The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-22
TRIED TO D0DCEIT
Witness HOgshett, in Salt Case,
Didn't Escape.
Caught by Subpoena AZ He Was
Leaving.
TELLS OF REBATES.
Missouri Pacific Paid Five Cents
Per Hundred.
E. E. Barton Tells of His Deal
With Rock Island.
ELLIS OF REBATES.

Sensational testimony concerning
rebates was introduced this morning
at the hearing of the salt rate case be-
fore the state board of railroad com
missioners.
One witness, a man named S. H.
Hogshett, salesman for the Great
Western Salt company. brokerage
concern in st. Louis, who was here at
tending as a spectator, got wind of the
intention of Carr Taylor to place him
on thu witness stand, and departed.
subpoena was issued for him, and
the paper was served at the Copeland
just as he had paid his bill and was
starting for the train.
When placed on the stand, Hog
shett admitted that he had received
from the Missouri PacInc a 5 cent re-
bate on salt shipments for a consid-
cradle period of time
J. H. Richards, attorney for the Mis-
souri, Pacific, put Mr.. Hogshett
through savage cross examination,
apparently assuming that Hogshett
was a witness hostile to him. The re-
suit was that Mr. Hogshett was forced
to tell good deal more than was
railroads.
G. P. Kelly. another salesman for
the Great Western Salt company, was
also called as a witness, and testffed
70 very much the same things as did
aogshett.
Then E. E. Barton, an independent
salt producer at Hutchinson took the
stand, and told with considerable re-
luctance of system of rebates which
was allowed him by the Rock Island.
Barton said, in response to q question
as TO whether nR had 4
bates:
me- '''7 D7ii9Ai' S'ocr uiiis TO
What road"
head warningIy at Carr Taylor. who
was asking the questions, but Taylor
proceeded:
Explain the deal"
We'll, [ had an ARRANGEMENT wifi, the
Rock Island by which was kept alive
until could get on my own feet.
simply sold my salt to the Rock Island
You see, in 1891, the Missouri Pacific
and Santa F'e went into a pool to con-
troll the salt shipments down there
They had been fighting each other hard
and finally the time came for peace
The Rock Island at that time was not
very friendly to the salt business in
Kansas, and it didn't get in on IT, pool
The deal was, as I recollect, that for
every 10 pans of salt shipped on the
Missouri Pacific, there should be IS
snlpped on the Santa F'e. The Rock Is
land couldn't get any business at all
and this resulted in my building a salt
plant, to ship salt on the Rock Island
with the understanding that q was to
be protected absolutely by the Rock Is
land. That's all there was to it,
M. A. Low s-quesuoned the wit
ness, but did not secure any material
changes in the story.
Mr.. Barton was asked by Carr Tay-
Tor to explain the s 2-3 cent rate on
salt which for a time 0TaWaf1aI in
Kansas.
''The time that rate was made" said
Mr. Barton, there was a lot of news
paper talk about rate favoritism, re-
bates and so forth. Things had gotten
into such shape that the railroad Of
ffcials tn emseives did not know where
they were at. The Santa Fe was in
vestigated by a firm of accountants,
Little & Co, believe, and they found
that the apparent assets of the com
pany were upwards of $4,000. 900 more
than the actual assets. The missing
assets were represented by the rebates
which had been paid out secretly The
railroad officials wanted to find out
where they stood and the order went
out that every secret rate in existence
should be thrown wide open. The
printing presses were kept busy for
months running off new tariffs, and
this salt rate was one of the rates
which was cut down to the secret rate
basis
That's all hearsay and newspaper
talk, isn't it % asked NJ. A Low
''It is the fact, well known to about
forty millions of people at the time .
replied Barton.
r. M. Taylor, a rate man employed
by one of the Hutchinson salt con-
Germs, presented to the board a large
number of tables and maps to show
the discrimination which he contends
exists against Kansas salt shippers.
---