The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-02-16

An Important Meeting Held at
Lexington Yesterday.
A Question for the Railroad Com
miSSiOners to Decide.
Shall the Freight Rate be Re.
duced, or Remain as 1t lis.
Ex Manager McGrew After the
Coal COmpany's Scalp.
The Company, IN Turn, Ventilate
McGrew's RecOrd

i-Recently j. 4 hcGrew, formerly gen.
eral manager of the Lexington Coal Min
ing company, made formal complaint TO
the railroad commissions that the Wis
souri, Pacific Railway company was charg-
ing excessive freight on coal from Lexing-
ton to Kansas City, viz: Seventy-five
cents per ton. The old Granger rate"
established by the legislature was Sl.05 per
ton, but the railroad commissioners, in
eptember, 1885, reduced it 10 the present
tariff Now MIR. McGrew asks that the rs
cent rate be reduced to 40 cents per ton.
and. of course, the Missouri Parific Rail
way con pany is resisting this reduction.
HISTORY OF THE TROUBLE.
1t seems that in 1882 the exington
Coal company was organized and j c. Nc
Gr,w was elected gener i manager. He
co tinued in that position until May l5,
1885, at which time another was elected to
succeed him. During that time, il is
charged by the Lexington Coal company,
that Mr.. McGrew became immensely
wealthy, and In some instances it was
charged that his wealth was accumulated
by sharp practices and, as one witness testi-
fled, sin all the trades mnde. for the coal
company Jim McGrew, as an individual,
always got the best of the bargain with
Jim McGrew as general manager.
He SHOWS FIGHT.
As soon as Mr.. McGrew was displaced
as general manager he commenced, as il is
alleged, to fight The company, and
the company res 'rted to the courts to COM
pei McGrev to surrender possession OF the
property to the mining companys new
manager. Suits followed. NcGrew
brought suit against the CO upany, and
the company against McGrew. To
settle this another controversy between
McGrew and the coal company, representa-
tives of the coal C mpany bought Mr.. Nc
Cir. VS. STOCK, l9l shares of a par value of
Sl-0 per share, and in that sale the whole
controversy was ended, and the suits both
w.ys dismissed.
THIS TRIAL OK MERITS.
To-day the railroad commissioners ar
rived here and convened their board in the
Lafayette county court house, where evil
dence was heard to show what was rea-
sonable price for Transporting coal TO Kan
sas City. For four years, it was proven,
that Mr.. McGrew had a special rate of
go cents per ton freight into Kansas City,
while the whole of the outside world were
paying IS cents per ton. Subsequently t.e
rate was reduced TO 70 cents per ton. II
was proven that coal is being sold in Kan
sac City for nine cents per bushel, as NJ.
" Grew claims, at one-half cent less than
it takes to mine and ship to Kansas City.
scHEMING MANAGER.
When Mr. ecGrew was manager of the
Lexington Coal company, it was in evil
dence that he managed all matters possible
to his own advantage. The poor miuer
was given orders for goods
tor pay for his work on a
store il Lexington In which Mr.. McGrew
was partner and in which the coal CON-
pany had 10 interest and as far as could be
learned by the commissioners lot no profit
therefrom
SCATTERING MoUTHINGs.
The investigation to-day has taken
wide range. Everything that has trans
pired between this coal mining corpora
ton and The derunct manager of the same,
has been talked about and no little amount
of bad blood was exhibited by those who
could not get a rate on coal to Kansas City,
of their own naming, in order that they
might play a full hand in the coal war
now raging in Kansas City The clamor
of the Lexington mine owners from their
town would not have been
made but for the coal war
in other words they petition the railroad
to interfere in their behalf |
to assist them in NEE ing war prices at
Kansas City.
ALL THIS BUZZ
has come to the surface because AR. Nc |
Grew has disagreed with the Lexington
company. Since he could not be its |
he seemed to be desirous Of work. |
ing Its ruin, and because of its non-sup-
port to him in carrying on war of prices |
in Kansas Citv.
At 6 Clock this evening the commits |
sioners adjourned until o'clock tomorrow. |
1t is expected that the complainant will |
have all his evidence in by noon to-morrow, |
after which the commissioners will adjourn |
10 meet some day agreed upon, next week |
1t Jefferson City, ct which time the COM
psny will introduce its evidence