The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-06-06
COrporatiOn|C ConlrnissiOn
Takes Matter Up and
Roads Appear.
.THOM AND o B BI2AXTON
IN LEGAL COMBAT
These Two intellectual Giants
Are Conducting the Case Now
Under considerations To
Hear southernfFirst.
Major Anderson
is Detained.

With nearly I'LL the prominent railroad
attorneys and officials In Virginia pres
5ent. the Corporation Commission con-
lnenced the hearing on the freight rate
matter in the hail OF the House Of Dele
gates yesterday, and indications are that
1t will last for several months The
question is one of the most important
and far reaching that has ever come
I before the body, and ableEand brilliant
counsel are engaged ton either sde
The right or the commission to make
and Gpromulgate q schedule of treight
rates for the companies is involved, and
over tllis, numerous fine legal points are
expected to arise. NVha atever5 may be s
the decision Of the commission, IT T IS
fully understood. that the losing side VIII
take the ca Sc to Tie highest court III !
the land for final rbitrament.
The matter was pretty fairly started
Yesterday, and the; commission fixed q
schedule for daily sessions as lows :S5g#
IL From Ii "a. NJ. to q p. Nj; from $3.50 2.
NJ TO $50 orr 3Eo.9s NJ. .Isss No fternoona
sessions on saturdays. .a5s 3SSi III n
Ten companies were q ted to ap pear and
show cause, II any they can why the
rate schedule prepared by8thle commission
shall not be promul ga tee. 3F4r
They all came yesterday by. counsel
and &throug h high Off iicials, and 1t was z
decided to take up the IS out thern first.
sparri1lg for Place. 'las:
Aressrs. 5Al ii r, 8. lol,, fpr tne company.
and AZ q. Braxton. who With AZ torney-
General Anderson, Is repre- ting II IN the
State. spared for an hour over the Hode o /:
I Of procedure, and when It was 5det e. yer {
mined that the ra.l roads should submit 4
their evidence first. A1r-E8.Thom MIRO
duced Comptroller Z, W.. Coke q n .ne
Norfolk aid WESTERN his $witIiess nas
kept on the stand Ions any ~'s'
the only one examined dur. Hsla w.
Mr. Thom thinks Pc blyS com J,
rlcte the zexaminat t.sshle soutnefn :
interests this week. ss y i,.ls W.
Messrs Broxton md Thorn, Two or the
most brilliant advocates IN the state
were not in any new role when they met
in legal combat yesterday. Trey fought M
eyer tho Corporation section OF the Cons
stitution in the conventions and have
been in many large railroad cases on.
opposite sides since. They are strong
friends personally. but they fight vig-.s
orously in court, and contest every
point that is worth contestins
Had Not Made Money.
The line Of testimony offered by Mr..
Thorn yesterday was designed to show
that the railroads Of Virginia had not
prospered from 1877 up to a few years
ago, even though freight rates were
higher then than now.
Mr.. Coke submitted some interesting
statistics along this line, which will he
found elsewhere. The hearing Is full Of
public interest and the opening, session
yesterday was largely attended.
Lawyers, railroad officials, and 9TH
ers who were In the hall were Nlessrs.
a.. G. Broxton for the State. ALI P. Thorn
for the Southern. Henry T. Wickham,;
Chesapeake and Ohio; William II, White.
Norfolk and Southern: Thomas Fl. VIII
cox, N. Y, P. and NJ: e. II. Cooke, N.
and W.:sL Leigh r. Watts and Il. Ran
dolph williams: Alex. Hamilton, A. G..
L.; Henry Taylor, G. and o.; D. D.
! Hull, Jr.,,L. and NJ: T w. Galleher. B.
and o.: W.. L. Bird. r. B. Tunstall, J.,
r. Ruftln, T. S. Darant, Joseph w Coxe,.
"A. Fl. Plant, E, D. Hotchkiss, ]. II.
Drake, H. B. Spencer, c. ,4B. Hayes, r,
z. L. Bunch, D. NJ, Goodwin, L. Green,
Colonel James r.. Cation, Colonel Robert
Catlett, and Z, S, Goodman
Begin Promptly.
Promptly at tt4noQn the commissioners
ascended the speakers stand, and pre-
liminary skirmshes between the nttor-
neys were almost Immediately commence
ed. Br. BraXton, who Is assisting At
2torney- General Anderson on behalf of
the State, announced that the latter was
detained in the Supreme Court Mt Wythe-
3a Continued on Eighth Page)