The San Francisco call., 1899-04-12
FIVE MON THIS
DELAY IN THE
GRAIN CASES
No Relief for This
Years Crop.
MORE FLAT-CAR STATISTICS
ALL THE EVIDENCE MUST BE
PUT IN SOON.
Railroad Company Will Not Dismiss
the Case, but Will Nurse It
Along the Cal
endar.
MORE FLAT-CAR STATISTICS
ALL THE EVIDENCE MUST BE
PUT IN SOON.

After a delay of many weary months
waiting for the Southern Pacific Company
to present its evidence to the court and to
show cause why the reduction in grain
rates should not go into effect, action was
taken in the United States Circuit Court
yesterday which puts the case back an
other five months, until after the COM
ing wheat crop this year in California
will have been harvested and stored,
leaving the California farmer without the
relief in the shape of a reasonable freight
rate which he has been so fervently pray
ing for.
For several months past, at fitful in
tervalS, dependent upon the changes or
the moon and the tidal fluctuations of the
Herrin mentality, the attorneys for the
Southern Pacific Company have been TAX
ing testimony before Master in Chancery
Heacock in the, Appraisers building on
such vital points as the total number. or
fiat cars owned by the company ana the
exact number of screws and bolts in the
tool houses along the route.
in the Circuit Court for hearing and on
each occasion the attorneys for the great
corporation have pleaded that they need
ed more time in which to put IN their
evidence and continuances have been
granted, only to be followed by re-
newal of the request for delay.
appeared in the Circuit Court yesterday
and protested in the name of the people
against any further conttnuances. Ihey
insisted that the railroad people should
at once close their case so far as the TAX
ing of testimony before the Master in
Chancery was concerned, and that the
Railroad Commissioners should nave an
early opportunity to present the evidence
sustaining the contention for reduction
of the rates.
The railroad company was not repre-
sented in court and Attorney General
Ford Robert Y. Hayne and United States
Assistant District Attorney Woodworth
appeared for the Railroad Commission
ers. They urged a speedy end to the case
and after consultation the court made the
following order:
Case continued for the term, and on
motion of defendants attorneys and
upon good cause shown, it is ordered
that the period within which the
plaintiff is allowed to introduce cyl
dence in the above entitled cause be
and the same is hereby fixed at four
months from the 4th day of May 1899,
and that the defendant be allowed
said period within which to Introduce
evidence in said cause and on their
part and one month thereafter in
which to rebut the evidence that may
be introduced by the complainant. and
that no further time be allowed either
party thereafter in which TO introduce
evidence in said cause.
Thus the farmer win not reap any bene-
fit this wear from any legal action that
may be had in the matter, as by the time
that the evidence is put in the wheat
crop will have passed out of the hands
of the grower.
When the four months shall have
passed the indications are that the rail-
road people win seize some pretext for
another postponement so as to carry the
litigation over until the crop of 1900 shall
have been harvested and hauled at the
old rates.
It has been authoritatively stated that
the Southern Pacific Company will not
dismiss the suit, and the issue bids far
to grow moldy in the courts before the
long-suffering grain grower can hope for
any relief,