Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1910-06-03
ROADS ENJ0INED
BY G0VERNM ENT
TWENTY FIVE WESTERN RAIL
WAYS RESTRAINED FROM RAILS
ING FREIGHT RATES.
PAPERS FILED IN HANNIBAL, MO
Unlawful Combination and Conspiracy in
Violation Of Sherman Law Is
Charged.
FOURTEEN STATES ARE INVOLVED.

HANNIBAL, Mo-, June l. - Twenty
FIVE western railroads were temporarily
restrained Tuesday night by United
States District Judge David P. Dyer
from enforcing or making a general adj
vance in interstate freight rates. The
injunction was granted on q petition filed
by the government on the allegations
that the advances in rates were arrived
at by the defendants by agreement with
each other and without competition and
in violation Of the Sherman antitrust
act.
The petition was filed in the United
States circuit court at st. Louis Tuesday
afternoon and was brought here by Ed
WIN /. GroSyenOr of Washington, special
assistant TO the attorney general, and
Frederick y. JudsOn of st. Louis, act
ing as SPECIAL counsel, TO present TO
Judge Dyer, who is holding a session of
the United States circuit court here. 1t
states that unless such a restraining or
der be issued the said advances would
become effective at midnight, to the
grave harm and injury Of the people of
the United States.
List of Roads Named
The petition upon which the injunc-
ton was issued was signed by George
w. Nickersham, attorney general; Will
liam 5. Kenyon, assistant to the attorney
general, and Charles A. Houts, United
States district attorney.
The roads restrained from increasing
their freight rates are:
The Missouri Pacific Railway company.
Chicago & North Western Railway COM
pany.
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
company.
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway
company.
Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul Railway
company.
Illinois Central Railroad company
Chicago 81 Alton Railroad company
AtchisOn, Topeka Il Santa Fe Railroad
company.
Chicago Great estern Railway company.
Missouri Kansas Texas Railway com
ST. Louis & San Francisco Railroad com
pany
Quincy, Omaha & Kansas City Railroad
company.
St. Paul and Des Moines Railroad COM
pany.
Minneapolis & ST. Louis Railroad com
pany.
Iowa Central Railroad company
Fort Dodge, Des Molnes and Southern
Railroad company.
Chicago St Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha
Elgin, Joliet 4 Eastern Railroad com
pany
Chicago Peoria & st. Louis Railroad
company.
Chicago, Milwaukee & Gary Railway COM
pany.
Minneapolis St Paul tS Sault Ste Marie
Railroad company.
Kansas City Southern Railroad company
Chicago Indiana Southern Railroad
company.
The Western Trunk Line committee.
The restraining order declared that it
was issued upon the statement of the
counsel for the government that they
would Immediately upon the filing of the
Injunction by the direction of the attor-
ney general file an eXpedting certificate
under the act of February II, 1908, pro-
yiding for a speedy determination Of the
issues IN contention.
Title of the Suit.
The title of the suit is ''The United
States Of America, complainant, VS.. the
twenty-five defendants, restrained in in
junction" 1t alleges unlawful combi-
nation and conspiracy
Free of legal verbiage, the petition is
to this effect: That the defendants at
all times and are now common carriers
of all classes and kinds of freight and
commodities generally carried by a rail
road company. That they are continu-
ously engaged in carrying, moving and
transporting freight and commodities in
w
continuously carried on among and be-
tween the several states of the United
States and the United States and for
eign countries, also between the peo-
pie residing in the United States.
The defendants are the owners and in
control of the respective lines of rail
roads, equipped for carrying or the bust
ness of a common carrier. That they
are separate, independent and distinct
of the lines of railrOa doperated by the
other defendants.
Generally speaking, the lines are the
freight and passenger traffic for the
states of Missouri Iowa, Minnesota,
Kansas, Nebraska. South Dakota, North
Dakota, Wyoming and parts of Montana
and Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, In
diana and Tennessee.
They furnish the only means of COM
munication by railroad between the in
habitants Of these states.
Conspiracy Is Alleged
Referring to the unlawful combina-
tons and conspiracy alleged, the peti-
ton says:
The area of the United States within
which said lines of railroads operate and
which is affected by the unlawful combina-
ton and conspiracy hereinafter set forth is
more particularly described in the articles
of association of the western trunk line
committee, dated December 6, 1906, an
nexed exhibit II.
The construction and maintenance of the
lines of railroad has been encouraged and
assisted by the United States of America
and by the states and territories and by
the people of said several states and terri
tories, by franchises and by grants and do
nations Of large amounts of land of great
value and of money and securities for the
purpose OF securing to the public and to
the people engaged in trade and commerce
throughout the United States and the re-
gion and country aforesaid competitive
lines of transportation and communica ton
But for the unlawful combination con-
spfracy, agreements and understandings be-
tween the defendant railroads, the defend
ants would have continued In the said in
terstate transportation trade and commerce
IN competition with each other, as to the