Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-01-03
RIPLEY
Den | Al
PRESIDENT OF SANTA FE AN.
swERs CHARGE or VIOLA.
TloN oFdTtiE LAW.
HALLS THE COMMISSION
Railroad Man Defends the Railroad Of
Which He is the Head and Declares
That interstate Board Has Been
Used ae cat'spaw In Damage Suit.

Chicago, Jan. 2.-That the Santa Fe
railroad has not violated the spirit of
the Interstate comm cree law and that
| the Interstate commission has been
used as a cat's-paw In the futherance
lof suit for damages," was the an
swer made yesterday by PresidenEe Id,
p. Ripley ofathe Santa Fe to charges
made against the road.
The accusation against the transports
alton company was that, through its
traffic chief, presumably Paul Morton,
| 1t had made secret contract with the
Colorado Fuel and Iron Company
whereby that company benefited to
/ the extent of more than $1,000 day.
The specific charge, made two weeks
ago in q hearing before the interstate
commerce commission, was that the
road had granted to the Fuel and Iron
company rate of $1.10 a ton on coal
from Trinidad, Colo, to Deming, N. NJ,
or $1.15 ton less than the rate named
in the tariff filed with the Interstate
commission.
Say Ruin Was Result.
It was declared that the granting III
this low rate had resulted In the rim
OF the Caledonian Coal company. Pres
ident Ripley's statement is as foRows:
SO many and such distorted /state-
ments have been publfsed aHfto the
recent hearing before two members
Eof the interstate commissioA, wherein
this company is charged with granting
secret rebates to the Colorado Fuel
and Iron Company, that 1t seems
proper that should make a simple
statement of the facts so that the
case may not be prejndged by the pub.
lie as it seems to have been by one
member at least OF the interstate COM
mission
K The AtchisoH, Topeka g. Santa Fe
company has not in this case been
guilty Of violating the spirit and in
tent Of the interstate commerce law.
.sI do not think 1t has even been guilty
OF technical violation, though that is
q matter for adjudication by legal
minds.
No Provision Of Law.
There is no provision of the II
which requires that divisions of
& through rates with other raiIroaIs
Shall be fled with the Interstate com.
mission, nor is It customary to do SO.
There Is no PROV ision nor has the com.
4 }rnission ever claimed that the sum we
accept as q proportion Of through
4 rate from the Colorado coal fields I'd
/ POINTS on the Ell Paso and Southwes:
/! tern Road should be the same ais our
/ rate to the junction with that road nor
] 4. Is there any reason, legal, CONNER,
Acail or ethical, why these rates should
5Iaabe the same. Indeed the courts have
lheld that there may well be 4 differ.
iIence
The arrang cement which Is under
4 .Idiscussion was made with the El Paso
land Southwestern Railway company
4 for Its own benefiA and use and IN nc
manner discriminated against any ii
A ajiividual, firm or corporation Id the coal
\ business. Neither this company nor
hny of its officers lare in any manner
4 interested financially or otherwise in
The Colorado Fuel l& IRON company oi
B Its operations, or In any other coal
company, and thjS, statement includes
Mr. Morton WHO n not now an officer
'asof the company but was at the time
his arrangement II as made. we have
roken no law and have nothing Il
Apologize for.
Used aa a Cats Paw.
The interest ate commerce commits
Continued on page u
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