Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-07-17
NOT SATISFACTORY.
The Replies to the Commission
er's Recent Interrogations.
JUDGE REAGAN'S PLAIN TALK.
A Bogus Accident Association Representative
at Large, and is Badly Wanted.
Extentive Preparations Made and Making
to Entertain the Soidlers-Estimated
$500 Will be in Camp-Some
Tabulated Statements.
Special to the Gazette.

Special to the Gazette.
AUSTIN, Ten, July 16.-It was clearly
evident from the manner in which Judge
Reagan spoke yesterday when abiding TO
the answers made by the traffic men to
the interrogations propounded several days
ago, that he was not satisfied with them,
that he did not consider them as full. and
frank as they might be, or rs he conceived
they could be made He stated
plainly and without going around
Robin Hoods barn with it,
thai they were not such Us would greatly
assist the commission in doing what the
law required it to do, and that as the in
formation desired was not forthcoming the
commission would have to get on as best it
could without it.
The chairman's tone and emphasis when
on that topic, struck home to the traffic men,
bringing Mr.. Newlin of the Fort Worth
and Denver quickly to his feet,
who said in a tone that
INDICATED SOME FEELING
that the roads We're now doing for Texas
the best they could, that there was not a
road in the state that was paying a divi-
dend or even the interest on its bonds, that
they We're all playing in a losing
game, and that instead of reducing rates,
the commission, if disposed to see the roads
justly or fairly treated, should advance
them. The Cry said he had gone up every
where for a reduction of rates, and the
roads could not stand it and live.
The chairman reminded him that no such
Cry had been uttered by the commission,
and that it was not cries, but correct infor-
nation, that it wanted to enable it to do the
fair thing by the roads.
Mr.. Bartholomew of the International
and Great Northern smoothed over the
situation by saying in substance that he re
Tod %l,, 81, n,.rk,+ not
make their ANSWERS more satisfactory, but
that occupying
SUBORDINATE POSITIONS
they could only say that they did the best
they could. He regretted that an apology
such as he was then making had not been
added to the answers, and suggested that
perhaps if the commission would
forward the interrogatorieS to the
head officials of the different roads,
the information desired would be forth
coming. Judge Reagan intimated in re
Spouse to that suggestion that as he had
remarked on former occasion, Texas was
now no more than an outlying dis
trict for the East, he was not greatly
impressed with the wisdom of seeking for
information from railway owners who
lived in New York and Boston.
1t is almost needless to say that Mr.. Bar
tholomew struck the keynote to
IUe real SITUATION WncH uo
stated that the traffic men
ton desired. Interpreted, his language
probably meant that the trafficc men were
here to do the business of the roads
AS DIRECTED
from the owners in the East, and that the
commission could not fairly hold them
responsible for condition of things over
which they had no control. twas simply
confession and avoidance so far as the
traffic men were concerned. They would
do better if they could, but they dare not.
Several talks were made deprecating the
adoption of the mileage system. The
gentlemen representing the Gulf, Colorado
and Santa F'e, the Texas and Pacific
and the Cotton Belt, were especially
earnest in stating the disastrous conse-
9uences to roads that were not now paying
their way The Gulf, Colorado and Santa
Fe, said Mr.. Terry Of Galveston, had
not made enough in three years
to pay the interest Oh its debts
for two years, How could that road stand
reduction, or the mileage system9 He
could see how the mileage system would
HARD On HIS ROAD.
Mr.. Lovett, the Dallas attorney for the
Texas and Pacific, made the same state
UtuU Ills IOdl anu duOluCl
for the Cotton Belt. MIR. Carter, cotton
buyer of Dallas, stated that the present sys-
TEN of shipping cotton was worth to
the people of Texas four or five millions
annually over the system in vogue few
years ago. A desire was expressed by some
of the traffic men to be notified by
the commission when it had arrived at a
definite idea of the rate which it thought
reasonable for the roads. They would
! l-n RI
discuss it with the commission,
and to make such suggestions, if any were
needed, as might possibly aid that body in
the performance of its duty. They wonld
talk more intelligently to specific
rate than they could now, when no certain
rate was proposed, and the discussion was
general in character.
The chairman minated that the commits
sion might conclude to comply with their
not now speak positively
THE ANSWER
of the traffic men to the tenth interrogatory
was practically worthless. They. apparently
had no idea of plan for diverting the
traffic from the West and Northwest
towards the gulf, although it
was clamoring to come that way
instead of crossing the continent to the At
lantic. The only reply attempted to the
inquiry asking what could be done by the
roads towards that end, was that their in
tentions were good enough, but there were
no facilities on the gulf coast for handling the
traffic MIR. Foster asked Mr.. Lord of the
Fort Worth and Rio Grande if the state
ment was true that not more than 10 per
cent of the traffic in the state
was local. while 81 per cent
was interstate. Mr.. Lords reply
was that the idea was absurd. Mr.. Foster
then stated that his reason for asking the
question was that it had been urged by
certain people during the last campaign that
a commission could do nothing to-
wards lowering rates, as it would
have jurisdiction over only ten per cent of
the traffic in the state. The explanation
brought several of the traffic men to their
feet instantly, who recognized the disagree
able fact that the witness had
fallen into trap, and that
he must be gotten out somehow. Explana-
tons were offered 10 show how the cam
paign statement concerning the proportion
of state to interstate traffic, bore the SEM
blance of truth, but tboJ appeared trifie
lame.
lished in the last few days concerning the
disasters to this or that town, this
or that industry, apprehended from
an adoption of the mileage sys-
tenn, are quite ridiculous in some
respects for the reason that they are not
based on facts, nor anything approaching
them. 1t is not necessary to particularize,
for they are all very
much alike in proceeding from faulty
of facts. One body for exam
pie complains that the rates recently
imposed on jute bagsing and cotton
ties from Galveston and Houston over