Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-31
Traffic Men Accompanied by Many
Members of Congress.
ATTORNEY GENERAL INTERESTED
Asks Many Questions and Delves Into
Details.
M'VANN AND OTHERS URGENT
Government Asked 90 Intervene nj
once to Prevent Raise in Rates
and Prosecute the Railroad
Combination.
(From a staff Correspondent

gram )-The elimination OF the action of
the shippers meeting, held in Omaha on
May a. came today when a committee ap-
pointed at that meeting, accompanied by
many senators and representatives from
Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wis
consln and Illinois, had conference with
Attorney General Wickersham, at which
the committee presented TO the head OF the
Department of Justice an urgent appeal
that the machinery of that department be
eet IN motion under the terms of the Sher
man act to dissolve the association Of rail-
roads known as the Western Trunk Line
company aud to enjoin the railroads and
their agents from putting in effect and col
lecting the advances promulgated by the
association through It's agent, w. H. Hos
liner OF Chicago.
The appeal of the shippers was presented
. by Hon. William Duff Haynie OF Chicago,
counsel for the Illinois Manufacturers as
ISOLATION. He represented that the OBJ
noXlous tariffs were to become effective
June 1 and that shippers despaired Of get
ting any action under the interstate COM
merce law, since that action would neces-
sarily involve CON plant, hearing and argu
ment, and consequently long delay. The
advances OF June /, he said, would fol-
low numerous other advances that had
baen made since the Hepburn law took
effect, and the unanimous expression of the
meeting of shippers at Omaha was to the
effect that 1t would be impossible for the
producers, manufacturers and consumers to
bear this additional burden
Urge wicIxershnm to Act.
For this reason and for the reason thai !
both houses of congress had refused to |
exempt railroads from the operation of the |
sherman law, the shippers, finding rail- |
roads deaf to their appeals decided to In |
woke the power conferred on the attorney |
general by the terms of that statute to
prosecute combinations in restraint OF
trade
1t was urged upon the attorney general
that in the famous Transmssour Freight
Z association case the federal courts had per-
~petually enjoinsd all members OF that asso-
citation both from continuing their con-
spiracy and from entering into any similar
conspiracy In future. 1nasmuch as num-
ber Of defendants, enjolned in that proceed
ing, are members OF the trunk line COM
pany, it was strongly represented that, If
that company was shown to be In a con-
spracy those roads were in contempt of
the federal courts.
BY request of the attorney general the
members OF the shippers committee re-
ffYained after the departure of senators
Had representatives to discuss with him in
detail the basis OF the complaint he was
asked to file and evidence that would be
forthcoming in support of the allegations
that would necessarily be embodied in such
, bill. This discussion was continued for
quite two hours.
T.. j. McVann, manager OF the traffic
bureaus of the Omaha Commercial club;
IL. q. Wilson, transportation commissioner
of the Kansas City Commercial club; John
NJ. Glenn, secretary OF the Illinois Manu-
facturers' association; w. j. Evans, secre-
tary OF the National Association Of lmple-
ment and Vehicle Manufacturers; IL. c.
Krake, commissioner OF the St Joseph
kSUsiness Mems league; A. r. Ebl and F. s.
Pool of the John Deere Plow company, and
Charles zlelke. representing Milwaukee in
terests, went over in detail the basis of
organization, methods OF procedure and the
factions OF the Western Trunk line COM
fmittee.
official Deeply Interested.
The attorney general was deeply inter.
ested In the presentations made by the
traffic experts and not content with COW
ering fully the ground on the conspiracy
question, drew them out on the reason
ableness of the proposed advances, the
possible justification OF them and the ]
feeling of shipping public with regard
TO them. The traffic men were unani-
nous and emphatic In the statement that.
based cn all their Investigations and tie
records OF the railroads themselves the 1
advances wcreunmstified and unreason- S
ksble. and that they expressed the feeling II
~ all communities they represented.
when they stated that the advance should p
not be put in effect +
Al the termination of the conference. C
the attorney general expressed himself 7
as being sratified over the information b
furnished him and stated the appeal " n
the shippers would be given most care =
AS eNideneing the grave importance to
Omaha and other committees on Mis-
souri river OF the advances already made.
MT MoNann gave the attorney general
orleI statement OF the packing house
s'uu''oh' showing that in 1909 10000
'ais OF proouee from the packing houses
ON the Missouri river were Skinned IN
ch'Sago ana the east On this business
Tue @u'@nce OF cents per hunder weight
Ieeehty made would have amounted TO .
minimum OF $40 per car. or consider
ts's over Sl'Voo'ooO No definite figures >,
Hete given covering other items brt az y
tdtal represented by them afrect,no, s.
Omaha, Soutn Omaha and Councu p1ugcs II
VIII amount to hundreds Of thousands q
more. 's'''uS
Mr. MeNann, VINO arrived with the co,, Of
several days In connection with inter p
state commerce matters. which reontra al
attention. +
There were present at the conference g
me following senators and representa- II
tlves Nebraska; Brown. Norris ana
hitchcock. Iowa, Kendall. Hubhard ana IN
I'D Minnesota: Clapp, Miller. Ina CO
peN NOlstead, Davis. WisconstD OF
S'aI A., Missouri; Warner Morgan n
'Sc0ntinued on Second Page1