“Commissioner Clements. Do you destroy your other papers as recent as these?
“Mr. Mitchell. Not as a rule, sir.
“Commissioner Clements. Well, I will ask you again if you destroy these papers in order to destroy the evidence of the transactions to which they relate?
“Mr. Mitchell. Certainly we should dislike very much to have those papers exposed to the general public.
“Commissioner Clements. Why?
“Mr. Mitchell. It would be an unwise thing from a railroad standpoint to have such matters going about.
“Commissioner Clements. Why would it be unwise to disclose the method of procedure?
“Mr. Mitchell. Well, on account of the Interstate Law.
“Commissioner Clements. Because it violates the law, yes. That is what you really mean, is it not?
“Mr. Mitchell. I suppose that is it, sir.”[[361]]