Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1907-09-27
QUESTIONS RELATED
TO HIGH PRICES
Attorney Says People Had Better
Put Up With ExtOrtiOn Than to
Trample on Privileges
Granted by Great
Constitution.

If the Increase in coal prices of
late months was justified, it is a PEE
culiar fact that the owners of the
coal yards and representatives OF
the mine interests have refused to
tell the grand jury why the price
was raised OF to answer any except
trivial questions.
The recent Indignation of the pub
lie in regard to the high price of
coal has at last resulted in an official
investigation of the matter. Yester-
day, in answer to summons to APP
pear before the territorial grand
jury, a number of officials of the
American Fuel company which con-
trolls the coal fields at Los Cerrillos
and in the region of Gallup, w. II.
Hahn and John Beaven, the local
coal dealers, appeared before the
jury, but refused to answer questions
put to them.
Today at o'clock, these same
parties were summoned before Judge
Ira Abbott to show cause why they
should not answer. At the hour set
the interested parties appeared in
court together with their attorneys.
Judge Caldwell Yeamans, OF Denver,
and H. NJ. Dougherty. of Socorro,
represent the American Fuel COM
pany; o. N. Marron represents John
Beaven; Neill b. Field represents w.
II. Hahn, and District Attorney
clancy the territory.
"Buuched Them,
Attorney Field, representing w.
III. Hahn, in his address to the judge
this afternoon stated that the situa-
tion in which his client was placed
was in a measure Identical with the
situations of the other defendants
and that his remarks would apply
largely to all. He then entered in
to an explanation of the Sherman
act and the term restraint of trade"
The tenor of his argument was to
show that the defendants, or the
parles summoned before the grand
jury, could not legally be compelled
to answer the questions put to them
by the grand jury.
The Questions.
The questions which were asked OF
the local coal dealer, w. II. Hahn,
yesterday, and which he refused to
answer. upon the advice of his coun-
sci. are practically the same ques-
tions asked of all the parties. Mr..
Hahn was asked IL he dealt in the
coal from Mckinley county and Los
Cerrlllos; why coal was higher this
year than last: what was the cost of
delivering coal from the base of sup
plies TO Albuquerque, and several
other vital questions bearing on the
present high prices of coal fuel. or
all the questions asked he answered
but two, and these were OF slight inn
portance. The object of the terri
tory in summoning the coal dealers
and operators before the grand jury
Is to determine whether or not there
has been entered into by all parties
concerned, a combination in restraint
of trade.
Constitutional Rights.
In his address to the court Mr..
Field maintained that his client and
those similarly situated were not
bound to answer the questions put
to them; that they had a constitu-
tional right not TO answer them. He
said Il were better for the people 10
submit to the extortion of tradesmen
rather than disregard constitutional
rights. He did not infer that the
people were compelled to submit TO
extortion in the present instance or
that there was any eXtOrtion, but he
sought to show what were the con-
stitutional rights of his client I'm the
matter and why he should not be
compelled TO answer the questions
put by the grand jury. At 4 o'clock
the attorneys for the coal interests
had not completed their arguments.