282 Presidential Addresses 



purpose, its consummation would have resulted in 

 the control of the two great railway systems upon 

 which the people of the Northwestern States were 

 so largely dependent for their supplies and to get 

 their products to market being practically merged 

 into the New Jersey corporation. The proposition 

 that these independent systems of railroads should 

 be merged under a single control alarmed the peo 

 ple of the States concerned, lest they be subjected 

 to what they deemed a monopoly of interstate trans 

 portation and the suppression of competition. The 

 Governors of the States most deeply affected held 

 a meeting to consider how to prevent the merger 

 becoming effective and passed resolutions calling 

 upon the National Government to enforce the anti 

 trust laws against the alleged combination. When 

 these resolutions were referred to the Attorney- 

 General for consideration and advice, he reported 

 that in his opinion the Northern Securities Company 

 and its control of the railroads mentioned was a 

 combination in restraint of trade, and was attempting 

 a monopoly in violation of the national anti-trust 

 law. Thereupon a suit in equity, which is now 

 pending, was begun by the Government to test the 

 validity of this transaction under the Sherman law. 



At nearly the same time the disclosures respecting 

 the secret rebates enjoyed by the great packing 

 house companies, coupled with the very high price 

 of meats, led the Attorney-General to direct an in 

 vestigation into the methods of the so-called beef 



