The San Francisco call., 1898-05-17
No Questions About News paper Blacknail and
 Hush Money.
He Tells a Beautiful Story About Supplying Corn
 at Cost.
The Benevolent Financier Regrets His Inability to Enlishten
 ihe Commission.

The Southern Pacific sage and diplomat, c. P. Huntington, passed yesterday morn ing in United States Commissioner Hea- cocks court answering questions relating to the operating expenditures of his road in 1894. Among other things he was re- Quested to explain certain entries made in the report regarding the deficiencies in the different branches.
 The indomitable witness appeared before the Railroad Commissioners in the after noon. and, cool and collected as ever, en- tertained his interrogators by telling them everything that they didn't want to know.
 As on previous occasions, the attorneys for the State and the commissioners gave B wide berth to anything that would tend to draw from the witness anything per taining to the thousands of dollars that have been paid to a certain San Fran cisco newspaper as hush money. This particular item of contingent expense does not seem to possess any attractions for the legal gentlemen who are probing for facts.
 The value of the railroad property was the principal thing that the Commission CTS aimed to draw from the witness, but the secret still remains locked up in the vault Of his mental depository, and the indications up to date are that 1t will stay there.
 "The road cost the stock and bonds and floating indebtedness, said Hunting ton. 'I believe we shall sometime get a fair interest on what it cost.
 Taking this answer as a basis of cal cuIation, the Commissioners concluded not to attempt to figure out the cost Of the property.
 When asked how much the Central Pa cific could be constructed for at this tme MT. Huntington said no one could tell un- less he were a prophet or the son of a prophet He had known rails to go UP in ddsn9t month from n5cb aS to said sGS he. Metal, however, in it's crude state is very much lower than 1t was: but when the crude metal goes into manufactured shape, it goes up; for in stance if made into watch springs It might be worth $100 a pound.
 In the same manner he answered ques- tions relating to the disposal of bonds, as. the land grants and donations, and the division of profits among the Big Four, tionary m aIro upon the building of the road. and MT. Huntington insisted that anybody do- ing as much as he had done ID oS cotlsei uce- ing railroads should be rewarded;
 Then MT. Huntington took up the sup ject of passes.
 passes he said, 'and I would like to give away great many more. It would make me very c uncon. tho hard luck, stories. l gave a pass to d woman to-day, and wrote charity on IT. She cried and said she could not use It 
 He was in favor of giving a pass to every competent man who worked for the State for as low a salary as S3Vo0. so tnae he could travel over the State, even if he Huntington had to pay little more for his own fare. His charity passes were numerous vet outside of official passes he thonght not one man in thousand secured free transportation. There are not so many free passes issued as a year
 Afr. Hinton remarked that 1t was the intention of the commission to treat both sides fairly.
 observed MT. Huntington. ''I believe was intended for a political machine IT there was not a political object Tn thls matter there never would have been a Railroad Commission"
 He was "called down for this eXpres- sion of opinion, but he kept right on, and told how he had intended to transporrt pr corn from Nebraska and sell it in Cali fornia at actual cost He recounted the good things accomplished by the raii- world s'The only stock subscribed in San Francisco for the Central Pacfhc, said Mir. Huntington, was ten shares by a German shoemaker and ten shares by
 While discussing Stanford, in response for his truthfulness, but criticised him for his business methods. Stanford, 1t Is true, had s1. 300 900 as g. starter, but he got it from his brother" said he.
 Didn't Stanford testify to the truth when he stated that they (the Big Four) drew out S13,000,00O apiece?" asked Com missioner Hinton
 ''The stock was sold and we got divi- dends" was Huntingtons reply. Stan ford didn't steal any money-what he got he got honestly"
 ''f didn't mean to say that he did" sWered MT. Hinton.
 ''You might make something Of this not money, but
 Huntingdon was about to finish, but was called to order by Hinton, who wanted him to understand that he, the commits sioner, was not on trial.
 These matters are reVamped, and"
 Nothing of the kind-nothing. is being revamped," retorted Hinton. with consid- erable emphasis.
 After some further discussion 1t was concluded to excuse MT. Huntington un- til further notice, although the mag nate is very anxious to sever his diplo- lomatic relations with the California Railroad Commission.