Smith v. Interstate Commerce Commission

by Joseph McKenna

United States Supreme Court

245 U.S. 33

Smith  v.  Interstate Commerce Commission

 Argued: Oct. 2 and 3, 1917. --- Decided: Nov 5, 1917

Petition of the Interstate Commerce Commission to require the attendance before it of appellant, president of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company, an interstate carrier, to answer certain questions theretofore asked him in a proceeding then pending before the Commission.

The petition described the Commission as an administrative tribunal and recited the powers conferred upon it by sections 1, 15, 12, 13, 20 and 21 of the Act of Congress to regulate commerce, approved February 4, 1887, as subsequently amended (Comp. St. 1916, §§ 8563, 8576, 8581, 8583, 8592, 8594). That by a resolution of the United States Senate of November 6, 1913, the Commission was directed to investigate, take proof and report to the Senate as soon as practicable upon certain practices and financial relations of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, the Nashville, Chatanooga & St. Louis Railway and other carriers. The resolution was set out. Its twelfth paragraph is as follows:

'What amount, if any, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway, the Nashville & Decatur Railroad, and the Lewisburg & Northern Railroad, all or any of them, have subscribed, expended or contributed for the purpose of preventing other railroads from entering any of the territory served by any of these railroads, for maintaining political or legislative agents, for contributing to political campaigns, for creating sentiment in favor of any of the plans of any of said railroads.'

The other paragraphs concern the relation of the railroads to one another, the control, if any, exercised by the Louisville & Nashville over the others, by stock ownership, leases or arrangements, and whether but for these the roads would be competitive and if through such means rates were fixed and maintained. The resolution is set out in full in United States v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co., 236 U.S. 318, 324, 35 Sup. Ct. 363, 59 L. Ed. 598.

That thereafter the Commission instituted a proceeding in pursuance of such resolution and it was ordered that the proceeding be set for hearing at such times and places and that such persons be required to appear and testify or to produce books, documents and papers as the Commission might thereafter direct, and that the investigation by carried on in the meantime by such other means and methods as might be deemed appropriate. A copy of the order was served on the Louisville & Nashville and other railroads.

That subsequently, on March 20, 1916, the order of the Commission was amended by adding to the order the provision that after the hearings and investigations authorized the Commission might issue such order or orders in the matter as might be proper and necessary in the premises and that case No. 8488, Luke Lea v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co. et al., be consolidated for hearing with the proceeding upon one record at such times and places as the Commission might direct. Copies of the order and original order were served on the railroads.

That pursuant to such orders a meeting was had April 27, 1916, and pursuant to adjournment resumed in the city of Washington May 4, 1916. At such hearings appellant appeared in response to a subpoena and certain questions were addressed to him.

He testified that there was no connection between the reckless dissipation of the funds of a railroad in political campaigns and the adjustment of reasonable rates, even if the contribution was of the sum of $500,000 or $20,000,000, as the adjustment of rates is governed by conditions entirely independent of the revenues of a railroad. In illustration he adduced the adjustment of rates of bankrupt roads operated by receivers of courts which he testified are handled in the same way and arrived at in the same manner as they are by solvent roads.

The following questions were then asked him by counsel for the Commission, omitting those not now relevant. We number them for convenience of reference:

1. 'I will ask you, Mr. Smith, if you know of any funds of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad expended in Tennessee for political campaign purposes during the year 1915 and charged upon the books of that carrier to operating expenses.'

2. 'Can you tell us what funds of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company were expended in the state of Alabama during the years 1912 and 1913 for political campaign purposes and charged on the books of that carrier to operating expenses or to construction account?'

3. 'Can you tell us of your own knowledge whether these expenditures of the funds of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company for political purposes were charged in the operating expense account or construction account of either the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company or the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway? Can you tell us whether these expenditures were charged on the books of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad to legal expenses?' 4. 'Among the vouchers in the files of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, found by the examiners of the Interstate Commerce Commission, there appears one, No. 2282, February, 1910, in favor of the Columbia Trust Company for $20,715.06 for special fees paid under the direction of the president. The examiners were refused all information regarding this voucher. Can you tell us what it was about and what the voucher was for?'

5. 'Can you tell us why the entry in reference to this $20,000 voucher was made in such a way as to give no information as to the purpose of this expenditure?'

6. 'Among the vouchers found by the accountants for the Commission in the files of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, appears one numbered 391, dated May 5, 1907, in favor of the National Bank of Commerce, for $15,000 issued for certain expenditures authorized by the president. All further information was refused the accountants. The books give no further information. Can you advise us or enlighten us as to the purposes of this $15,000 voucher?'

7. 'Did the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company, through you or by your direction, expend approximately $34,800 in Alabama through the Johnson-Dallas Agency in a campaign against rate reductions as advocated by former Governor Comer, of that state?'

8. 'Have you personal knowledge of any funds of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company expended in Alabama through the Johnson-Dallas Agency in a campaign against rate reduction?'

9. 'Is it the policy of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company to make political campaign contributions, if you know?'

All of the questions the witness declined to answer upon the advice of counsel.

The answer of appellant to the petition challenged in general and in detail the power of the Commission and urged that the Commission is entirely a ministerial tribunal, having only the powers given it by act of Congress, and that those, with few exceptions, are confined to the enforcement of the act, and that the latter as amended 'does not attempt to regulate the politics or the political activities of common carriers, nor the subject of their endeavoring to exclude competitors from their territories.'

That the object of the questions asked by the Commission 'was to delve into questions purely political' and to ascertain whether the witness or the company believed that a railroad company had a right to engage in political campaigns and to make political contributions and whether it had been the policy of the company to make contributions of funds to such campaigns and whether the company had in the past engaged in such practices. It is asserted that all such matters are outside of the jurisdiction of the Commission.

That the proceeding is a consolidation of two proceedings, Nos. 6319 and 8488, that Luke Lea is the open and sole complainant in the latter and the instigator and real complainant in the other, which was instituted by the Commission without there being a nominal complainant, but pursuant to a resolution of the United States Senate introduced by Lea, then a member of the Senate and the complainant in No. 8488, which is confined to an alleged improper issue of free passes.

Certain activities of Lea are stated and certain resentments and motives of his are urged as having actuated him and a want of power upon the part of the Commission is repeated and the refusal to answer the questions hence asserted to be justified.

The Commission moved to strike out certain portions of the answer, which was denied.

The court required appellant to answer the questions, and from its order this appeal is prosecuted.

Messrs. Helm Bruce and Edward S. Jouett, both of Louisville, Ky., for appellant.

[Argument of Counsel from pages 39-41 intentionally omitted]

Mr. Joseph W. Folk, of Washington, D. C., for appellee.

Mr. Justice McKENNA, after stating the case as above, delivered the opinion of the Court.

Notes