The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-12-20
TIRE POOL LITIGATION.
President Roberts, of the Pennsylvania Rail-
way, Tells Some of the Things He Knows.

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. IL. - Attorney general
| Cassiday's call upon the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company's principal executive officers to appear
before him to-day, and give information in the
| coal and trunk-line pool suits, brought out
President Roberts, Second Vice president
Thompson, and their attorneys, Messrs Scott,
MacVeagh and Logan Mr. Cassiday rein
forced, this morning, by the attendance of Assist
ant Attorney general Snodgrass. Before Mr.. Rob
erts was sworn, Mr. Scott asked the Attorney
general under which bill he proposed to call the
Pennsylvania railroad president Mr. Cassiday
replied that he would examine him in the trunk
line pool suit Mr.. Scott then asked that the
examination be postponed until the question of
the right of the Attorney general to take
testimony, raised by some of the other defend
ants be decided. The Attorney-general said
that owing to the shortness of his official life,
he would have to proceed at once with the ex-
animation. Mr.. Roberts was then instructed by
his attorney to answer all proper questions,
after which he took the stand and was sworn.
Mr. Kendall then began the examination.
Mr.. Roberts explained at length his official re-
lation with the Pennsylvania railroad and other
corporations, defendants in this suit told where
the lines of the company ran, as we'll as those of
Its connections, nearly a score in number, in
Guiding nearly all the important lines east of
ST. Louis The Pennsylvania Company was
large stakeholder in many of them. The wit
ness was chairman of the presidents committee
OF the Trunk-line pool, and Albert Fink
commissioner of the pool, with salary of $l0,
900 or $15, 000 In reply to Mr.. Cassiday, Mr..
Roberts said he thought his company had copies
of the minutes of the proceedings of the Trunk
lines organization, and he consented to produce
them. Continuing, Mr.. Roberts sad when
we come together in New York. we generally
have a growl over breaches of contracts COM
mitted by some party to the agreement"
when you have done your growing, then
what do you do2"
I'VE generally 60 home [aughterl When
the same freight is shipped different lines.
it is very seldom that it is shipped at the same
rates"
''What, then, is the purpose of this organiza-
| tion9"
''To get them to do that"
"Then do you not require that car load of
| freight from Philadelphia to Chicago should be
shipped at the same rate by all the companies"
THAT is generally the purpose. Our company
! is usually required to charge the highest rate.
| We are looked upon furnishing the best &C.
| commodatons and the shortest route, and we
are generally kept up to the highest mark This
| organization does not propose to control the
amount of freight, nor even a percentage of
| freight road may carry. 1t endeavors to fix
| carry of the total amount shipped
| Mr.. Roberts said he had stated, at one of the
| meetings, that the payments his company was
called upon to make were too large, and that the
| directors of the company we're not satisfied.
| The lines, he said. were in unison and harmony
| all the way through He did not want to say one
| word against single member of the Trunk Line
organization, because, in some cases, it was i'm
| possible to control other lines atfillatng with
their roads in the transaction of their business
| n further
| Roberts said the Philadelphia Wilmington &
| Baltimore Railroad Company, for which the
| Pennsylvania railroad paid something like
$2l 900 900, was not purchased for any such pur-
| pose controlling freghts between Baltimore
| and New York. Answering Mr.. Cassiday, he
| said that in point of fact that combination of
| railroads had established a schedule of rates
| which Mr. Fink was instructed to MAINTAIN.
| Mr.. Cassiday-Have you not paid as high as
million dollars into the pool to make good that
| agreement
Not quite, I think but may say our com
| pany has contributed largely for the purposes
have already enunciated- something like quar-
! ter of a million of dollars"
| Mr. Cassiday pressed the witness very closely
| upon this matter of steadying rates, and Mr..
Roberts finally declared that the course they had
taken was forced upon them by the Governor of
! the State countenaucing by his signature the
| starting of corporations organized by fictitious
issues of stock, wtlch condition of affairs being
/ allowed TO exist rendered il necessary to adopt
some remedy for the protection of ourselves and
| the public
Then you think one road can give better
service than two competing linesp asked Ns
| Cassidy.
Eyes; certainly do.s