Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-17
TO TAKE TESTIMONY
subcommittee May Act for
Senate Committee.
TALKING OF METHODS
HEARINGS ON RAILWAY RATES
TO BE RESUMED.
Meeting Of the Senate Committee on
Interstate Commerce This
Afternoon.
TALKING OF METHODS

The Senate committee on Interstate COM
merce reassembled at the Capitol today to
resume Its hearings on the subject OF the
regulation of railroads by the government
1t was found that the committee had an I'M
portant matter to decide, so that no ar
rangement was made for the hearing OF
witnesses today, but the first thing tomor-
row the committee will open its doors to
witnesses and will hear their testimony.
The question that the committee Will
want to decide today relates to the mar
ner In which the hearings shall be con-
Quoted. The Senate authorized and di-
rected the committee to consider the queS-
ton of additional legislation to regulate
interstate commerce and to authorize the
interstate commerce commission to fix
rates of freights and fares and to acquire
further information as to interstate com
merce, including violations or evasions of
the anti-rebate law and the devices and
methods by which such evasions are ac-
complished. and including refrigerator and
other private-car systems. industrial rail-
way trucks, switching charges and the like.
and also to consider what legislation should
be enacted in relation to the liability Of
railway companies engaged in interstate
traffic or, operating lines in any territory
of the United States for injuries received by
their employees when in the discharge or
duty"
A Subcommittee Suggested.
This instruction as to the scope of the
inquiry the committee is to make is very
extensive and calls for a long series of
hearings. While these meetings are likely
to result in great deal of interesting data
hail, fo. ~ fhn Can.
ate, and also to enable the committee to
formulate a bill to comply with the pur-
pose sought by the Senate 1t has developed
that large number of the members of the
committee do not relish the idea of sitting
in room during the long and hot summer
days that are to come and personally lis
tening to the testimony that is to be Of
fered by distinguished men whose opinions
are greatly valued They think they can
just as well remain at home or attend to
other business, and later read the printed
report of the testimony, leaving to a SUBJ
committee the work of conducting the hear
ings.
For that reason when the committee as
sembled this afternoon at 3 o'clock the
question of appointing subcommittee was
taken up, and before 1t adjourns today 1t
is likely that it will have been decided to
appoint such committee to conduct the
hearings. Senator Elkins. chairman of the
committee, will of course be chairman of the
subcommittee, and he WILL it is expected
be present at all of the hearings. The SUBJ
committee will probably consist of five
members, and this subcommittee will be
made up of senators who find that they can
give up as much of their time as may be
necessary to give the subject the fullest
consideration.
Opposition to the Suggestion.
The result of the committees meeting to-
day and consideration of this subject will
not be known until late this afternoon The
suggestion to have such a subcommittee as
is proposed will be opposed vigorously by
some senators who think that they should
all be present in order to make the inquiry
as complete as possible.
Even those who do not take the view
that the investigation should not be car
ried on by subcommittee concede that
such course is warranted so far as the
authority of the committee is concerned
The committee will use its subcommittee
merely to procure the data on which the
full committee will act. The subcommittee
will also probably draft a bill which it
will report to the full committee as a
measure which will comply with the pur-
poses Of the Senate in authorizing the
hearings.
Railway Men Asked to Appear.
The following railroad men have been
requested to appear before the committee to-
morrow morning:
w. K. Vanderbilt of the New York Cen
trail, George Gould of the Gould system E.
H. Hartman of the Union Pacific ]. ]. Hill
Of the Great Northern, A. J. Cassatt of the
Pennsylvania, E. D. Kenna, vice president
OF the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe; Wall
ker ID. Hines, general counsel of the Louis
vile and Nashville; Hugh L. Bond general
counsel of the Baltimore and Ohio; Wins
low Pierce, general counsel of the Gould
system; President Hughitt of the Chicago
and Northwestern, President Ripley of the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe; President
Tuttle of the Boston and Maine, Vice Presi-
dent Wilcox of the Delaware and Hudson
President Truesdale of the Delaware, Lack
awanna and Western; President Spencer of
the Southern, President Melen of the New
York, New Haven and Hartford, and Presi-
dent Fish of the Illinois Central. OF these
only Messrs. Cassatt, Fish, Spencer and
Tuttle have signiffed a willingness to at
tend, and they say they will not be able to
tees sittings. Among the non-rairoad men
Morgan, Prof w. H. Ripley of Harvard Uni
versity, and Victor Morawetz, the corpora
ton attorney of New York.
Requests have been made for the privilege
of appearing before the committee from the
following:
c. W. Robinson, New Orleans La T. B.
Thurber of the Union League Club of New
York; Joseph Nimmo, jr., statistician, Wash
ngton; Henry r. Post, San Francisco;
George F. Meade, Boston, Mass; Paul
Jones, New York H. T. Newcomb, Wash
ington; J. II. Hale, Harvard College; George
s. Gardiner, Mississippi, and j. I. West
brook, Wallace N. C.