The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1916-12-21
Cites Fact That Counsel for
Benefited Corporation Are
Serving as Attorneys for
the State.
BERT new IS IN DARK
Chief Council for Commits
sion Admits Ignorance of
Details But Permits Use Of
Name by Jessup.

Angered by efforts of John T.
Beasley counsel for the United Gas
& Electric company, and Wilfred Jes-
sup, president of and counsel for the
Richmond Light, Heat & Power com.
pany, subsidiary Of the former cor
poration, in putting forth every energy
to delay court decision on the city S
appeal Of the 20 cent gas rate order,
promulgated by the state utilities com.
mission last September, City Attorney
w. A. Bond gave the state commission
verbal drubbing today
Bonds attack on the commission fol-
lowed hearing of the appeal case in
circuit court last night before Special
Judge Fred Cause of New Castle, at
which hearing Attorneys Beasley and
Jessup declared that it would be i'm
possible to prepare answers to 81 in
terrogatories submitted by the city be-
fore next August
Uses Corporation Lawyers.
why is 1t that the wealthy state Of
Indiana cannot afford to be represent.
ed at the hearing of this appeal case,
the outcome of which is of such vital
interest to the citizens of Richmond,
It's utility commission contenting itself
with the legal services of the two at
torneys sfof the Corporation which was
the sole beneficiary of the rate sched-
ule which the city rejects as unreason-
atle?" City Attorney Bond remarked
today. Zone would imagine that the
defendant to the appeal case filed by
the city was the Light, Heat & Power
company AS matter of fact the
state utilities commission is the de.
fendant and the Light, Heat & Power
company is not party to the suit in
any particular
Bert News Name Used.
Bert New, chief counsel for the
state commission, has informed me
that he is not familiar with any of the
features of this case. He has never
attended hearing but his name is
signed to all the pleadings filed by
Messrs. Beasley and Jessup.
81 also wonder if the average man
believes that the State of Indiana,
through it's utilities commission, is
properly conserving his interests by
delegating to the attorneys for the ben
Gifted corporation the authority to rep
resent the state in the hearing of this
case?"
City Attorney Bond sharply remind
ed Attorney Jessup at the hearing last
night that the state commission and
not Jessup's own corporation was the
defendant In the action.
Strikes Out Two Clauses
Judge Cause had indicated that he
intended to strike out two paragraphs
of the answer to the suit filed for the
commission in which event way
would be open for the city to intro
duce additional evidence, not consider
ed when the rates were formulated.
for the purpose of sustaining the city's
assertion that the new rates were
unreasona BILE.
Attorney Jessup remarked that the
Light. Heat & Power company would
object to the admission of additional
evidence and City Attorney Bond then
reminded him that he was in court
not as the representative of that COM
pany but as the attorney for the COM
mission.
Mr.. Bond vigorously insisted upon
a prompt answering Of all the city's
interrogatories declaring that the
court should issue an order fixing
time limit for the commission to
answer his questions Judge Cause
advised consulting with the commits
sion on this matter, stating that he
would be ready then to issue such an
order
81 believe if the commission was
represented in this case by commits
sion attorney there would be an effort
made to bring about prompt court
decision; at least l should think the
commission, if it had acted in error
in formulating the rates our citizens
complain of, would desire to rectify
it's error as soon as possible" Mr..
Bond said today. However, the COM
mission is only represented by the
Light, Heat & Power company's at
torneys and they are making every
effort to delay a prompt ruling"