The record-union., 1891-10-29
GRAND JURY INVESTIGATIONS.
CORRESPONDENCE AS TO MATTERS
UNDER CONSIDERATION.
President Huntington Replies at
Length to a Letter From Grand
Juror Lynch.
Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.

Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 2S.-Some weeks
ago Hon. jeremiah Lynch wrote in the
name of the Grand Jury to c. p Hunt
ington, President of the Southern Pacific
Company, inquiring whether it was by
his direction that Greed Raymond, chief
counsel of the Southern Pacific, was act
ing as attorney for Stephen T. Gage and
Richard Chute, the recalcitrant witnesses.
Mr.. Huntington replied to-day as fol-
lows:
SOUTHERN PACIFIC COMPANY, OFFICE
OF THE PRESIDENT, % BROAD
STREET, n. Y, Oct. 10, 1891.
Hon. Jeremiah Lynch, Chairman of tie
Committee on Legislative A6uses Of the
Grand Jury Of the city and County Of
San FTG1eciScO-DEAR SIR: Your valued
favor of the 7th is received, and it's con-
tents are carefully noted. / had also
heard through the public press of Califor-
MIA much OF the matter referred to in
your communication, to wit: That the
Grand Jury of the City and County of
San Francisco were III session, and were
making inquiries to ascertain whether
there was any truth in the rumors that
were floating about the State to the effect
that certain members of the last Legisla-
ture ana others in high places had done
things that were legally and morally
wrong; further, that S. L. Gage and
Richard Chute had failed to answer the
call Of the Grand Jury
You then write, referring to the 'legal
advocates" of those parties: Foremost of
these legal personageS is Greed Hay-
mond, who is understood to be the lead
ing counsel in California of the Southern
Pacific Company. You are President of
that corporation, and, therefore, address
you, desirous to know if this action of
Mr.. Raymond is Of your knowledge and
sanction"
Replying to this question, 1 answer
no. l did not know that Colonel Hay-
mond was in the case until / saw it in the
California papers, and / will say to YOU
that l am very sorry he has had any
thing to do with the matter. | cannot.
however control Mr.. Haymond's action,
as the Southern Pacific Company has
been in the habit of allowing any of its
counsel heretofore to take outside busi-
ness where he could attend to it without
neglecting the interests of our COM
pany. L particularly regret this action
by Colonel Raymond, because l have
been told, and l think saw it in some of
the California papers, that the matters re-
| terred to in your letter had taken a politi-
cal turn, so to speak, and while | cannot
believe such to be the case, yet the sug-
gestlon OF 1t has made Inc more anxious
that no one connected with me in the ac-
tive management of the Southern Pacific
Company should allow himself to take
part in this or any other movement in
California that was even suspected of
having political inclination.
/ have been and still am determined to
get the Southern Pacific Company out of
politics, and confne it to its legitimate
business of transporting persons and
property. 1t has been meddling with it
too long. Every officer of the company
l,sac mob =
duty, In taking care Of the properties that
are controlled by the present organiza-
ton, as the greatest possible economies
must be practiced in order to give any
returns to the shareholders Therefore
the employees of the Southern Pacific
Company have no time, or should have
none, to give to matters political.
l Know, also, that the people are ieal-
Gus, and rightfully so, L think, of any in
terterence by corporations with their DO
lltical prerogatives, which is one OF the
reasons why rates have been forced down
so as not To remunerate those who have
spent so much time and invested so much
capital to create these properties. But
the good sense Of the people will soon
correct the evils of low as well as hioh
rates, as soon as they know that corpora
tions, as such, are not used for PURPOSES
other than those for which the law allowed
them to be created.
L uOSlCS your IeQubSl JllaJ i DO What i
can TO assist the Grand Jury, by "in-
structing employees of the Southern Pa
ciflc Company to render proper and neces-
sary assistance to that body" | will
write TO Mr.. A. n. Towne, our General
Manager, and ask him TO do all that he
can consistent with his duty 10 so assist
you, and will send him copy of this let
ter.
You ask further, that allow the Grand
Jury to examine certain books of the
Southern Pacific and Pacific Improve
ment Companies. Those books cannot
be taken from the offices where they he
long without great Inconvenience to the
companies that keep their accounts i'm
said books. Many of the books of many
of the companies in California that in
part control, including the two above
named, have been taken from their
proper custodians into the courts, and
| think to the Grand Jury rooms.
TO the very great inconvenience of
the companies, and l think in no
case was the public benefited, nor has the
public, as L remember, ever claimed that
they were benefited. Nevertheless,
would willingly give TO the Grand Jury.
and, of course, through them TO the pub
lie, all books of the companies named
in your letter, if / thought they would
show whore any money had been used
for dishonest or unlawful purposes.
have been opposed to using any money
from the company's treasury for any
political purposes. l am, yours very
truly, G. p. HUNTINGTON. ;