The Topeka state journal., 1905-11-21
THEY FALL OUT.
Railroad Board Denies Carr
TaylOr's Statement.
Has Not Refused to Subpoena
Witnesses.
ROBISON'S STATEMENT.
Has Been Policy to Furnish All
Help Possible.
Claims of Attorney Are Held Up
by Board.
Mr.. Taylor Insists What He
Says Is True.
ROBISON'S STATEMENT

Things are getting interesting with
the state board of railroad commission
ers and there are indications that open
conflict may break out between the mem
bers of the board and Carr Taylor. the
attorney.
J. W. Robson, chairman of the board,
this morning gave out an interview de-
nying that the board has refused to is
sue subpoenas for witnesses needed by
Mr.. Taylor; denying that Mr.. Taylor is
paying for the services of a stenographer
out Of his own pocket, and denying that
the board is trying in any way to inter
fere with Mr. Taylor's prosecution of
the rate cases.
Mr.. Taylor, however. affirms the re-
port printed in the State Journal to the
effect that he was obliged to hire a spec
iaI stenOgrapher to handle his Nwork, and
that he pays that stenographer out of
his own salary. He viii likely ask the
next legislature to reimburse him.
The board is now holding up number
of other bills contracted by Mr.. Taylor
in securing evidence in the rate cases,
on the ground that the state auditor will
not allow them to pay such bills.
It is possible that Mr Taylor may
try to force the board to pass favorably
upon his claims, and the auditor to pay
them. The claims in dispute are for the
services of stenographer while Mr.. Tay-
lor was taking testimony in Chicago and
other points.
Mr.. Robson this morning gave out
this interview covering the boards side
of the case:
"It has been the policy of the board
to give Mr.. Taylor all the assistance
possible. But the law does not allow
US to use our contingent fund for hir-
ing extra help for him. or for helping
him get up his evidence He is sup
posed to do that himself. Mr. Taylor
himself told me that this stenograp pher,
whom he claims to be paying out Of
his own pocket, IS paid by the Wichita
Comm ercial club, aEd the commercial
clubs of Kansas. We allowed Mr.
Taylor to use the boards stenOgra-
pher, Mr.. Sinner, until Mr.. Sinner be-
came so loaded down with work that
he could not carry it, and then we had
to shut down on that. Then was
when Mr.. Taylor wanted us to give
him an extra stenographer. We were
willing to do so, but the auditor re-
fused to allow the claim for her salary.
He held that the contingent fund could
not be used for that purpose. 1t was
about that time that Mr.. Taylor told
me that the commercial clubs would
hire the stenographer for him.
ct suppose that under the law, we
are not allowed to give Mr.. Taylor any
assistance whatever, so far as expenses
are concerned. He is hired to get up
this evidnce in the rate cass. But as
a matter of fact We have supplied him
with postage stamps all the postage
stamps he needs. I have even allowed
Mr.. Taylor to use my room for an Of
fee; turned over the keys to him. and
told him to consider it his office. There
was no other place for him to go, and
did not often need a private Office.
VIII Issue SubpOenas.
''The board did not refuse to issue
subpoenas in the salt rate case; it
simply held up Mr.. Taylor's request
until it could see whether or not the
case would be heard. Mr.. Taylor sent
signed them. We had some expert
ence with Mr.. TayIor's subpoena busi-
ness in the grain rate case. He wanted
to issue a lot of subpOenas in that
case, and we refused, on the ground
that the case was likely to be con-
tinued. 1t was continued as we ex-
/ pected, on Mr.. Taylor's own request.
Had we issued them we would have
wasted several hundred dollars.
1.-The board has decided that it will
not issue more than three subpoenas
| for witnesses who will testify to the
same general facts. We don't want to
pile up a lot of evidence on the same
subject; there's no use in it.
eff Mr.. Taylor would find out what
! his witnesses are going to testify, and
subpoena the one he needs, he will
! have no trouble. In that grocery
| commodity case, he put Resing on the
I SIanQs assuming L1idI LAGo4Al5 ) LdD1GS
, were all right. The result was that
about two days time was entirely
wasted.
1--WE propose to protect our contin-
/ gent fund, and not draw on it unneceS-
sarily It is rather a small fund to
1 begiA with, and we must eXpend it ac-
/ cOrding to law.
Mr.. Taylor now has a lot of bills
! pending before the board for the ex-
1 pense to which he went in taking depo-
] cit fhnrn in fTn4r1Tn and other
/ places. I am informed that these depo-
sitions are not in such shape that they
/ can be used in evidence, and yet Mr..
Taylor expects US to pay the expense
! of getting them
May Not Be a Candidate.
81 am trying to do the square thing
on this board, and I am not anxious
! about reelection. Whether or not am
/ a candidate depends entirely upon
my constituents; if they are satisfied
with me, I viii be a candidate; if they
are not, I am ready to quit.
II don't know what the other mem
t bers of the board exnect to do, though
/ I understand that Mr.. Walker is not q
+ candidate. Both Mr.. Walker and Mr..
7 Vhea tIev are valuable members on this
+ board; they are lawyers, and have given
me much valuable information have
+ never seen a thing to indicate that eth
/ er of them was disposed to do otherwise
than give everybody a square deal
/ believe that the board is doing its duty
/ as it sees 1t. In all our opinions we
have been unanimous. with the excep-
tion of the HOckaday suit, and = this
/ Mr.. Walker dissented because he
/ thought that it was an interstate COM
merce proposition.
Blames the Railroads.
What the legislature should have
done was to give the board a rate clerk,
! and made it possible for Carr Taylor to