The herald., 1896-11-24
ALONG THE RAILROAD LINES
Dep0s lions Filed in the Santa
Fe Cases
REVEALING A CONSPIRACY
To Bear TIE Road in the Interest of
Stockholders
The First Question to Be Decided Is the
Jurisdiction of the State or the
Federal Courts
Associated Press Special Wire

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Nov. 29.-The
Star this evening prints the following
under a Topeka, Kan, date:
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
Railroad company filed in the United
States circuit court today dispositions OF
St Louis men and others to substanti-
ate its charges of conspiracy to beal
the stock of that road, and Judge b. b
johnson of Topeka, formerly law part
ner of Henry Keeler. made affidavit to
an interview in which Keeler outlined
the proposed plan of action against the
Santa Fe. On the morning of election,
he declared Keeler visited him and made
the revelation, after swearing him to
secrecy. He stated that suit would be
instituted against the Santa Fe on the
relation OF the county attorney of Jeffer-
son county and that arrangements had
been made some weeks before with Mr..
Phinney and Judge Louis A. Myers for
the court to meet in Oskaloosa, the day
after election. to receive the petition.
Keeler had also declared that Charles
Johnson would be appointed receiver.
This would be done, the attorney de-
clared, for the purpose of creating a
fuctuation in stock. a visit to New
York was outlined for Keeler, and the
trip was made. One of the effects of the
New York expedition had been the de-
termination of Henry Woolman of Kan
sas City to intervene as bondholder
for the alleged purpose of assisting the
general decentralization of the road.
Similar affidavits We're presented con-
tanning testimony of c. d. French and
j. X. Davidson, Kansas City stock bro
kers. Both had received advance notice
of the probable fall in Santa Fe stocks.
When the land receivership case was
called in the United States court at .
o'clock Judge Foster decided to hear first
the motion to remand the case to the
state district court.
President Ripley, General Solicitor
Kenna, Solicitor Robert Dunlap and
General Solicitor Sterry of the Southern
California road represented the Santa
Fe company.
Henry Keeler opened with a statement
of the points involved. The non-Fed-
eral character of the suit was presented
as an argument for its being remanded
to the district court, Keeler sustaining
ences. Civil cases alone, he maintained,
could be removed. and this case was of
criminal character. The suit was
brought, he asserted, by authority of
the state and under statute which i'm
posed a penalty in the name of the
state.
The arguments on behalf of the rail-
way company consumed only about half
an hour and were devoted largely to
a review of the dispositions previously
filed, it being maintained that the suit
brought in the Federal court was clear
ly a stock -jobbing scheme. 1t was argued
further that the alien land law did not
apply to railroads, and further, that it
had not been legally enacted.
Upon the conclusion of the arguments
Judge Foster announced that he would
take the case under advisement and
adjourned court until o'clock tomorrow
morning.
TRAFFIC RESUMED
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23.-Dispatches
indicate a bright outlook for the early
resumption of regular mail facilities in
the flooded regions in the far northwest.
Division Superintendent Barclay at, st.
Paul wired today that the Great North
ern starts two through trains today, one
leaving ST. Paul and the other Seattle.
Transfers are still necessary, however,
at Skykomish, Wash, and Paoli station,
Montana.
WAR IMPENDING
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23.-The Wash
ington Star this evening publishes an
interview with Vice President st. John
of the Seaboard Air Line at Norfolk,
Va, on the question of the existing diff
ferences between the Seaboard and the
Southern Railway company. The Stars
correspondent expresses the opinion
that a desperate traffic war is impend-
ing between the two companies. The
price of peace, he infers from his inter-
view with Mr.. st. John, is the withdraw
al of the Southern steamer line between
Baltimore and Norfolk and the granting
of the demand of the Seaboard, which
has been impending for several years,
to allow the latter to run its trains be-
tween New York and New Orleans.
WESTERN COMMISSIONS
CHICAGO, Nov 23-The Southern
Pacific has informed the roads which are
members of the emigrant clearing house
that it will on December 1st join with
them in a reduction of commission of
westbound traffic on a normal basis.
This is regarded by the western roads
as a great victory for them in the fight
over the payments of commissions on
this class of business. The normal COM
mission should be about S. and the
Southern Pacific has been paying very
close to SIG. After the meeting in New
York some weeks since at which the
Southern Pacific endeavored to get the
western roads to pay as much commits
sion as they allowed, the western roads
decided that they would reduce their
commissions to normal basis and throw
the responsibility for any resulting de-
moralization on the shoulders of the
Southern Pacific. 1t is not likely now
that there will be any demoralization.
The Canadian lines have also signified
their intention of bringing the commits
sions down to about what the lines in