Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-04-02

The House Committee On Corporations ne, last
evening.
Mr. Carpenter said shat he was willing TO give
such Information as was Pc sbir, but hs understood
that there WAS resolution charging him with Jerc
Tic Ion 81 dvtY ami luCguvCftgcy li that WIS 80,
II seemed il the Commissioners should De allowed
10 eddr s. themselves 20 tuis ii-sl Whl1 the rcso-
lu ion Is pending he insisted UTou answering that III
any agreement has been made with rc.asJ o. ;bcmat-
ter or eylCvucc taken, lt hst been done without has
Pre- euce. Tie was here 90 SPEAK in his tcicuse lie
did NOT presume 20 dictate, uut Insisted upon nat
he regarded q very s7cr5i right Of has own. He
referred 10 the message ut the Governor aud thC res
Oiution, and asked TO see the latter.
Alr, Barry did not think that the question Of the
resolution was before the committee
Mr Carpenter though, that it would De strange tf
he testified 10 things as % whicH hisucompcleugY
was alleged. He thought that De must ask 90 be
excused until that matter was settled he sees
from the papers if these reports oc true that the
Chairman has prejudsed The case, and has expressed
an opinion in his case.
Nj Barry said that this report was correct lie
further said that this was rot the question, how
ever but thought that Mr.. Carpenter could rrog1rly
refuse to give Information II I've saw dt.
Mr. Carpenter insisted that il was bis right, and
due himself, 10 dee inc 90 answer any questions
to freights and fares before the question tt his
potency is settled 10 wQuj seem 20 be emiueutiy
proper for the committee to allow him and his
colleague to clear away the clouds that had been
thrown around them IN his defense he would call
Governor StonCman and other men who know some
thing Of the duties and OF the methods oi the Office
He accorded TO the committee the legal presumption
that hey were doing their duty.
Mr. Barry ruled thai the only matter before the
committee was the matter Of freishts and fares ami
asked If the Commissioner would give the iuf0rma-
tion desired.
After consultation with Mr. Humphreys. Mr.
Carpenter said that he must insist proceeding
with the question that effects them Ulcers, be
ing OF the opinion that ii they are Incompetent as
officers, they are incompetent 20 give advice
Mr. Irwin did not think that the resolution created
4 presumption Of incompetency.
Mr. Foote, Commissioner from the Third District.
was then asked to give such information would
give data upon which constitution al amendment
fixing the maximum Of freiChts and fares conld be
prepared He consented to testify, and SAID that he
had received from some source the estimates Of the
late Chief Engineer Judah of the cost Of road
from Omaha to San Francisco, which placed the to-
tai cost at $780, 600 000 He explained the grounds
upon which he had based his action in fixing fares
and freirhts among whchiwas the question Of sub
sidy, on which latter point the other two Com
mssioners do not agree with him-that sub
sidized roads should be treated differently from
roads built by private capital. He estimated
that the reduction made by the present schedule
was less than L. per cent. In the case OF most OF
the travel he did not think that there had been a
material reduction. On the Southern Pacific a
maximum OF three cents per mile would effect a
material reduction. He thought constitutional
amendment could fix rates. but there would be
difficulty with regard to the classification Of the
roads. He thought 4 maximum OF per cent
would reduce the income Of the company about 10
per cent. There are some roads which could not
live on a maximum OF three cents per mile. The
California Southern, for instance, is just making
running expenses on four cents per mile He
did not think that there was such feeling
against the Central Pacific system. He did not
think that any maximum should be more than
cents He would, he thought, have those classes Of
roads with respectively 3, and > cents as a maxi
mum. He could see reason why there should be
a difference in freight on the ssme kind of goods
over the same line. He thought that the elemelt
Of value should enter lato the question OF fixing
rates but not to the extent as is claimed. He did
not think that rates on ores should be classified
Cordiug to value. He did not think that competi-
ton should be element in fixing rates. There is
no competition in this State. He knew that it was
the opinion Of the railroads, net only here, but
elsewhere that Railroad Commissions were illegal.
After Mr.. F0ote had given some other facts and
plantations, at the request Of the committee he
promised to study the question and report
y thoughtful man and lOoker-On st the Capitol
Yesterday afternoon propounded the following CO.
nUudrum IT, as Judge Nallsce says, the subsidies
OF the National Government built the Pacific rail
ways; if the public funds and credit Of all The pee
pie created them if they are therefore a ffected
with a public use; how comes it that the State OF
California proposes to contiscate the roads to her
uses and the exclusion of all the United States2
Is this departure in the doctrine OF States
rights"
w. B Clements, one of the Republican members
from Alameda, is sojourung in the state of Nevada,
and will not pat in an appearances during the extra
session.
Judge Irwin. Of FL Dorado, in debate yesterday.
said "The last session was 'go-as- you please
You can introduce what you please, and pass what
YOU please" A Republican member, sitting near
by remarked: "Yes, that's SO; believe it. was
Democratic
Another transcontinental railroad IS worth more
to this State said Booth yesterday, than ten
thousand Legislatures assembled in extraordinary
sessions"
Assemblymcn Storke and Leverson had some
words in debate Tuesday. After the session Storke
denounced the gentleman from San Francisco as a
liar 1t Is reported that the latter has forwarded
challenge to the member from Santa Barbara.
Assemblyman Terry in the course Of his remarks
Yesterday, sad This they say is extraordinary
session. Chat it is extraordinary body, l will
agree and that proceedings naturally character
ize the general idea Of the first day of April, Is
extraordinary fact
Terry, in his speech on Tuesday, admonished his
Democratic colleagues 80 20 slow, and be careful OF
the records they were making. He had heard it
rumored that his constituents already getting
ready to receive him on his return with a rope, and
he was afraid that the breaking up OF the extTaor
binary session would be the signal for necktie paI>
ties throughout the State.
The defeat, in the Senate Yesterday, of Assembly
Bill No I, appropratng S47 800 for expenses Of the
extra session, was regarded somewhat i'll the light
of an April FOOLS Day joke. However, a few men,
bers took occasion to remark that they were op-
posed TO pay ing the salaries OF members OF the EX-
traordinary Session until the extraordinary work
was done. There is considerable growing INDUCED
in among the attaches who say they capital
lists, neither can they live OH air.
Quite a number of Senators are absent from duty
leave. Ii others continue to get sick in the same
ratio during the coming week, there viii hardly be
corporas guard left to transact the ext aOrdinary
business of this very extraordinary session.