The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-01

$50 ~efHMHJ KS
With the yirBlnin Corporation Company
"Au most unforturnte IrdIscretlot,,
and one into whtcl, a man OF a differ.
ent tetrpcramcnt would not have bccn
cnanared--l should have sald, drawn"
Unfortunate It1discretion.
BY MIR. sims:
CUES. Was 1t Thought by the commits
zion that Judge crutnp approved OF this
conduct or Major t.fnicr OF that 1t was
known to him?
Ans. We'll, / ysnnt TO mako this state
mt mt: The commission Ind given n great
deal of very serious Thought along titlt
line. ind I siippugo IL Is better for mo
to mpko ~ very full and absolutely frank
statement Mt this point. And want to
preface 1t hS SAYING THAT IL Is tho con-
eitision reached by myself aud M ro'-
League. sir. 1faitfax. reached az the time
when IL asls mort under consideration.
We felt that tile conduct MS CHARGED by
Mi. Erslilr. and 10 GONE extent, admitted,
rs Major ~t.1tiior, constituted an offefse,
at ofiensc against The commissions, an
EoGense committed by It's officers IN the in-
terest OF tbi. Nlrsinia Corporation Com
pany, and that WINS such an offcnsc as
that I've deemed " proper TINT we allould
ask the resignation OF these gentlemen. l
nave not conc into particulars ns 10 tile
magnitude of that %offclsc. 1 think the
public mind liz somewhat ittftnmcd even
on that. But j say 1t was not proper,
and 1t WAS wrong, and whether the emo
ltitnents were lnrae or not did not effect
:he principle measured IN dollars and
cents. II would lave always lncn q
small affair.
But aside from TINT. Judge Crnmp
owned II share of stoctt In this company.
The question Is. what amount. OF ccnsurc
should be visited upon n man for the
ownership OF n share OF stock in this
company. As understand IL. Judge
Criinp's %offensn. If any, bogins and ends
with the ownership OF that share OF stoct,.
SO far as We know and believe, lie was a
silent stakeholder In TINT c%ornpany. ny
silent, I mean that he was not an active.
ssoci;holder in that company.
Now, i want to express my opinion, tile
opinion that | haze expressed, 10 JuhsG
t'runp and have cxprcssed 10 -t'lgc
Crump's friends, and have never con-
cealed from anybody with whom | -
discussed I ehsnbiect, that 1t was an
unfortunate Indiscret;on OF Judge Cr;imp
even TO be n stakeholder in this COM
pany-a most Unfortunate niiscretion.
and one that n man Of 4 diffcrcu; tenn
permanent from Judge Crump would have
never been caught IN. | have usee the
wrong word ,hcre-would never have al
lowed himself 10 drift into.
Why Crunp Took Stock.
II think. from my study o. Judge
Crurnp, that he lis not n man that looks
very closely at the financial side OF any
thing from a practical standpoint.
| think he was completely absorbed
with the idea that some company ought
tn tn IA ar,rt, ~ i.A,f 80 .l #tfs. al, 49,. .A ~
and take the burden off of him; he had
been liarping on that and talking about
1t for weeks and months. that 80 much
work came to the commission which the
commission had to perform that ought
10 be performed by somebody else: and
i think that he was so taken up with
that side of the question that 1t abso-
lutely obscured any other question in
yclved. even the consideration of the
proprtety of his owning a share of that
stock.
Now. as we consider 1T and believe
that was the beginning and end OF Judge
Crump's ~offcnse. If amy. ] DON'T know
what word to use. / do not intend to
use 1t III any unkind way. thought
eyer it; my friend. Mr.. Fairfax. thought
over It. We were distressed, OF course.
distressed because of the high esteem
we he'd for Judge Crump. that he had
nut himself In a position TO be criticised,
and. in some degree. criticised with some
Justice in the matter of an indiscretlon.
/ thought. though. In the first place, OF
the ffty years that Judge Crump had
spent in this city, where he is best
known; of the fact that he was called to
one OF the principal 1udgeships Of this
city by a practically unanimous vote of
his feilow-lawycrs: o. q long snreer, abso-
lu,ely without blemish or spot. for IL
fI,ora ugu avCr a ntirH minded man
this State, according to the representation
L have always had OF Judge Crump, he Is
that man.
thought OF the two years OF close as
ISOLATION | have had with him.; Of the
dealings we nave had with the great
public service corporations, the corpora
tions which the law mas authorized and
directed this commission 10 regblate and
control: of those great institutions and
the great power that they have and the
great influence that they have. and of
the dealings which Judge Cr.mp had had
with them. along with his colleagues. I
had seen him sit on questions Involving
very large amounts. j had seen him pass
on delicate questions, as ctwec the
State and these great corporations.
Ind known that lie was filed with the
love of HIS State. and that his highest
ambition was to do some honorable ser
vice for his State, aud in every way |
had tried him during those two years
he had rcrer. failed To ring true.
No Improper Influence.
And then thought OF this little one
hundred dollar stock subscription. in
eoiving relations perhaps with these In
1ustrial corporations where the commits
sion has no authority. The relations
between the Corporation Commission and
these Industrial con,aanys is absolutely
fixed by law. The charters which We're
to be granted by this so-calied charter
bureau are free: there is no discretion
in The commission, the powers come fiot,
the general law and no, from the conf
mission; the commission deals With them
min!atrrially. So. that the relation be-
NOyM "