The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-27
SOME CHAIRS ARE VACANT
MILLING MEN AND RAILROAD
OFFICIALS MISSING
Decide to Take a Vacation Because
of the Session Tomorrow of the
Interstate Commerce Commission
wv. A. Day, Counsel for the Conn
mission, Arrives In ST. Paul
Others Arrive This Morning..

The first sitting of the interstate
commerce commission in the investiga-
ton of local roads and their methods
or handling flour from Minneapolis and
common points will take place tomor-
row morning in the United States court
room.
There will be but three members of
the commission In attendance, but this
number constitute a quorum. The
three commissioners will arrive here
from Chicago this morning and have
engaged rooms at the Ryan. They are
Judge Judson c. Clements, of Georgia;
j. d. Yeomans, of Iowa, and w. j.
Calhoun, of Illinois.
Chairman NJ. l. Knapp. of New York,
and Charles E. Prouty, of Vermont,
will be unable to- attend the meeting
on account of official duties elsewhere.
In the absence of the regular chairman,
Judge Clements will preside.
w. A. Day, of Washington, who will
act as counsel for the commission, ar
rived here yesterday morning and reg
istered at the Ryan. He had the fol-
lowing to say to a G o b e reporter
Since January, 1897, the flour rates
from Minneapolis have been democrat
lied and have f1uctuated in a month as
much as $50 car Up and down they
re\e been going and there has been no
~. lily. The act of congress relative
'EItS commerce commission,
E'3ses that body with the duty of
M0ing Informed as to how the roads
lie their shipments, and the COM
rs sion desires to know why there
hould be such decentralization in the
btr rates. 1t wants to know the rea-
On for this violent f1uctuation.
THE session will last about two or
Gree days; 1T certainly cannot last lon
ger, for the commission has a hearing
set for March 81 in Chicago anent the
%ickyards' case"
asked as to whether the coming in
curry will develop any startling feat
tcrs as to illegal rate quoting on flour.
tN3'. Day smiled and said:
j : On that point / am obliged to keep
let. You must question the mem
x of the commission regarding that"
1 Have all the subpoenas been serv-
s. No, I am sorry to say. United
G ties Marshal OConnor was unable
81 find number of individuals wanted
q the commission. I understand there
r ) quite a number of milling men and
II flroad officials missing from their
.E lal posts since Mr.. O'COnnor receiV-
Id instructions to serve the papers on
~ en-"
III Much discussion has been on among
III al railroad men as to whether the
illnesses In the coming investigation
VIII be compelled to answer all Ques-
lions put to them. A similar case oc-
CURED in the East not long ago when
Auditor Brown. of the New York &
Pennsylvania line, refused to reply to
an Interrogation put to him by men,
Der Of the commission. The auditor
was sentenced to Imprisonment in the
county jail and the sentence was af-
firmed by the supreme court when ap-
pealed. The official finally decided to
answer the question.
1t is understood that several prom
inent flour men of Minneapolis have
been called away on business and that
the chairs of a number Of we'll known
railroad officials are vacant at present.
The roads having summons served
upon them are the Great Northern,
Eastern Railway Of Minnesota Chi
cago, Milwaukee & st. Paul, Chicago,
Burlington & Northern, Chicago, Great
Western, Minneapolis & st. Louis, st.
Paul & Duluth. Chicago, ST. Paul, Min
neapolis & Omaha, 500 line, Wisconsin
Central and the Flint & Pere Mar
quette.
The milling firms subpoened are
Washburn, Crosby & Co., Pillsbury
mills, Consolidated mills, Imperial and
Minkota mills the two latter being at
Duluth.
Counsel Day is positive that all the
roads summoned will be represented
by their general freight agents and
auditors, as requested in the papers.