Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-09-29
EARLY IN OCTOBER
HEARING OF ARGUMENT IN CAS-:
OF MEMPHIS AGAINST COT
TON BELT.
Judge Cienmons OF interstate Com
merce Commission Says Commits
sion Understands Case.
A DECISION SOON AS ARGUED

| About the middle Of October the
interstate commerce commission will
hear argument III he case of the Mem.
phis freight bureau, against the Cot.
ton Belt railroad. evidence in which
controversy was taken in Memphis
by the commission last June, The
case in question involves a long stand
| ing issue between the Memphis freight
! bureau and the Cotton Belt as to
alleged discrimination in The matter
OF freight rates.
The case finally reached such an
acute stage that early in last sum-
mer the Cotton Belt suspended busi-
| neEs. TN MenAph' s, Withdrawing its.
train service. both passenger and
| freight, and closing its local offices.
This suspension continued for several
| days when the various business bodies
| OF Memphis, in Joint meeting. pro-
posed that the points at issue be sub-
mitted 20 some sort of board OF ar
hi,ration Meanwhile the traffic Off
! clals of the Cotton Belt and represent
atives Of the Memphis freight bureau
were busy along a similar line of pro.
cedure and by mutual consent it was
agreed to appeal the case to the an
| terstate Commerce commission, each
side declaring it's willingness to abide
| by the decision of that body.
Carrying out this idea two members
CT the commission went to Memphis
last June and heard testimony in the
controversy. Two days were consum-
! cd in the hearing. The commissioners
then promised to hear argument some
time in October.
Judge Clemmons of the commission
is quoted in a Washington telegram
as saying that he did not think the
case would be delayed beyond Octo-
| ber Is. An earlier hearing would have
!; been arranged, but for the necessity OF
Gisposing of cases of longer standing
on the docket He said that he sup
posed the attorneys interested were
ready to make argument. as the COM
mission had received no advices to
the contrary. Although Judge Glenn
mons refrained from expressing an
opinion as to the weight of the testi-
mony submitted by either side he said
that the case was not especially com.
plicated and might be disposed OF
soon after hearing the arguments.
"The truth of the matter is" CON
tinued Judge Clemmons, the COM
mission studies the testimony sub-
mitted in such cases, and by the time
the attorneys are ready with their ar
guments we have pretty fair under
standing of the points in controversy.
We have studied the proof in the Cot
| ton Belt case and understand the case
| thoroughly
1t is probable that within a week
after the attorseys make their argu-
ment the commission will be ready
to render their decision.
The case in question was the SUBJ
ject of considerable interest in Men,
phis and throughout the territory con-
nected with that city by the Cotton
Belt A feature of the controversy
that heightened public interest was
the withdrawal of the Cotton Belt from
Memphis, something unheard of in the
history of American railroading. For
this unprecedented procedure the Cot
ton Belt management explained that
| 1t would rather leave Memphis entire
lly than involve the Missouri Pacific
railroad with the city council-the GER
tain result of which would be the revo-
cation of the franchise of the Gould
road to operate over certain streets
in South Memphis. The Cotton Belt
as is we'll known. enters the city OF
Memphis over the tracks of the Mis-
souri, Pacific, or Iron Mountain, and
under the terms of its contract with
! the city the latter company shall not
discriminate against Memphis shipper
o.. allow any other road operating over
its tracks to do likewise. AS the