COUP
Rate Committees to Be At
tackled with Law.
ST. LOUIS SUIT A TEST
Will Try to Dissolve Body as
Combination.
ST. LOUIS SUIT A TEST
Attorney General Holds western
Trunk Line Committee Is vioIatOr
OF Sherman Antitrust Act and
Many similar Bodies, and Explains
Unusual Action ia Asking for In
junction a Play for Time.

The obtaining Of an injunction at Han
nibal, Mo-, Tuesday to restrain twenty
five railroads from putting into effect in
creases In rates was only incidental 10
the main proceeding. a suit in St. Louis
seeks the dissolution of the Western
Trunk Line committee, the medium
through which the roads have made their
uniform increases, and thus indirectly af-
fects similar committees and associations
throughout the country. The Attorney
General holds that the Western Trunk
Line committee is a combination in vio-
lation of the Sherman antitrust law.
The trial of this suit means the ap-
polntment OF a master. the taking Of an
immense amount Of testimony. as In the
recent Hartman merger suit. and a night
in the courts which viii last for many
months.
Injunction Play for Time.
The obtaining OF the injunction was
merely move on the Attorney Generals
part to prevent the increased rates from
being levied upon shippers pending the
trial of the suit in equity to dissolve the
Western Trunk Line committee.
There is a possibility that the railroads
may be taken 10 task by the Department
Of Justice on another score. Western
shippers are charging that the roads in
making these increases have violated the
general injunction issued by the Circuit
Court and sustained by the Supreme
Court in the trans-Missouri freight case
of several years ago. That Injunction fer
bade the railroads from making any COM
binati0n. and il the government is sue
cessful in its suit 90 dissolve the Western
Trunk Line Committee. an attempt may
be made to punish the railroads for con-
tempt OF this Injunction
AS to the Hannibal injunction. the At
torney General intends to put it up to the
railroads to show why IL should not be
made permanent He has availed himself
OF the expediting act to take the injunc-
ton proceedings automatically from the
District court before three judges OF the
Circuit Court. The Attorney General in
tends TO rest on his oars now until the
railroads step in and try 10 show why the
injunction should be dissolved.
1T was an unusual proceeding" said
iiC gESttLudgs bul L tSutFt We VIII VIII
the case. It seems to me that the ship
pers have excellent ground for complaint.
for il seems obvious that there was a
combination to raise rates"
Plans Carefully Mapped Out.
It was apparent from what the Attor-
ney General had TO say that the Depart
ment of Justice did not jump into the
fight without considerable deliberation.
The Attorney General began to plan last
Friday. after a talk with Representative
Hubbard. of Iowa. From the Interstate
Commerce Commission he obtained affi-
davits showing the circumstances of the
fling of notices. Having accumulated
the necessary information, he ordered
one of his assistant attorneys. Edwin p.
Grosvenor. TO start for st. Louis Sunday
night. Mr.. Grosvenor was in St. Louis
with the petition when the large delega-
tion of Western shippers called on the
Attorney General on Monday afternoon
to ask him to act. Mr.. Wickersham ex-
planned yesterday that he had deemed Il
advisable to keep from the railroads