St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-13
And No Guilty Party Will Be
Allowed to Escape Pun
!. ishment.
Western Traffic Association
Meets and Adjourns With
out a Quorum.
President Wegg Denies Re-
port Sent Out From st.
Paul Yesterday.

CHICAGO, July 12.-W. G. Feazey, j.
c. Clements and Judge j. w. Medill, of
the interstate commerce commission.
arrived here today and have been hold
ing informal conferences with railroad
men, shippers and United States gov
ernment officials in advance of the for
NAL investigation which will be COM
menced tomorrow. Over twenty traffic
officials connectedswith roads that have
been accused of giving discriminating
rates have been cited to appear before
the commission. while a number of
other people. including Chairman Blan-
chard, of the Central Traffic association,
and Chairman Midgley, of the West
ern Freight association, have been
summonded as witnesses. One of
the cases to be heard is complaint
against the Calumet IL Blue Island. the
Chicago IL Southwestern and the Joliet
q Blue Island roads. These lines are
charged with discriminating in favor of
the Illinois Steel company in the matter
of rates. but as they are small roads
within the state it is not clear how an
interstate case can be made against
them. But the majority OF the COM
plants to be heard are against roads in
the territory east OF Chicago. The first
on the docket involves the question of
inland rates on export traffic from Chi
cago and other points to Montreal and
9th er points over the Grand Trunk
and the Cincinnati, Saginaw
d Mackinaw railroad. The invest
lgation will not, however, be confined to
few special cases, but will be general.
Representatives of the following roads
have been summoned: Wabash, Chicago
d Grand Trunk. Indiana, Illinois IL
Iowa, Lake Shore, Chicago & Erie,
Great Eastern Freight line, Lehigh &
Wabash Dispatch, Erie Dispatch, Lack
awanna Dispatch, Calumet IL Rock
Island. Commissioner Veazey in all in
terview today said: 1.-The public seems
to have q wrong Impression concerning
the workings of the interstate commits
sion. We investigate every charge made,
but our Investigations generally result
in showing that four-ffths of the allega-
lions are grOundiess. The railroads
are observing the law more closely
now than they are given credit for.
Recently we ran down the charges
made by one of the Chicago papers that
the roads all over the country were en-
gagged in general violation of the law.
we spent ali entire week in New York
probing the charges made, and found
the most of them to be without founda-
ton. Such will probably prove to be
the case in some Uf the allegations that
have brought on the present inquiry.
All the roads cited to make a defense
tomorrow have fled answers which on
their face appear to be good detenses.
and may turn out to be so. But we shall
probe every charge to the bottom, and
M itx,, oil
cape"
A Shaky Organization.
The report received here this after
noon from New York, to the effect that
the advisory board of the Western
Traffic association had met without a
quorum and adjourned until next Oc-
tober, is regarded as significant. The
general feeling may be expressed in the
words of a prominent official of one of.
the membership lines, who said: "This
means that the Western Traffic associa-
ton has proved a failure, and some of
its strongest members do not care to
bother with it any longer. How else
can the action of the presidents
be construed in this case? Sew
eral matters of the greatest
importance we're to come be-
fore them for adjustment at this
meeting and yet some of them DELHI
erately stay away and the rest vote to
adjourn until the date of the next quar-
terly meeting. In the meantime the
ruinouS reduction in Colorado rates will
go into effect and the revenues of the
roads will be cut down to the extent of
millions of dollars. AS a matter of fact.
very little attempt has been made Of
late to enforce the provisions of the
.,
ion, there would be no hesitation in dis
banding the association if it were not
for the effect it would probably have on
the stock market"
Rumor Of Deal.
The report from Louisville that the
Illinois Central contemplates buying the
Newport News and Mississippi Valley
railroad cannot be verified here. If
there is any truth in 1t the negotiations
are probably being carried On by some
one else than President Fish, who is at
present in Europe. None of the officials
here will admit that they have any
knowledge of prospective deal in that
direction. 1t is conceded, however, that
the Mississippi Valley would make a
valuable addition to the Illinois Central
system and that there would be nothing
surprising in its absorption by the latter
company.
Denied by President Wegg.
President Wegg, of the Chicago &
Northern Pacific road. emphaticaIly de-
MES the report teiegraphed from St.
Paul that the road in question is soon to
pass out of existence as separate line,
and is to be operated as part of the
Wisconsin Central by the Wisconsin
Central officials.
ROW Is THIS