The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-08

explosion before the Interstate COM
merce commission took place this
morning and the top was blown off
the railroad pool, uncoverlng an I'M
lawful combine. The prosecution is
now confident that the investigation
will end in the imposition Oh some
large sized fines against most of the
strong pressure under the apparent
smooth surface of The present weeks
VeStlgatioQ. Yesterday, Wllen PreSl-
dent A. B. Sttckney OF the Chicago d
Great Western railroad took the stand,
he created a mild sensation by the
disclosure of the methods of his COM
pany in outwiqting the others in the
handling of grain. This morning the
cross-eXarninaitlon of Mr.. St.ckney
was UP to expectations. He charged
his fellow railroad men with melting
the present investigation to catch him
in a we'll laid trap ON the charge of
rate cutting.
He turned the tables ON his oppo-
nents ana charged them with aSsail-
ing him because he refused to pool his
trade with them.
BE kind enough to give the commits
sion the names of those of the other
roads" was asked.
Mr.. Stickney moved uneasily in his
chair. He crossed his legs, and then
increasing them wrapped them about
the chair and slowly replied: Il am
anxious to tell everything that I
know. There is a form to be followed,
and if this is followed 1 have nothing
to do but to obey. But let me consult
with nv attorney
81 say that at an IL cent rate the
corn will move promptly. We are NOV
ing it, but that is because we have TO
go out and buy it,
Mr. Stickney was then permitted to
leave the stand The railroad men
got the worst of the inquiry and did
not care to push Stickney any further.
AS one of them remarked
The old man is loaded and you
can't tell who is going to get hurt
Chairman Morrison said if there was
such a conspiracy he knew nothing
about ut, but that he was very anxious
to learn of any such trap and OF the
details of the pool.
Mr. Sticllney, in his evidence, said
that the pool officers had importuned,
bullied and threatened him in order to
get his road into the pool. He said that
the pools method of fixing rates made
anarchists for the reason that hi gh
rates were charged the farmers and
low rates given the rich merchants.
In the course of his evidence, Mr.
Stickney grew quite eloquent and his
testimony was sensaB onal throughout
He promised so produce every bit of
documentary evidence in his possession
that would throw light on the pool, but
said it would take weeks to collect 1T.
The commission ordered that it be for
warded to Washington.
Chairman MIdgley, of the Western
Freight aSsocia ton, was the principal
witness at the Afternoon session. He IS
supposed to be the executive officer OF
the pool. but the real ruling hand of
the organization is said to be General
Freight Agent Johnson, CT the Rock
Island road, who has been subpoenaed
before the comm ssion. Midgley de-
MED the existence Of any pooling ar
rangement, but finally acknowledged
than there was an agreement for the
division of traffic. He said he had never
attempted to divert any traffic from
one road to another to even up. but
said when one road got ahead of its
percentages, he gave it's officers a lee
tUre, which statement elected a laugh
from the crowd of railroad officers pres
emf
General Traffic Manager Boyd of the
SIT Paul road, was the last witness of
the day HIS testimony was in regard
to the reconsignrnent practice at Kan
sas City and was of a technical ma
ture.
Bearing on the investigation now be-
ing conducted by the interstate COM
merce commission. Mr. Paul Morton,
vice-president of the Santa F'e system,
said tonight:
1.-THE admissions made by Mr.. Stick
ney under oath are most remarkable.
He admits that the Iowa Development
company, corporation organized I'M
der the laws of Iowa for the purpose
of dealing in land, the stock of which
is owned entirely by the Great West
ern road was put into the markets at
Kansas City in the prejudice of every
body else, for the purpose of securing
grain business for his railroad, it being
understood at the time that the Iowa
Development company would lose
money. If this is not device for cut
ting rates; if this is not an unjust dis
crimina ton as between shippers, and
If this is not violation of the inter-
state commerce law and of his agree
ments with other railroads to main
tain rates, and of all other business
principles, it is nothing. 1t is very dis
couraging for other railroad men to
think that such things can occur in
the face of declaration on the part
of Mr.. Stickney that he has been main
tanning rates and in every way con-
Quoting the Chicago & Great Western
railroad in an honorable manner What
we need among the railroads is more
honesty and less trickery and the SOON
err we can get it the better off we will
be-"
MANY VISITORS COMING.