The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-05-14
Declares His Company Not in Trust.
ADMITS THAT HE GAVE
 LONG "cONCESSI0N 0NS''
Accused Fertilizer Manager Says
 He Was 4Bsthered."
Declares He Regards Action of Manager Taber of Hostile "ev.-C.. Company in Notifying Him of Adverse Evidence as in Interest
 of Market.

Formally taking cognizance at the instance of Attorney General Garber oi the sancity of the oath administered by the Legislatures Fertilizer and Cot ton Seed Oil Mill Investigating com mittee. Lee Ashcraft of the Tennessee Valley Fertilizer Company, proclaimed as untrue the testimony of T. L. Long of Jasper, that MT. Ashcraft told MT Long that his company was party to an agreement to fix prices, and that g violation of the agreement would TOT felt S1 900 placed as penalty by the Tennessee Valley Company.
 The dramatic denial came late yes terday afternoon. when. after being subjected to cross-examlnatioh py the committed during which he severa times declared that he had not made the statements attributed to him by MT. Long. MT. Ashcraf was asked by the Attorney General, who then was examining the witness, and who read the allegations of MT. Long:
 DO you, recognizing that the oath administered by the committee pos sesses all the soIemnity and sancity of the oath administered by court, and hearing the testimony l have read to vou. said that 1t is true or not true?'
 
 Thrice Mir. Ashcraft replied:
 "I did not make the statements. Ana az many times did Mir. Garber in- terrogate. ,4
 "Is 1t true or not true?'
 And at the last MT. Asncrart repheo'
 Tt is not true."
 The examination of MT. Ashcraft was the most interesting transaction of the committed Already during a long morning session, it had examined J. M Howell and J. M. Lacy. both Of whom testified to their belief in the existence / of a trust or combination among man ,,facturers of fertilizers for the fixing of prices.
 As to Baber Conyersation.
 Then. reconvening at o'clock, al ter recess of hardly two hours. ln' commIttee had had upon the stan Johr IT. Ashcraft. brother 10 Let Ashcraft. and director and attorne, oe Inc Tennessee Valley Fertilize' Company, and had exerted to the .ull . esf its inauisitorial powers in an eIIor to acquire completer information ol tthe company's dealings With MT. Lohe ond of the now celebrated converse i hstyyeen MT, Lee Ashcraft anc . Nganager Taber, of the Vfrgtnia-Caro iina Chemical Company. at Montgom ary. who had, in the opinion Of some of the committeeman, so hasteneo V aconaint with MT. Longs sensationa testiony the officer of company Whici thaaofficer himself said considered tn' we" hostile. , asbcraft. manager of the Tennes' - Vallev Fertilizer Company, Wal ,,,orn If was when his examina tion which had been perhaps the mus saarching of all yet conducted oy th' committed, was ended s Tn the meantime he had contraaicte' the unqualified statements or
 .Iared uneouiyocally that MT. Ashcrait E s-,t,an tciving him rebates on fertilizers sd said his company was a party te S sgreernent to fix the prices or Ter seiliZers. And that if other parties '. .i,a Q aereement knew that ne hao GU or lowered prices his company "oui' have to forfeit $l.OoO. .ot trha eivine of rebates MT. Asncral 8 ..s,ttaS. he had granted concessions as, the contracts with Mr.. Long, m
 u.iaea. hut he denied having mad = Mr Long at any time such state
 o,+s as MT. Long had accused mn as ,oalring. He denied, too, the par tic,nation by himself. or by his com s. ,any in any trust or combination ant hts Interest in any forfeit. His com oanv was Independent he declared re aarSed the Virginia Carolina Chemica camnany as hostile, and had to figh for business,
 Was Interested in Market.
 Tor Manager Taber's act in so quick Av informing him of MT. Longs tes finoony he ascribed as cause or MT Taber's possible concern. not for th security of the company represented b! either nor for the continued fixity 0 to hxIf the eral welfare of the fertilizer market
 He said that his company's entrance in october, 1906, into the Southern Fer tiltzer Manufacturers Association, O which MT. Taber was member of tn executive committee for Alabama, hal not brought his company and the w c" into any closer relationship ant fhat there was absolutely no commu nity of interest between himself ant MT. Taber, whom he knew but slight ly.
 MT. Ashcraft had said that he re. garded the Vlrginia-Carolina Chemica Company as hostile to his own, and h. was questioned closely upon this flea ture as bearing upon the membership of both companies in the association of southern manufacturers; but h. maintained that the Association hat not been designed, created or continue, for the purpose of fixing prices. A the meeting of the Association q Lithia Springs, Ga, in October. 1904 Mir. Ashcraft said, there had been n, discussion of prices. He said he knev little of the transactions of the Asso citation
 Of the Independent Association to which his company belonged, the pur- pose, Mir. Ashcraft said. was a proposed purchase of potash by all the members of the Association, who, buying thus at wholesale, would be benefieiaries oi lower prices. But there had been nc subsequent agreement to fix prices ot . the potash products the individual com panies expected to offer for sale.
 But 1t was to the testimony of Mir. Long and the message from Mir Ta- ber the inquisitors always reverted Whether Mir. Ashcraft had sought the advice of his brother as to what course he should pursue before the committed why he had been perturbed by the ad- vices that came so promptly over the telephone, and what was the cause 0t