The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-22

Especial to The Messenger.)
Raleigh. y. G. February 11.-The
event today was the meeting OF the
notable gathering OF railway men and
attorneys-Andrews. Turk. Finley.
Culp. Munson. Charles Price. Fairfax
Harrison. w. A. Henderson and Bus
bee, of the Southern: ST. John. McBee.
Glover and Watts. of the Seaboard Air
Line; Elliott and Emerson. Of the At
lantic Coast Line; Hancock Dill,
Of the Atlantic and North Carolina;
Mingea, OF the Norfolk and Western;
F. ID. Jones and Guthrie, OF the Chat
lotte and Durham; Fry and Kyle. of
h Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley;
General Counsel F1emming Dubignon
and Superintendent Crosswell. of the
Southern Express Company. and Sem
ator ]. w. Daniel, of the Bell Tele-
phone Company. Among the other
witnesses were j. w. Wilson and ]. p.
Massenburg, of Henderson.
The first thing done was the adoption
Of the following resolution offered by
Pearson:
That Charles St. John. j. NJ. Jami-
son, w. H. Day, :. l.. Dill, c. :. Allen,
William Moncure, H. s. Leard, j. p.
Massenburg and John T. Patrick are
hereby discharged from attendance on
this commission. as there is nothing
under investigation t require their at
tendance"
These were witnesses subpoenaed by
COMMISSIONS Abbott, but the latter
in a few ninutes put Caldwell and
Pearson on record by Offering a reso-
luton that instanter summons be is
sued for all the above as witnesses.
Pearson AMI Caldwell voted this down.
Abbott said he wanted to see whether
a commissioner had authority to sum-
mons witnesses. Caldwell said yes. UNI
der certain circumstances. but that it
required commissioners to examine the
witnesses.
1t was the comment that Abbott had
scored a point. Railroad people say so.
Republicans are saying the commits
iOn decision will be used in the COM
ing campaign.
Caldwell stated that the witness had
not been summoned by resolution. Abb
bolt asked if other witnesses had not
been summoned without resolution and
the chairman admitted that they had.
but said it was done by consent: that
the witnesses Abbott had brought here
had not been subpoenaed by consent
of a majority Of the commission. Alb
bolt said he knew he was at the mercy
Of the majority, but he defied them;
that he had these witnesses here to
investigate. a matter which had come
before the commission in regard to
one railroad, and he wanted to treat
all alike and see if other roads had
been doing the same thing.
The resolution adopted by Pearson
and Caldwell prevented w. H.. Day
from testifying. He had been specially
summoned to state whether he issued
Seaboard passes in the governors Of
flee during the last session of the legis-
lature, as has been charged.
The e matter taken up was ferti-
liZer freight tariff rates in car load
lots. Emerson, Culp, Glover and Guth-
RE cOntended there was no state sche-
dule in operation for fertilizers from
which to make reduction Of 16 1-3 per
cent. C. E. Borden, for the Navassa
Guano Company, asked that the same
rate be made in this state as in South
Carolina, it being still lower than the
ordered rate would be.
The commission appointed Emerson,
Flower, Cup and Borden a committee
to examine and report to the commits
sion tomorrow a recommendation for a
state rate from which a Is 1-3 per cent
reduction can be made. Emerson asked
Borden if it would be satisfactory to
make 10000 pounds a minimum car
load.
The reduced rate ordered on corn was
discussed. Glover said it in some cases
was a reduction of 33 per cent.
Vice President ST. John was called on
to give evidence as to passes Judge
Watts read an answer from him say
ing last year he had issued $4,000. Pres
ident Elliott also filed his anSwer Both
answer asked that the matter of the
railroad production of passes be held
I'D until the test case against the