THE PRE SIDENT O F THE UNITED STATE S ’ ’ Th e Petitioner is The Receivers and Shippers Associa i tw o d tion of Cincinnati , Ohio, w th a membership of over hundre 2 40 fi s and forty ( ) individuals, rms and corporations, doing busines t an d its in the City of Cincinna i vicinity, and including also in membership the following business organizations of Cincinnati The Chamber of Commerce . ’ The Business Men s Club . ’ The Manufacturers Club . A ’ en The Lumberm s Club . D ’ ’ The Pork Packers Slaughterers Association . The Ci ncinnati Metal Trades Association . ’ The Carriage Makers Club . ’ The Live Stock Commission Merchants Association. The Cincinnati Furniture Exchange . The Cincinnati Produce Exchange . Th e Cincinnati Paint Club . ’ The Pine Lumber Dealers Association . The Cincinn ati Branch — National League Commis sion Mer chants . The Common Carriers especially complained of are Railwav The Southern Company, a corporation organized fiun de1 c on the laws of Virginia , and the railroad corporations t trolled by the Southern Railway Company, and hereinaf er specif P i all 3 c y named . Th e a a n Atlantic Coast Line Comp ny, a corpor tion orga ized Q under the laws of Con necticut ; and the railroad corporations con by th e l trolled At antic Coast Line Company, and hereinafter c s ec i ficall m d g: Q p y na e . r H Complain t is also mad e against 2 1 The St . Louis San Francisco Railroad . The New Orleans Northeastern Railroad . The Norfolk 85 Western Railway . The Illinois Central Railroad . The Seaboard Air Line Railroad . The Central of Geo rgia Railroad . The grounds of complaint are T 1 . hat The Southern Railway Company is a combination in ’ restrai n t of m trade and co merce between the States, within the 9 1 . 2 1 8 0 meaning of Section of the Statute of July , , commonly known as the Anti - Trust Act ; and is an attempt to monopolize an d n n of a mo opoly of trade and commerce, within the meani g Section 2 of said statute . 2 That the Atlantic Coast Line Company is a combination s in re traint of trade and commerce between the States , within the n 1 of 2 1 8 9 0 m meani g of Section of the Statute July , , com only kn own as the Anti - Trust Act ; and is an attempt to monopolize m W of and a onopoly of trade and commerce, ithin the meaning Section 2 of said statute . 3 . That The Southeastern Mississippi Valley Association is a an d combination in restrain of trade commerce between the States, i 1 of 2 1 8 9 0 within the meaning of Sect on of the Statute July , , commonly known as the Anti — Trust Act ; and is an attempt to l m th e monopo ize and a monopoly of trade and co merce, within n i mea ing of Section 2 of sa d statute . T m 4 . hat The Southeastern Freight Associ ation is a c o . m m ate bination in restraint of trade and co erce between the St s, 1 J 2 1 8 9 0 within the meaning of Section of the Statute of uly , , comm only known as the Anti - Trust Act ; and is an attempt to m th e monopolize and a monopoly of trade and co merce, within 2 meaning of Section of said statute . h 5 . T at the Joint Agreement between the Southeastern Mississippi Valley Association and the Southeastern Freight Association is a contract in restraint of trade and commerce , resulting in a combination and conspiracy of the parties to and th e fi bene ciaries of such agreements, in restrain of trade and com m 1 - erce, within the meaning of Section of the Anti Trust law ; an d is an attempt to monopolize and a monopoly in restraint of trade and commerce within the m eaning of Section of 2 of said statute . 6 l st 2 d 1 9 0 —1 . That on December and , , in the City of New - s York, at the Waldorf A toria Hotel, a meeting was held by the officials of the following named railroads The So uthern Railway Company and the following named : Companies controlled by it, viz . i fi The Cincinnat , New Orleans and Texas Paci c Railway Com a pany, The Al bama Great Southern Railway Company, and The Mobile and Ohio Railroad Company . i n The Atlantic Coast L e Company, and the following named vi z . : Companies controlled by it, The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company,The Nashville Chattanooga and St . a R Louis R ilway Company, The Atlanta and West Point