The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-12-14
Mammalian Answers Criticism
of Attorney.
TELLS ABOUT RATE HEARING
Saws That lanes ]. Hill Was Not
cross.Examined Properly; No Con.
fidence in States Counsel.
From Fridays Daily.

James Manahan, attorney for the
Shippers association, has made a state
ment in answer to the criticism IN the
statement issued by Attorney General
f. T. Young on the recent freight rate
hearing CONDUCTED by the state railroad
and warehouse commission. -1r. Mama
han, in part, says:
1--WE believe the reports filed by the
+; lIroads are not correct. The books VIII
show the truth.
''The railroads paid back to favored
shippers from freight collected under the
present schedule, millions of dollars; the
books viii show the amounts and on
what class of freight these rebates were
paid.
'The railroads admitted that they
contributed money for political purposes,
and charged it up to operating expenses.
1t is our right to know how much OF
this money was contributed, and to
whom. The books will show.
sYous say that showed contempt forthe
extent that would have subjected me to
punishment had it been before a court,
but YOU forget that no court would have
tried to shut out the best evidence OF
the facts in uspute, or would have tried
to shield railroad officials on the ques-
ton of rebates and political contribu-
tions; and it was only on these points
that 1 refused to yield my position.
"That I was right on each point, and
that my persistence was justified, is
shown by the fact that on each occasion
the commission yielded to my view, I'M
til the hearing held after election. My
language was respectful at all times, and
no more severe than the occasion de-
manded All of my so-called 'misbe-
havior'- tuoixpiare before eipction. IL it
was so reasonable, should i not have
been. excluded at that time?
THE statement that T opposed the
reduction, in merchandise rates is I'M.
true. / opposed only its inadequacy, con-
tending then, as do now, that an ex-
animation of the books will show that
the reduction ought to have been double
that ordered by the commission. The
railroads were evidently satisfied with
the reduction advised by the attorney
general. They took no appeal. They
cheerfully complied with the order and
put in the rates.
'When the rate hearing was resumed
Oct. l the attorney general took charge.
The railroad lawyers were then urging
riy conclusion.
''On the question of the Importance of
the testimony we brought out the attor-
ney general differs with his assistant,
Mr.. Stone, who took part in the exam
lnation each day, and who decided ev-
cry disputed question submitted to him
by the commission in favor of nv con-
tcntion. We showed that the Minneapo
lis and st. Louis road paid out from its
earnings over SlS0,000 that was not en-.
tered in any of the items of legitimate
operating expenses.
''We showed that, under it's contract
with the Milwaukee, the Northern Pa
cific hauled coal from Duluth to ST.
Paul for rate as low as "A cents per
ton. and wheat to the lakes for cents
per hundred; and we brought out, in the
testimony of leading officials of the
Northern Pacific, that their company
made reasonable profit on the freight
carried under that contract. The attor
ney general brought out no testimony
as important as this, and developed no
facts during the past week that were
: not familiar to everyone. This statement
as to the enormous surplus the rail
&. roads have accumulated has been dis
closed by the reports they file each year,
and the commission must .have been
- familiar; with them, if the attorney gen
. eral was not?
q. The statement of the attorney gen.
eral that the Shippers association never
furnished fact or idea or witness who
! knew. anything about the subject is one
can scarcely credit. We called Mr.
Han9aford and Mr.. Gray, of the North
ern Pacific, and produced their contract
with the Milwaukee, and they testified
that they made a fair profit under it.
We called Mr.. Trenholm, the general
manager of the Omaha road, who adj
mlrJed that his road spent money polit.
ically. We called Mr.. Robinson, the
comptroller of the company, who ad-
mitted that the money so spent was
charged up to the operating expenses
We showed, by officials of Minneapolis
: & St. Louis, that they had burned most
OF their vouchers and records showing
money paid as rebates and other pur-
poses, which they admitted on the stand
were illegal. We showed by Mr.. Con-
ley and Others, of the st. Paul road,
that they had ueen cOmpelled by our