Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-07-23
CIVIL SUIT To FORCE
SEPARATION FILED


dence to make out a prima facie case
against many New Haven officers and
directors and If this view is correct
indictments may be returned within
few weeks.
Such action will mark the begin
ring of what may prove to be the most
Important proceeding ever undertaken
under the Sherman antitrust act in the
twenty-four years it has been on the
statute books. To the civil suit the
New Haven may not offer any great
defense but government officials would
be greatly surprised If the attempt to
convict directors and officers does not
lead to q great legal battle, which
probably will not end this side of the
United States Supreme Court.
The brief, written by Mr.. Gregory.
charge the New Haven with being an
unlawful monopoly, which controls
more than ninety per cent. of railroads
and trolley traffic of all New England
and more than eighty-tve per cent.
of the steamship transportation of
that region. The court is asked to re-
store competition by ordering the Sc
paration of the New Haven from the
Boston & Maine Railroad from its
sound and outside steamship lines and
from its trolley system in Rhode Is
land and Connecticut.
Began I'm 1898
The brief suggests that If the court
deems best, it appoint 2 receiver to
take over the property and bring it in
harmony with the law, and asks for
the customary general relief if the
court finds it necessary. The gov
ernment alleges that the New Haven
began it's march toward monopoliza-
ton of New England transportation in
1898 and that its domination over five
States is now almost uncontested. The
brief carries with in an exhibit pur-
porting to be a copy of an agreement
between representatives of New Haven
and Boston & Maine road made March
6, 1898, by which those two roads
divided New England between them
selves. This agreement purports to
have been made at the home of the
late j. p. Morgan in New York At
that time the two roads concerned
were entirely separate.
Under the agreement the New Ha-
ven was to aid the Boston & Maine to
acquire transportation lines north of a
certain line, the Boston & Maine to
South of that line. The bill does not
show any termination of this agree
ment but years afterwards the New
Haven, after 1t had secured the lines,
sought and after the Boston & Maine
had taken up most of those north in
turn took over the Boston and Maine
and became the almost undisputed
master of the field from the coast line
of Connecticut to the st. Lawrence
river and the Canadian border.
The New Haven, the bill declares,
resorted to many elusive and round
about methods to cover its tracks in
perfecting its combinations; it acquir-
ed properties, got stock control, inn
poverfshed competitors and bought
them in. and resorted to many illegal
practices to attain it's end.
New England makes, the bill says,
about SO, 900, 100000 worth of products
annually and there is consequently a
heavy movement to and from that
section of raw materials and finished
products so what a transportation
monolopy there is of vast interest to
every section of the United States
Maps accompanying the bill show the
difference between transportation con-
dition of 1893 and 1918.