The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-08-17
President Stickney ROasts
Railroad Board.
BUTTED INTO SECRET CONFAB
Great Western Head Expresses Him
self Freely With the Result That
Meeting Is Off.

st. Paul, Aug. l4,-President A. B.
Stickney, of the Great Western, inter
upted a little Belshazer feast ar
ranged for a select few, by the rest of
the railroad commission yesterday.
Mr.. Stickney appeared in the role of
a butter in" and never was Il man cast
to better advantage. He made a dis
tinct hit, so much so that the entire
program of the commission had to be
arranged. And thereby hangs a
tale. \ tip was sent out early that a
hearing or conference was to be held at
reporter went to the scene, but was
unable to verify the fact of the hearing.
Secretary Claussen was first approached.
The secretary knew of no such
hearing; had never heard of it in fact.
A moment later the reporter waited on
Commissioner Staples, and put the ques
ton to him about there being hearing.
NO. said the commissioner, survey
ing the ceiling blankly, that heaing
that was on Saturday was continued
indefinitely. | know of no hearing"
Then, as if an inspiration sliced him, the
commissioner did admit that there was
to be little conference" with some of
the railroad men. What it was about he
could not say.
Meantime Chairman Mills of the COM
mission, and Statistician Yapp were NOV
ing about nervously and i'll at ease. 1t
was plain to be seen that there was "a
hen on and that this particular hen
was planning to lay a prodigious egg
unless some one, frightened her out of
the nest
In the meantime Commissioner Young,
third member of the commission tri-
umvirate, held aloof from his colleagues
Evidently the mysterious conference
which was being kept closely under the
hat, was not to his liking and he plainly
animated to the newspaper man that
he was opposed to any proposition that
would interfere with the project which
the commission has been for long time
engaged upon, viz, the ascertainment of
what was fair and reasonable rate.
This to be based upon the real value
of the railroad properties.
BY and by along came j. NJ. Hanna
ford, of the Northern Pacific road then
Fourth Vice President Campbell, of the
Great Northern. Both were quietly and
furtively ushered into a back room,
where they remained under cover for
fully an hour. Evidently these two
roads were to assume leading part in
the conference, which was to be a star
chamber affair of the first magnitude.
History was being made rapidly if
secretly when A. B. Stickney, of the
Great Western road, doomed up in all his
magnificent physical proportions. He
wore a broad smile and a straw hat.
for he anticipated torrid session. Evil
IDENTIFY Mr.. Stickney was not expected.
He was like the fellow in the Biblical
story who ventured into banquet with
out having on a railroad commission
wedding garment.
He was received coldly if politely by
Chairman Mills, who forgot to escort him
into the inner room where Hannaford, of
the Northern Pacific, and Campbell of
the Great Northern were waiting like
Macawber, for something to turn up.
The Great Western president seated
himself at the long table around which
railroad hearings are usually held in the
open.
IN little while he was Joined BY
James Manahan, attorney for the ship
oers' association, who also just happened
n Manahan was red, rosy and good ma
the members of the railroad commits
sion, who were fussing about like kittens
who had got wet feet.
The combination of Stickney and Man
ahan was pretty strong for the railroad
commissions stomach-either one O
them would be sufficient-in view O
the fact that there was to be confer
ence
Now here was Stickney and Manaha
in one room and Hannaford and Camp