ailroad Company, The Western of Alabama Railroad Company, and The n Georgia Railroad Compa y . The St . Louis and San Francisco Railroad Company, The New R a m Orleans and Northeastern ailro d Co pany, The Norfolk and R Western Railway Company , The Illinois Central ailroad Com - pany, The Central of Georgia Railway Company, and The Seaboard , Air Line Railroad Company . That at said meeting the above named Compa n ies combined an d conspired to make and publish simultaneously classified rates of frei ght and comm odity freight rates from Ohio and Mississippi Ri ver crossings t o various points in the Southeast ; particularly to points i n the State of Georgia — and conspired and agreed to p ublish simultaneously classified rates of freight and comm odity r freight rates from Baltimore, Philadelphia , New Yo k, Boston and interior Eastern points to various points in the Southeast ; parti e ularlv to points in the State of Georgia ( a more detailed statement i n regard to which will hereinafter be more specifically set forth ) . That the action of the above named roads is a combination and c on s i rarc i p y, resulting in contracts and agreements in restra nt of i c 1 trade and commerce, within the mean ng of Se tion of the 2 1 8 9 0 - u Statute of July , , commonly known as the Anti Tr st act ; and i s an attempt to mon opolize and a monopoly of trade and commerce among the several States , within the meaning of 2 Section of said statute . 1 6 7 . That the combinations referred to in subdivisions to i - nclusive are not only violations of the Anti Trust law, but they seriously discriminate against the commercial interests of the Northern an d Western States in favor of the E astern States in their trade relations with the Southern States , have seriously dam aged the commercial interests of said States , and if permitted to continue will even more seriously damage said interests . 4 THE U ER COM PANY HIST ORY OF S O TH N RAILWAY V , SHOWING THE LINE S O F RAILROAD OWNE D ED BY AND C ONTROLL IT . o The following hist ry of the Southern Railway Company , showing its origi n and development into a colossal combination completely controlling the trade and commerce of a large portion ’ o f the Southern States , is taken in the main fr m Poor s Manual - an c of Railroads, authority whose statements are accepted as corre t by all persons interested in railroad properties . The Southern Railway Company was ch artered by the State 9 2 0 1 8 4 18 1 8 94 . of Virginia on February , and organized June , It l o immediate y began acquiring c ntrol of railroads in the South, an d b 3 0 18 9 6 y June , , it owned and controlled the following rail road mileage I M LE S . i n . C. V a. v a V a. Washingto , D , to Richmond , Danville, , t C. and Charlot e, N . , to Atlanta , Ga . ( about) vi a v n At Bristol , Tenn Knox ille and Chatta ooga to i . v a . to lanta , Ga thence Birmingham , Ala , Green l s vi le , Mi s Ga . Rome , , to Lauderdale, Miss Ga. Ga. Atlanta , , to Brunswick, ( about ) . l Various other lines owned eased, or controlled n all n Total le gth of li es Southern Railway System, June 3 0 1 8 9 6 , A more particular statemen t of the names of the railroads an d acquired, the territory traversed by them , the means by which ’ t d n hey were acquire , will be fou d in Poor s Manual of Railroads 18 9 7 . 7 6 1 7 7 6 i for pages to nclusive . D urin g the fiscal vear of 1 8 9 7 this Company acquired by , th e purchase lease or other arrangement , Georgia Midland Rail a road Company, and the Str sburg and Harrisonburg Branch of the d a Virginia Mi land R ilway . 1 8 9 7 i In August, , the V rginia Midland Railway Company was d a 18 9 8 purchase by the Southern Railway Comp ny, and in June , , e n t was m rged i to it as a par of its system . 1 8 9 8 n In June, , the K oxville , Cumberland Gap and Louisville a l R ilway Company was a so merged into the Southern Railway Company . I 1 8 9 8 th e n ao n February, , Hartwell Railroad Compa y was quired . 2 6 18 9 8 of On February , , the ownership The Memphis and Charleston Railway Company was acquired . D fi 3 0 1 8 9 9 uring the scal year ending June , , the Company acqui red the following railroads Th e Carolin a Cumberland Gap Railway Co .