The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-11-23
hARCRAhD AND
THOMAS HERE
To Examine Witnesses in In
vestigation of Coal Carry
ing Railroads.
BOTH FAMOUS ATTORNEYS
COMMISSION MEETS TUESDAY,
CLARK ARRIVES MONDAY.

J. 7. Marchand, attorney for the gov
eminent. who made an enviabIe record
for himself as a lawyer and examiner
during the recent interstate commerce
commission meeting is in Salt Lake. Ac-
companied by Judge Elmer e. Thomas,
also attorney for the government, Mr..
Marchand reached Salt Lake from Den
yer yesterday afternoon. The couple
are registered at the Wilson.
An investigation, the second in Salt
Lake this year. opens here next Tues
day. and will probably occupy the
greater portion of the coming week.
The arrival of the attorneys named is
the firing of the first gun in what prom
ises to be the most thorough airing yet
given by the government to the high
handed methods of corporations There
are no charges sworn to yet, and as ex-
planned by Mr.. Marchand when seen
last evening, the proceedings scheduled
for next week constitute an investiga-
ton purely.
Nobody to Be Spared.
1--WE came on the Rio Grande, which
was late as usual" said Mr.. MaTchand
last evening. "Our arrival here at this
time is to permit Judge Thomas and
myself to complete several matters pre-
paratory 10 the opening of the inves-
tigatiOn next Tuesday. / cannot say
lust what time will be consumed in
completing the investigation. 1t may
take us two days, or it may take us the
remainder of the week There are. l
think. between twenty-five and fifty
witnesses subpOenaed, and at the COM
ing investigation nobody will be spared
Congress has ordered an investigation
of coal-carrying railroads. and it is go
ing to get it. The investigation is to
he conducted under the authority of the
Tillman-GilleSDie resolution. Commits
sioner T.. E. Clark will be here Mon
day"
Turn on the Light.
tt is known that several Rio Graude
officials are to be called before the
commission to explain methods of car
distribution and throw light upon the
why and how of the regular fall
shortages of coal here These officials
may not be called before the commits
sion while it is in session in Salt Lake,
but they will be during one of three
meetings planned. After the commits
sion has finished here it will conduct
sessions in Pueblo and Denver. The
United States marshars office was de-
serted yesterday. Marshal Spry was
around town during the day. while
Deputy Marshals L. II. Smythe and
Julian Riley were serving SubpOenaS
upon witnesses outside of Salt Lake.
1t is understood Deputy Marshal
Smythe was south and Deputy Marshal
Riley was in cities along the Rio
Grande Western.
Rio Grande on the Grill.
While mum seems to be the word /
among attaches of the court and COM /
mission it is believed by those in pO- /
sition to know that the coming inyeSti- |
CATION will outshine the recent investi- /
cation of the Union Pacific coal and /
railroad companies.
1.-The September sessions brought |
some startling evidence to light, but !
the coming Investigations will make |
them look like Sunday school picnics.
is the way one insider put it. This
same person asserted personal knOwl-
edge of the intention of the commits
sion to put the Rio Grande system on
the grill.
To Study Coal Shortage.
During the recent interstate commits
sion investigation, held here Sept. ?, it
was shown by the examination of a
large number of witnesses that the
Union Pacific Coal company acquired
aid of its employees, who filed upon the
land as agricultural land. When the
legal formalities of the acquisition were
completed and clear title had been
obtained. the property was turned over
to the coal company.
How to "Grab" Coal Land.
The law permits corporation to hold
but $50 acres of coal land, but by the
method explained coal companies were
enabled to gather big areas of coal land
at a comparatively small figure. This
circumvention of the law was but one
of many brought to light by the com
mission, which met under direction of
Commissioner Charles A. Prouty.
Will Probe Car Shortage.
The commission probed into the mys-
terry of the annual fall coal shortages
in Utah and Salt Lake. The railroad
companies advance the explanation that
while coal is plentiful the lack of equip
ment cuts the supply away below de-
mand. Car distribution will be studied
by the commission when it meets here
next week While it Is impossible to
draw information from the govern
lnents attorneys, ii is believed the sub
ject of equipment is to be investigated
In, ion, If no