The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-07-27
INTERSTATE Rates
EUNDERID ]: } n.
After Conclusion Of Oratorical5
Flights Commission Hears
More Testimony. si ls
MAJOR H0TCHKlss TALKS " !
1 He Proves a Ready and Vcry1ti-
tclligcnt5 Witness, Whom MI. &
Braxtori Enjoys.

When the ilcn1bers OF the Corporation
Coi,1tnisson assembled yesterday MORN
Ding at II o'clock. Il was to B1lcar q COM
limitation Of the argument Of tho day
before on 1he powers and it,,rl'ogaltives o.
tho commission. and for ncnrly two hours
thoy 1lcard discussed again Il subject thnt
wus quite familiar to them, for, IN the
language OF MIR. Bt,axton. 1t was hut "a
reAeration Of argument THAT Ind before
been made. !" = AZ t985s 3lftyi yg5{
Mr.. Wicloha1,, representing The chesn--a
peakc and Ohio Railway, opened the dis
u,lssion, and In reply to the arg Tim nt Ofi
MIR. Braxton made tho afternoon before
cont ended that the cornnis so1i Is O court,
nothing more or less, and must fbc guided
by the rules that govern Virginia courts,
allowing litiglrts to have access 70 all
terntimony and all sources OF nfodvna-
ton. Mr.. Braxton, repeauns ~ V on a1guI--
t1rei,t made when the sssn1e question was
raised BY counsel for the Southern Rail-
way, contended that the comm ission 70
both n log lslntivc body and a court, an
extraord mary tribunal created rby a ne new
law that In no way applies TO courts J.
that the commission Is sui generis. and
lis to be guided by no known preccdeanils,
but only by the strict letter OF THE cor
stitutional provision and the acts o. l4es's
N 1,he argument which took up most Of
X the n,orning session, was not new. but
was very Interesting Counsel did not.
ask for d. trullng on the points raised. and
the commission did not render a decision
Hotchkiss Still on Rack. a.
# At tire conclusion OF THE argnrn ent Mr..
4 Rrn.ton commenced to cross-q quest Ion
Major p D. Hotohkiss, Tho general
freight agent Of the chesapeake and
Ohio road at the plnco Ntssro he LEI
or Wednesday afternoon, when \ the ne ap-
Eparen Il y useless debate was opene w.
Tie balance OF the morning session and
ali@,of the afternoon session We're de-
voted to ross-qnestioning with aEvlew. q
weakening the direct testimony OF Major
IIotchkiss, and the subject Of the COM
pa rison of rates on lines doing an I'M ra
state business was gone over at 4 g ca eat
length. Z N, Il 4 q u, 81 u
y Major IIotclkiss was prompt to reply TO
every Query Of Mr.. Braxton. and through
out$the day proved himself TO be a most
intelligent and ready witness, thoroughly
familiar with the business under discus
sion,{ and ready always with q straight
forward and conscientious an swer to q ny
and all questions propoundedl.
Witness vs. Counsel. II
There were times in the course OF the
rigid cross examination when argument
arose between the astu to counsellor and
the witness, & and It Is but just to say
that Major fIotchklss, In every instance
OF this kind. Fl held his own and proved
himself the intellectual match q the able
Mr.. Braxton. II .3S34
1t Vas very evident that Mr.. Braxtong
enjoyed these tits with the eyer-ready&
and Observation-Disclosures witness, and
this fact may explain why the examina-
ton has been SO long drawn out FL
Nearly all OF the afternoon was taken
1Ip with questioning and crossed cst ton
ing; con cerning the rates OF the Chesa-
peake and Ohio from Richmond to points
westward within Virginia, and the com--s
iparison OF those rates with such as are
charged by other Virginia roads Tor
similar distances. lsa
The testimony of Major Hotchkiss, IN
a general. way, tended to show that the
chesapeake and Ohio has for the past
twenty years reduced rates as rapidly as
conditions admitted, and that the rates
to-day are much lower on all articles
than they were twenty. years ago. or even
ten years ago.
Mr.. Braxton had not finished his cross
examination OF Major Hotchklss when
the hour OF adjournment arrived, and he
will again take the stand this morning.
The indications now are that the Chesa-
sDeake and Ohio end OF the investigat
will not be reached until late into next
week. If then. ss
The commission will resume the hear
ing at II o'clock this morning.
49, sf4afligl Is