The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-02
HILL ROAD MUST
SHOW ITS BOOKS
State Railroad and Warehouse
Commission Is After the
Great Northern.
RAILROAD COUNSEL rs
FLAYED BY MANAHAN
Hot Exchange Between Shippers
Attorney and g. A.
Severance.

Severance.
The state railroad and warehouse
commission today entered an order to
compel the Great Northern railroad
company, whose vice president gave
testimony at the merchandise rate hear
ing, to produce at the office Of the
statistics given by the railroad wit
nesses are based, or in lieu of SO doing,
to permit an examination of their rec.
ords at their offices.
The order is the most sweeping ono
Of the kind ever. made by the state
commission, If the commission is in.
clined to enforce itHin detail it would
the Great Northern to the aew capitol.
why, that order means filing the
capitol with records Of railroads." said
9. A. Severance, attorney for the rail-
roads:
the, alternative. Of permitting an exam;
nation at their Offices responded
Commissioner G. E. Staples.
Full of Sensations.
The hearing today was replete with
sensational features, the climax being
reached when James Manahan, attorney.
for the Minnesota Shippers associa-
torney present for the railroads.
At the opening Of the hearing today
Mr.. Severance made long statement
before the commission. In regard to
the examination Of the records of the
railroads to substantiate statistics Of
railroad officials, Mr.. Severance said he
had consulted with s. G. Stickney Of
ho L~1 H.
was perfectly willing to havoc his conf
pany's records examined by experts of
the state commission. Mr.. Severance
had not had opportunity to consult the
heads of other railroads interested and
for that reason could not speak for any
road but the Great Western. The Great
Western, however, requested that the
examination be made.
Objects to Lotus.
Mr.. Severance did object, however, to
an examination by the Minnesota Ship
pers' association, (which, . he said,
boiled down, consists Of George
Which ststses IN e COOKS had f been
j prepared, said there coul dbe no ques-
ton that such records were correct.
| SThe slightest failure to keep records
Of sue hgreat interests correctly said
Mr.. Severance, sis the difference be-
tween bankruptcy and success.
~ an: Of the opinion i - said Attor-
learne dnuch better by an adverse par
.ty investigation than by the work of
the commissions expert. Mr.. Sever
ance has made light Of what clients T
represent. / wish to say that I am
making my request as attorney for the
nastasH Masins hs nyH.ss as s SHIP
pers association and for myself as q
citizen of this state"
;. Clash of Attorneys.
| Mr.. Mammalian waxed warm.
Mr.. Severance's attempt to bedtt1e
me by his remarks that, In claiming to
represent state association, am sim
tirely uncaled for. He has made
number Of like remarks In this case
which wish to resent. object to his
treatment of my arguments and the
manner of his criticisms. did not
marry rich; I have not been heir to
wealth; but will place my standing at
attorneys, the Junior member Of which
is here to represent the railroad com.
panies in their fight to keep up the
rates on coal; whose middle member is
representing the president in his fight
against the Standard Oil trust, and
whose senior member was representa-
and the Vanderbilts.o
Mills Interfered.
Commissioner Ira B. Mills here inter-
fered an dprohibited further such lam
guage in reference to the late Senator
| G. K. Davis.
Gas to what railroad companies we
l uyor nj ~ continued M
ahan. - 1 believe the Great Western is
operated with the smallest amount Of
! profit. 4 have especially in mind the
/ Chow long time do you want to
make your examinationa" asked Com
missioner Mills.
| CAS- long a time as is necessa-
~, twas the answer. 81 state DELHI
erately that I believe the conclusions
in evidence of Mr.. Harrington, vice
president Of the Great Northern, are
not justified by the facts. He said he
knew Of no rebate. I am reliably in
formed that a large number Of clerks
are kept busy figuring on rebates, re-
turned to shippers as overcharges,' in
one case. the rebate amounting to
$1,000. believe the 1905 profits Of
the Great Northern can be shown to
be three times as much as Mr.. Far
rington reported. I believe the same
is true Of the Milwaukee road.n
He then asked for an order that the
examinations Of the railways be per-
mitted, which order, he said, was fully
within the powers of the commission.
AS to Mr.. Stickney's offer to permit
the Great Western to be examined, he
asserted Mr.. Stickney had not word
to say, that he was but a witness, and
must consent to whatever the railroad
commission ordered. He was asked to
specify the books he wanted, but in
sisted this was an impossibility.
Demands Every Record.
1T want every record which sus-
tains the figures offered in evidence, -
was the answer. "And, further, I
frankly admit that I viii make it a
a point of issue, if necessary, that I do
not have to specify the exact books. -
4 Mr.. Severance then took the foe
and replied in biting language to the
sharp words Mammalian had uttered.
ask, - he said, fthat the dirty, low,
slanderous language used against Sem
ator Davis, who cannot speak for him-
self, being dead, be struck from the
record. (The. stenographer informed
him the words had not been reported.)
( jtsCounsel has asserted that am hero
in interests of the coal rates. If he
q Continued on I'd Page, 3D. Column.