The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-01-04
Inquiry Ceases When Commits
sloners neutrality-suspicious.
FILE NOT DEMANDED.
Records Kept at Chicago Not
Required at the Hearing.
Gossip and Matters of Interest
In Railroad Circles.


member of the cabinet. in discussing the
payment of rebates by the Santa Fe
railroad to the Colorado Fuel and Iron
company. is quoted as saying:
1.-THE Interstate commerce commission
seemed to be very busy in drawing out
testimony that might touch Secretary
Morton. because the president has Sc
lected Mr.. Morton as his adviser on the
rebate question, instead of selecting the
members of the interstate commerce
commission.
Mr.. Morton has explained to the
president his relation to the rebate
granted by the Santa Fe while he was
vice president of the road He was not
the court of last resort, but simply the
superior officer of Freight Traffic Man
ager Biddle, who admits that he gave
rebates. Mr.. Biddle reported to Vice
President Morton, and the vice presi-
dent sent the reports forward to Pres
ident Ripley, who dictated the policy.
THE president has full confidence in
Mr.. Morton. and while annoyed over
the developments in the hearing in Chi
cago, his annoyance is more over the
action of the members of the interstate
commerce commission, who seem to
him to be trying to demonstrate that
Secretary Morton is not the right man
to aid as adviser as to legislation for
! the regulation OF Inc railroads..
The Inter Ocean says:
Had President Roosevelt attended the
hearing in Chicago he would not have
felt that his interstate commerce COM
mission was trying to involve a MEM
Der of his cabinet in the scandal over
the rebates granted by the Santa Fe
railroad to the Colorado Fuel and Iron
company. On the contrary, he would
have seen, as did everybody else who
attended the hearing, that the inter-
state commerce commission arbitrarily
refused to permit the Introduction of
evidence which was expected to bring
Paul Morton's name and acts into the
record of the case.
At the preliminary hearings in Ell
Paso and Albuquerque certain records
of the Santa Fe, the special tariffs is
sued for the benefit of the Colorado
Fuel and Iron company, which 1t is said
amounted to 81, 900 a day and files
showing by whose authority those doc
uments were issued, were demanded by
Neill B. Fields, attorney for the Gale
donia Coal company of Gallup, ". NJ,
which was the chief sufferer from the
Santa Fe's discrimination in favor of
the Colorado Fuel and Iron company.
Because Freight Traffic Manager
Biddle testified that the records asked
for were in the company's general Off
ceS in Chicago, the commission adjourn
ed the hearing to Chicago. When it
met here December % Mr.. Biddle did
not produce the records. When they
those designated as Authority File No.
5,401'' Commissioner Yeomans ruled
that he need not produce that paper,
and Commissioner Prouty concurred in
the ruling.
Attorney Fields then declared that
Authority File No. 5,4o1'' would show
the real reason why a rebate on coal
shipments was granted the Colorado
Fuel and Iron company and that he
had a right to know those reasons.
1.-The witness has told you what he
did, which is all the commission wants
to know; it makes no difference why he
did it, emphatically ruled Commits
sioner Yeomans, after he and Commits
sioner Prouty had consulted in whis-
II have a right to know why the San
ia Fe railroad has Disseminated and is
still discriminating in favor of our COM
petitor, the Colorado Fuel and iron
company" pursued Attorney Fields.
1--WE want to be able to do business,
nation against US"
1.-THE witness has told you his acts,
and we don't care for his reasons"
again ruled Commissioner Yeomans,
with the concurrence of Commissioner
Prouty.
The effect of that ruling was plain to
every body in the court room and was
voiced by one railroad man, who re-
marked at the time: 1.-The Interstate
commerce commission doesn't want TO
buck up against the cabinet"
Although Freight Traffic Manager
Biddle had assumed the responsibility
for the secret tariff giving preferen-
tial rates to the Colorado Fuel and
Iron company, every railroad man pres
ent felt that he was Sacrihcing htmSeI
to protect somebody higher in author
itv on the Santa Fe. The railroad men
all felt that Paul Morton was the head
of the traffic department of the Santa
Fee 1902 and that no deal of such mag
nitude as that with the Colorado Fuel
Troy would made
could be made by any but the highest
authority.
nized in railway circles as supreme IN
traffic matters on the Santa Fe Mhen
the president of another western ra5 5.rs2a
once sought to appeal to PRESIDENT HlPleZ
from a decision made by Vice Pres1dent
Morton in a traffic matter he was told
by President Ripley; You viii nave 70
see Mr. Morton; he is in charge of the
traffic on the Atchison
70 me erect that Mr. Merton was merely
a clerk for President Ripley, who dictated
the policy of the company on traiIlc mat IsI-
ters will be given no credence by officials
of the other roads or by the large ship
pers who have had experience with tra1-
has enfoved the unlimited confidence OF
Mr. Ripley and has always exercised
more authority than any other traffic OF
fetal in the United States
Ii is safe to say that If Mr.. Morton had
Colorado Fuel and iron company Mr..
Ripley would not Save ordered MIN TO
On the other hand Freight Manager
Biddle would not have dared to make the
deal which was made with the Colorado
Fuel and Iron company without tho CO..
sent Of Mr. Morton While Mr.. Biddle
now assumes the responsibility for the Is
s11ance Of The secret tariff in favor of the
Colorado Fuel and Iron company-and to
an extent he is respOnsible-he testified at
ri Paso before realizing the object of the
question, that in 1902 Paul Morton, as sec
ond vice president, was in charge of the
traffic Of the Santa F'e-
May Get Two New Trains.
1t is rumored among Union Pacific