Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-10
INDUSTRIAL COM MISSION
More Railway Presidents Expected to
Testify.
Alleged Determination I'm Freight
Rates Against Dewer-To-
days Hearing.

It is expected that Mr.. Samuel Spencer.
president of the Southern railway, will ap-
pear before the industrial commission to-
morrow and will be questioned concerning
| transportation problems. His testimony
concerning discriminatory rates in the
south will be of especial interest. The COM
mission is arranging to have Mr.. ]. j. Hill,
president of the Great Northern, come be-
fore 1t, and 1t is possible that he may be
here tomorrow afternoon, though definite
time for him to testify has not yet peen
fixed. Thursday will also be devoted TO
hearing witnesses on transportation, after
which a couple of days will be devoted to
trust witnesses.
Determination Against Denver.
Mr.. George ]. Kindel of Denver, Col,
was before the Industrial commission to-
day. Mr.. Kindel is engaged in the manu-
facture of bedding and does a large ship
ping business east and west of the city in
which he is located. He claims that Den
yer has lost much of its business property
because OF freight rate Determinations by
the railroads.
He wanted to impress the industrial COM
mission with the necessity of strengthening
the interstate commerce commission by the
enactment of laws of the kind that are
contained in the Cullom bill. which empow-
ers the interstate commerce commission to
enforce Its rulings.
To-day" said Mr.. Kindel, 81 regard the
interstate commerce commission a very
expensive statistical bureau"
He also referred to the question of eX
press rates, which he regarded even
more discriminative than the freight rates,
yet the express company is not controlled
by any governmental agency.
Dlsnsrees With Senator Teller.
The witness took exception to Senator
Teller's claim that the industries of Denver
are being injured by the demonstration of
silver. He claimed that 1t was railway dis
examinations and not silver demonetization
that had crippled the industries Of Col
orado.
Mr.. Kindel also said that while he want
ed to be law-abiding, patriotic citizen,
he, like other prosperous men in his section,
is violating the interstate commerce law.
He admitted that he rode on passes. and
did not pay published tariff rates in many
instances. He receives, he said, rebates,
and 1t was generally known that all. his
business associates are doing the same
thing. He claimed it was not the rich but
the poor who suffer by railway dscrimina-
tons, as the rich receive favorable rates
and the poor have to pay the published
rates.
He explained that on one occasion he
wanted to purchase blankets of a firm IL
Ctah, but could not do so, because the
freight was higher to Denver than to CHI
cago- The train carrying blankets to Chi
cago went through Denver, and If the
blankets could have been thrown off at
Denver at Chicago rates he could have
purchased them.
Driven Out of Business.
The witness said he was driven out of the
manufacture of upholstered furniture in
Denver because of the railroad rates. He
enumerated large number of classes of
industries that had once been prosperous in
Denver, and that had been driven out by
discriminating rates. He thought there
was general prosperity all over the country
except in Denver, which was Disseminated
against There was some prosperity there,
but many industries had been crushed out.
The witness was on the stand when The
Stars report was closed.