The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-20
CLEMENTS
 AS WITNESS Commerce Commissioned Center of Interest. EXPLAINS DIFFICULT Attacks on Body SarcaStlcally
 Repudiatcd. Criticisms of James '. Hnl Notieed h ParticuInr--Takes . F1ing at
 Rockefeller and Pre-
 fessor Meyer.
EXPLAINS DIFFICULTIES

Washington, May 1s.-Both sides of the rate hearing question were repre- sented at the session today of the Sem ate Committee on Interstate Commerce.. Interstate Commerce Commissioner Judson c. Clements was the star wit ness, detailing the difficulties that con- fronted the Commission in its work and repudiating attacks made on that body. particularly answering q num- Der of criticisms by James J. Hill.
 Commissioner Clements spoke sar- castically of the claim that only traf- fc men had the knowledge necessary to make rates and declared that Tn ths hearings an effort had been male to turn the investigation into criticism of the Commission. Mir. Clements said that it was not intended n the pro- posed legislation to confer general rate-making power on the Commission and in answering a question of sena- Cor Deliver declared that q feclsion of the maximum rate case which held that the power attempted to be exercised would give authority to give ali rates, went too far. The Commission, ne said would deal with complaints as they were made. Senator Kean asked If it did not take year to decide | certain case mentioned. T suppose" retorsed the Commissioner, that the qusstion Is to indicate that the Commission was dilatory."
 Mir. Clements then explained that the delay was due to the immense amount of testimony taken and t1 pres sure Of other business before the Com mission. He told about the Issue of $50,00U,000 in stock by the Atlantic Coast Line to buy a controlling inter- est In the Louisville and Nashville and insisted that this Issue should ne cun- sidered in determining what was . rea- sonable rate
 Reduction Improbable.
 This additional stock, he ids1. was part of the fixed charges # ths At- fantic Coast Line and borne Ey the l revenues If the road. Mir. Clements instanced the relations of the PeaEsyI- vanla Railroad with the Balflinorn and Ohio, the Chesapeake and Ohio, an1 the i Norfolk and western and said that several men held directorstips in all of them, adding that this indi3tted that there was little probability or reiuc- ton of rates by competitors under these conditions.
 coninfssloner clem4uts n retsssing I to statements Of Prof. Meyer of the | Chicago University. whom re aIled q ''doctrinaire suggested that therA was an "aristocraey of wealth whIeh ecUid hire men to advocate the theory vf vested rights against the rights of ir- | dividuals," and asserted that sthe rat- ron saint of the institution to which Prof. Meyer belongs" had colossal 1 fortune built up by rebates enabling him to obtain the property of conipcti- | tors. He said that in the press and l colleges were found the advocates of the superiority of vested rights.
 Commissioner Clements was heard by the subcommittee regarding freight rates. From the beginning of these | ha continual effort to disparage the Inter state Commerce Commission and it's work. The advocates of the corpora. tions had intimated that the desire Of the control and regulation had been brought about through the solicitation of the commission. He vigorously re- sented the insinuation that had been cast upon the commission during the hearings. The commission, he said, mad for ten years made recomnendations for amendment of the law. but tha railroad men had paid no attention to the matter until the President mad recommended such amendment.
 Why" he asked, did not these mon attack the President, Secretary Taft. Representative Williams and Mir. Bry- an," all of whom, he said. were advo- eating the legislation, instead of ar raigning the committed? These ad cates he said, arraigned the comm sion for not prosecuting them for fai ure to enforce the law. The railroads complained because the commission did not prosecute them for committing crimes and violating the law.
 Difficulties Explained.
 Commissioner Clement explained tha difficulty of the situation and the length 1t had taken to get testimony. Every point, he said. had been con- tested and carried to the Supreme Court. The advocates of the railroads, said the commissioner, had asserted that if the commission was given pow CT to make rates, 1t would be over whelmed with complaints and at the same time said there was no complaint on rates at the present time
 No member of the Interstate Co mission ever wrote a line of the Els Townsend bill, as assumed by the 4.- road advocates, he said. The comT sion had never asked for authority l make everybody's rate, but only power to correct an unreasonable rate. Nor had the commission ever asked more than had been recommended by the President, yet the President had been spoken of with respect, while there was nothing but criticism for the al- legged thirst for power of the comnis- sion and also because the comsaisstSn did not correct evils.
 Referring to J. J. HHrs aHexes persion of the commission for nof recting unjust and extOrttona. .Arm charges in New York, he sald lea condition described by Mir ht4j did not exist The only lime ts mission had any dealings with As ttl was in the investigation Jk tile aa ern securities case. waica nnsliy eug with a decision of the Suprs nv coal that Mir. Hill and his associales wefa engaged in conspiracy.
 
 In Case of Lorenxs
 Washington, May I9-In the criminal