, 1879-04-13
RAILROADS.:

away peacefully and without severe struggl
about noon yesterday. The Committee at
pointed at the meeting OF the managers OF tn
| roads in the Association day before Yesterda
to try surmount the difficulties in the way o
reorganization of the pool, and to get the seV
eral roads to agree to an allotment Of percent
| ages, met again at 9 o'clock yesterday morning
They considered several propositions for set
| tlcment, out all failed, owing to the determine
ton Of the st. Louis roads to agree to no com
promise of any nature. These tws
lines, it is understood, insisted on get
ting the same percentages hereafter tha
they hnd heretofore, that they divide equal,
| the % per cent of the Missouri River bushes!
allotted to St. LOUIS. They were not willing tha
the Chicago 81 Alton should have any portion O
this business, although they admitted that tht
Alton had as good line to that city as eithel
the Missouri Pacific or st. Louis, Kansas City 6
| Northern. The Alton people at first c]aimcC
one-third Of the st.:Louis business, but seeing
| that the st. Louis ends would never submit te
this, and in order to prevent disruption Of the
Association, they submitted proposition thai
the question at issue should be submitted te
three disnterested railroad officials for arbitra
| ton, and that oil the roads should abide by
their decision. But this uuquestionably fail
| Louisans "
| 1t was now evident that no com mprolnise could
| be effected, and that the pool was doomed to
destruction: The exasperated Chicagoans
charged the st. Louisans with acting in the In
terests Of the stock gamblers III New York to
help them shear " the market. The st. Louis
ans smiled sly smfle,'as if to say, "We know
| it. but we can't help it, but made no reply.
1t was then decided to close the Committee
meeting and to report to the general meeting.
| order again by the Chairman, Mr.. J. F. Bar
nard, the Committee reported the results Of
their deliberations. 4 resolution was then in
troduced BY member Of the st. Louis side OF
tue house, that the Western Railway Assocla-
tion be considered dissolved. The two St. Louis
roads and the Wabash voted for it, and the
three Chicago roads and the Hannibal d. St.
Joe and Kansas City, ST. Joe +E Council Bluffs
against 1t: One Of the Chicago members then
introduced a resolution That the pool be contin-
blame for its dissolution upon the proper parties,
as the previous vote had already decided the
fate OF the Association, for the arrangement
could not be continued without unanimous
vote: The three Chicago roads and the Hann;-
bal s. st. Joe and Kansas City s. st. Joe s.
Council Bluffs voted ior this resolution, and the
two St. Louis roads and the Wabash against it.
This was the end Of the Southwestern Railway
Association, and the meeting adjourned solemn
" and mournfully without beEcdiction.
The death Of the Missouri Kiyer pool is
greatly deplored BY all the parties who particl-
pated In it, Sd it had been a great source Of
profit to the roads, and, besides there is little
rejoicing among shippers, for this pool has GER
maintained fair and equitable rates, that met
the approval OF mos: shippers. PrcFIO1s to
tile formation or the Southwestern Railway As
sociation, the roads leading to Missouri River
points We're engaged in very ruinous competi
ton, and st times the rates went down to
almost nothine, while at other times spasmodic
advances we're made to make up for losses.
This state OF affairs was not ouly disastrous to
tho roads themselves, but the shippers also
derivel no bencbt from #. for they never knew
on what basis they could make their contracts'
and tie low rates at one time were Offset hv ths
liph rates at another time. On Semi. 1
IS7U tie railroads leading to Missouri River
nonts from ChIcaeo, and 81. Ionis md Mfssia-
md established a ppol on the Missouri River
husipess-that is, On business to Atchison.
J,eayeuworth St. Jose1h. and Kansas Citr-
which vas thcn known as the Southwestern
Rai1road-Ratc Association. The pool was found
II S %ent ons and
until tIarch Is, 1878. THE pool struck snag al
this time, owing to the demund Of the St. Louis
men for larger share OF the business, claiming
that under the old arrangement Chicago had
Of St. Louis. The Chicago roads,
however, could not be persuaded
to believe that they were getting more than
their fair proportion Of the business, and re-
fused to accedc to the demands OF the st, Louis
roads. Tile result was, that the latter With
drew from the pool, aud there was fierce war,
out Of which Chicago came out victorious.
Chicago, with it's superior advantages, got the
best Of st. Louis, and. after seven weeks hard
lighting, the St. Louis roads pleaded for peace,
aud, as the Chicago lines we're only too glad to
stop the war, meeting Of the various inter-
ested roads was called, aud May 6, 1875, the
pool was re.establlshcd On substantially the
old basis, aud the name was changed to the
Southwestern Railway Association.
Up to this time the following roads had been
members OF the Association: St. Louis, Kansas
CITY 81 Northern, Missouri Pacific, Chicago s.
Alton. Chicago, burlington & Quincy, Chicago,
Rock Island e. Pacific, Hannibal 6, st. doc, and
Kansas. City, St. Joe 65 Council Bluffs. Now,
the Wabash was admitted to membership and
given small share of the business in connection
with the Hannibal s. St. Joe. This was done to
kcep the Wabash from continuing the guerrilla
warfare which it had been waging against the
Association for some time. EVERYTHING worked
smoothly and harmoniousy again until
the present time This trouble arose
from the fact that the Chicago d
Alton, which heretofore had been doing
it's Missouri River business via the St. Louis,
Kansas City d Northern from Mexico, No., to
Kansas CITY has constructed line Of its own to
the latter point. The construction of the new
extension BY the Chichgo s. Alton gives this
road an additional liue to St. Louis fully rs good
as those Of the St. Louis roads, and the Alton
therefore demanded it's share Of the ST. TOuis