The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-08-18
,CLEMENTSITALKSS
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Conferences, Of Railway Attorneys
Natural8and Necessary,
He Says (.
SUGGESTED BY 3 COMMISSION
Railroad Men Protest Against.
In terpret ation Placed Upon g
Atlantic City Meeting.
B " COMMISSION N
Especial 70 Tho Times Dispatoli.)

sAgRiS'aa' e Nh' p E'mes Di Hankas}
am not surprised 70 learn that tho at
8torneys OF tho railroads OF the country
are in consultation in order to roach a
common conclusion az to the interpreted
stion8 OF the new rate law. = said Judge
Clements, OF the Interstate 8 Commerce
Commission, to- day n TIC 81 !! 5 al
This remark was in reply to statements
that have been widely circulated I'll, some
newspapers to the that the railroad
attorneys at Atlantic City are holding
sessions for the purpose OF coming to
an understanding by which they may
8evade the law. Continuing. Judge
Clements said IA Fl, ls Il 4iS VI
Tho commission itself has urged upon
all OF the railroads the necessity for
prompt preparation for compliance with
K the provisions 10 the new la w as soon az
1T becomes Operatives. and to this end
II has Invited them to appoint committees
@of8 conference among themselves and with
the commission particularly II respect
to the preparation and publication OF
tariffs and the keeping Of account books,
&etc. u
Conferences Are Natural. III.
89fS'" Naturally when the accountants and
traffic managers come toge ther and con g
fer rs to what vii In this and that par
+ ticular be q compliance With the new law
many contrary views arise 1 that will res
& uire dyce from the legal departments
OF the roads. Al II the carriers were act
Ing with an eye single to complete and
bono flde complain with the commando
5of the law the & traffic managers would
2Ilecessar + " have to have recourse to their
lawyers. It would Il follow In turn that
An order to permit tslin for1nitySt the lawyers
would want to confer among Themselves.
Whether; or not there be tiacntlon for
the report that they arc comforting with
a view to defeating the purposes OF the
law I am, OF course who'll Y undivided.
Il would not assume any such purpose as
that simply because they arc comforting.
which, for the reasons stated. would be
perfectly reasonable and natural and TO
be expected. 5{ XVI Il 5si VI A
ut must be apparont to all, Including
4 even those railway men who in the past
have been inclined to regard tho railways
as n piece OF private property to be dealt
with by the owners as they choose. and
without restraint, that the time has come
when what they do a in their business
which Involves the rights and interests
OF the public must ibe an open book, 50
that they Themselves. having rights In
volved, may have the means OF knowing
whether or not they are pro tected, \ and
I do not believe the Well-advised railroad
lawyers OF the country will waste their
time In attempting resistance to this
well-settled public purpose for the tfu-
iture.'.s5 IL. n y a55 sgl i
"A Uniform Course Of Action.
To those who have followed the events
leading up to the conference2of abroad
attoreeys that has been In sessIonAat AS
lantic City the fact that they should at
tempt to secure q uniform interpreta-
stionIof the law by exactly that meaEs
has not caused surprise, and railroad
men themselves complain bitterly that
the fact OF their MEETING should be In
terpreted by some newspapers MS an evil
dence of a desire to evade the Law. E, 8.38l}
= They rectte that there are many d ues-
tlons as to tho Interpretation OF the &ra to-
law over which honest men cannot help
differing, and that It would be- imnossi.8
BILE for attorneys OF roads to advise traffic q
managers on these mhtters and secure q
uniform course OF action, which would
be absolutely necessary In many Il ir-
stances IL the lawS!a to&be carried into
effect, without these conferences. They
state that the new commission that ls
to interpret the law will not be organized
until the 18th Of this month, and y the
questions that arise should be taken to q
the commission in the form OF cases
requiring the submission OF evidence 1T
would take q couple Of years before Judi
c!al determination OF them is secured.
They point to the fact meeting
OF attorneys Of the railroads was held
at Chicago IN June, at which Mr. Stubs,
OF the Hartman lines, and Mr.. ~ A. q,
stickney, OF the Great Northern Railroad
Company, were among those present
The course OF the debate on that COCA
ssion turned to the possibility Of getting
an Understanding as to Just how. the
railroad traffic men should proceed to
comply with the law along their several
roads.
N ~ 4 n IA I'M