The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-05-15
THE UNITED STATES SENATE INQUIRY INTO THE
RATE LEGISLATION QUESTION HAS TURNED
OUT TO BE LITTLE MORE THAN CONFER
ENCE TO DRAW UP A RAILROAD BRIEF
AGAINST FEDERAL RATE MAKING

DDS by which evasions are accom-
plished, including refrigerator and
other private car systems, Industrial
railway tracks, switching charges and
the like. and also to consider what
legislation should be enacted in re-
lation to the liability of railroad com
panies engaged in interstate traffic
for injuries received by their en-
ployes when in the discharge of their
duty"
Not witness has been called or
question asked on any of these topics.
Up to the present time tho hearings
have been an absolutely sided
affair The only witnesses called
have been railroad lawyers, and traf-
tic managers, and their testimony has
been carefully directed by Chairman
Stephen h. Elkins. with a view to
making a brief against a grant of
rate-making authority to the govern
ment, and with a further view to ex-
Guiding any evidence which might be
opposed to this general argument.
For the better accomplishment of
this purpose the printed record of
the hearings, which purports to be a
verbatim and accurate account of the
testimony, has been daily revised by
the witnesses and senators of the
committee, and parts of it stricken
out.
But the hearings have hal a still
more remarkable feature. Since the
opening day on the 18th of April, the
voice and directing mind of the as
ISOLATED railway interests which are
opposing this legislation have been
present in the committee room in
the person of former United States
Senator Charles b. Faulkner of West
Virginia, who has occupied a seat
directly behind that of Chairman Ell
kins, suggesting with whispered
questions the line of evidence to be
brought out. 1t is matter of COM
mon knowledge about the committee
that Faulkner is in charge of the as
ISOLATED railroad lobby, and that he is
the chairman.
The railroads represented by
Faulkner include the Atchison. Tope-
ka x Santa Fe, the Chicago, Burling-
ton & Quincy, the Northern Pacific
and Great Northern, the Louisville
& Nashville. the Southern. the New
York. New Haven & Hartford, the
Boston & Maine, the Delaware & 1Iud-
son, the Missouri Pacific, the Erie,
the Rock Island and some others.
1t is understood. though the infor-
! nation can not now be confirmed,
that the Vanderbilt interests and the
! Pennsylvania have declined to join
the league of railroads which is maxi
| ing this concerted effort to kill eff
fective railroad legislation.
The witnesses who have given evil
! dence before the senate committee
, include Victor Morawetz. general
| counsel for the Santa Fe system; j.
j. Hill, president of the Great North
ern; Lucius futile, president of the
BOSTON & Maine; Walker d, Hines,
special counsel for the Louisville &
( Nashvile; James II. Hiland, traffic
/ manager of the Rock Island system;
Robert Mather, of the Burlington;
Hugh l.. Bond, traffic manager of the
Baltimore q Ohio; Charles Lincoln,
| traffic manager of the Santa Fe sys-
, TEN, and George r. Peck, general
! counsel for the Rock Island system.
J Among those summoned, but who
have not appeared, are a. j. Cassatt,
, of the Pennsylvania: Marvin Hughitt,
of the Chicago & Northwestern; f.
| II. Hartman, of the Union Pacific;
| F. P Ripley. of the Santa Fe; David
| Wilcox, of the Delaware x Hudson;
| William Fl. Truesdale, of the Della
ware 4 Lackawanna; George Gould,
of the Missouri Pacific; William II.
Moore, of the Rock Island, and w. X.
Vanderbilt. of the New York Central.
The general attitude of the senate
committee has been extremely SYM
pathetic toward the railroad wit
nesses. Chairman Elkins has left no
room to doubt that his views are,
summed up, a general antagonism to
government control of railroads. The
same may be said of Senator John