Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-29
NOW HAS THE PAPERS
Changes in Freight olsshfcations Referred
to Him.
COMMISSION EXPRESSES NO OPINION
In Cnse Injustice Is Done by Change
of classification They Arc
Powcrless to Pre-
vent II.

h'NN w
< vent II.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2S.-Today the In
t~erstate Commerce Commission, in COM
pliancc with the request Of the freight
shippers and representatives Of the com
mercial interests, transmitted to Attorney
General Griggs a transcript Of the evidence
given last week at the hearing respecting
the new classification Of freight made by
the official classification committee The
proposed classification is to be made cftcc-
tive on January / by all railroads using the
Official classification. These include more
than sixty lines east Of the Mississippi anu
north Of the Ohio and Potomac rivers. Inc
petition of the shippers was that the com
mission should transmit the evidence taken
before it to the attorney general with a
recommendation that he institute legal pro-
c~eedings by injunction or otherwise to re-
strain the railroads from putting the new
classification into effect. To the request of
the shippers the commission in part com
plies. The evidence and arguments are
transmitted to the attorney general, but
without recommendation. The letter of
transmittal is long, the commission desiring
TO place the case fully before the attorney
general. After reviewing the proceedings
which led up to the hearing the letter,
which is signed for the commission by Mar
tin A. Knapp as chairman, reads:
I'm the course of this hearing the com
mission took the testimony of c. e. Gill,
chairman Of the official classification com
mittee; Nathan Guilford, traffic manager of
the New York Central & Hudson River
Railroad company, and Frank Harriott, n
member of the official classification com
mittee, who is also the general freight trat-
fc manager of the Erie railroad.
at the conclusion of the testimony given
by these witnesses an application was made
in writing by many of the shippers present
that such testimony be transmitted to the
attorney general of the United States, the
claim being made by them that the evidence
showed a violation OF the act of congress
commonly known as the Sherman antitrust
law.
"In compliance with this request the com
mission herewith transmits a copy of the
proceedings had at the. hearing of the 2lst
and 22d inst. There is also with this a
copy Of the proposed new classification re-
ceived from Mr.. Gill, as above stated, to-
gether with a copy of the official classical
ton heretofore and now in use.
DeIuGed with Petitions.
Since the order made on the Sth inst, a
large number of petitions and protests have
been received from shippers in various parts
vi lIp hIoNi Z illA sum
petitions have continued to be received
down to the present time. These petitions
and protests will be transmitted to you at
any time upon your request, and the COM
mission will promptly furnish any further
information which can be supplied from the
records and files in its possession.
while it is not the province of this COM
mission to determine whether the testimony
above referred to shows a violation of the
--.g ..,,-A loo, a-I -. - Il" ynrNr-
upon that point, there are certain features
OF the case to which we deem it proper to
call your attention
with some unimportant exceptions the
general fact appears to be that the class
rates at present in force, and which will
presumably be applied to the new classii-
cation, are now the same as, or higher than
they were In 1887, when the act to regulate
was passed.
almost all the changes shown in the
new classification are from lower to higher
classes. The result will be, If the present
class rates are continued, that charges on
any article advanced to a higher class will
be increased by the differences between the
rates applied to the class in which the art
icle was formerly placed and the higher
rates of the class to which it has been ad-
yanced. This increase is considerable in all
cases and very great in many cases, amount
ing in some instances to 100 per cent or
more.
Changes Made Increase Charges.
The changes in classification are to be
made for the conceded purpose of increas-
ing the rates on articles advanced and
thereby increasing the revenue derived by
the carriers from the transportation of such
articles. The number and variety OF articles
advanced is shown by a list of the same
annexed hereto.
The protesting shippers assert that in
creases in rates to the extent affected by
these changes in classification are without
Justification and will result in excessive
charges upon most If not all of the articles
in question. They also allege that hardship
and injustice will result from the changes
which will be made in the relation of rates,
especially from the increases in the differ
ence between carload and less than carload
charges. IL the contention in these respects
is we'll founded. as TO which we express no
opinion, a wrong is about to be accomplished
which the commission is powerless to pre-
vent and for which the act to regulate COM
merce affords no adequate redress. The facts
above set forth are submitted for your con
sideration."
Attorney General Griggs, who is i'll today,
has given, of course, no intimation as yet
what action, IL any, he may take in the
premises. Necessarily, he will have to re-
view the testimony before he can reach an
intelligent conclusion In any event, It is
said. it will be several days before the mat
ter can be determined.
TO STOP THE PALACE 4 TRUST
Pullman StockhoIde Brings suit Ia
stop Consolidation with Wagner.
CHICAGO, Dec. 2S.-The objection to the
proposed merging OF the Wagner Palace Car
company into the Pullman Palace Car COM
pany on the ground that II will create n
trust in and a monopoly Of the sleeping and
palace car business is made in a bill filed
today in the circuit court by Newman Letter
OF Alton, ILL.,, one of the shareholders OF the
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