The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-03-22

senger Rates to Go Ias0 Eject on IN
23rd InstaEt-rhs Com miasion D<cl,ne
to Put on Record Any Reaso. for Over
ruling this Exceptions Of the Railroads
The Popuiist Conference
Messenger Bureau,
Raleigh, N. c., March Il.
The railway commission took up tn,
matter Of the exceptions OF the South.
i. ern, the Atlantic Coast Line and tbs
Seaboard Air Line systems to the
and ga cents per mile passenger rates
ordered TO go into effect March 23rd
on certain lines Of these systems.
The first exception voted on was tina,
Of h Seabcard and Roanoke rail
way. Pearson moved 20 overule it.
The vote was put. He voted aye
Abbott voted no." saying the law and
the evidence sustained the exceptions,
and as a conscientious man and official
he must so vote. Chairman Caldwell
voted aye"
Then the exceptions OF the Raleigh
and CASTOR, the Raleigh and Augusta,
the Atlantic Coast Line and the South
ern were read and voted on in the
same way.
So the new rate Of 2 cents per mile
second class and 2h cents per mile
first class becomes effective March
23rd, unless the railways affected
secure i~njunctions.
Pearson, after all the exceptions had
thus been oveTruled, read the follow
ing:
In the matter OF passenger rates
Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad Com
pany. The commission last July as
sessed the value of the entire property
of the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad
Company at s474, OILS, as it's true value
as required by law. Its officers ap-
peared and strenuoalsly insisted that
said sum was more than the true value
of all its property. The report Of said
Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad Com
pany for the year ending June 80, 1897.
shows that it's net earnings were $780,
I 037. The reduc tion Of passenger rates
to 2 and 2a cents is not over all it's
business, but only ON nat done in this
state. The reduction will therefore be
only about S11 ,4S5 (if there was nothing
to make up for the reduction in price,
leaving still s16S,52 net earnings,
which is $149, 591, in excess OF 4 per cent
on the value, to which numerous decis-
ions of the United States supreme
court would authorize h commission
to reduce rates. But we are OF the
opinion that even this reduction can be
more than made good: % By the in
creased travel induced by reasonable
| rates more in accordance with the re-
duced prices of products and labor and
the enhanced value of money. t2) BY
observance of he law forbddding the
| use of free passes by all others than
| railway officers and employees. The
number of these illegal favors is Sc
! great that this company has refused to
| report the number. Now therefore II
is ordered that the exceptions Of the
| Seaboard and Roanoke railroad to tine
| passenger rates established by the
! commission on the 21st of February
| 1898, are overTuled-"
Pearson said these figures were from
| sw-orn statements. b said: lis i
necessary to hav anything of thl
kind Chairman Caldwell said: mo
| We have simply overruled the excep
| tions." Pearson aid II simply tend
| err his judgement as proper. l am 81
| informed" The motion was put. Pear
| son voted aye; Abbott and Caldwell
| no. Caldwell said: Il assign the fol
lowing reason: that the same is uncer'
| ain in meaning and II
| statement and fails to correspond u
the law and is not sustained by tn
| law" Pearson wanted to know VIVA
was meant by inaccurate" Caldwel
said that the judgement did not con
| form to the United States supreme
| court decision in the Nebraska max
imum case, which he recognized as tn
| law of the land; that h judgement
| Pearson had proposed found as fact:
| things which were not known to bt
facts. He added that it was not neces'
sary to prolong argument. Pearson
said that the law in the judgement
was the opinion of an eminent law
Caldwell said with some heat that III
allowed no lawyer in North Carolina
to dictate to him. Pearson said there
was no dictation. Caldwell the or
| dered the same entry made as to the
judgement offered by Pearson. The
latter then made a statement, saying
the railways had had their day ir
court, January 2Sth, but then said they
could not separate state from inter
state business, but that now. since the
Nebraska decision, they came forward
and separated it.
The conference of populiSts was In
session in the senate chamber until
o'clock this morning. Eighty were
present. About two-thirds made
speeches. Senator Butler and Congress
mar Skinner were conspicuous by theiI
absence. The two wings OF h party
, got together. Some OF those present
said they were glad Skinner and But
Ter were not on hand. as they might
| have caused descord. Some OF tht
populists are attacking Buffers paper
saying st embOdies his own views and
| Ices not treat all fairly.
Judge Purnell is designed by Judg-
| Simonton to hold the federal court a
| Greensboro.