Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-11-22

through Minneapolis to local points on ii
line, where it is Toured and sent East, thus
avoiding the st. Paul pool. Everything
which would naturally come through st.
Paul must be divided according to the
above percentages, to secure which the
Rock Island road will carry the war as
far and as long as its rivals stand out.
Who Has the Best of 1t.
Especial Telegram to the Globe.
CHICAGO, Nov. 21-The war among
the Northwestern roads is still principally
confined to east bound traffic. On east
bound traffic the rates both on freight and
passengers from st. Paul and Minneapolis
are being numerically slaughtered. Full
rates are still being charged on passenger
business from this city to Northwestern
and Western points, so that the warning
roads get one fare for the round trip any
way. On freight business, rates from
Chicago to competitive poin. s IN Iowa were
cut by the Milwaukee & st. Paul, but
to all other points, the freight rates
are still being maintained. So far, the
Rock Island has the best of the fight, as it
is able to maintain rates to and from points
on its main line, and emily has to fight on
the Northwestern business, and as this is
new business, it does not lose as heavily as
the other roads. It is the general opinion
among railroad men that the Milwaukee &
st. Paul made mistake in joining the
Iowa pool, and the Northwestern and Cen
tral Iowa association, as it thereby tied its
hands, and cannot strike the Rock Island
at its vital points. Were it not for the
Milwaukee & st. Paul, and Central Iowa
associations, it would now be liza
BILE to carry the war into Africa.
AS 1t is, it will have
to maintain the rates from Chicago to all
points embraced in the agreement. These
arrangements were made for one year
from last October, and the penalty for cut
ting rates during that period of time is
from $500 to 1000 for each violation of
the agreement. Were it not for those agree
ments the west bound rates from this city
would be as low now as those on east bound
rates from st. Paul and Minneapolis. Still,
it is likely that if the war continues much
longer those agreements will be broken
anyway, and rates cut from and to all
points on the lines of the warning roads.
Railroad agreements can be readily
broken. This has been shown
frequently heretofore. There is
no law by which a road can be compelled
to keep an agreement except the moral
law, and this does not play much of a part
among railroads when they are at war. 1t
is quite likely that the Milwaukee a. st.
Paul, when it finds that the traffic agree
ments work detrimentally to its interests,
will not particularly trouble itself about
their preservation, and if it does SO
and is fined for violating them, the other
roads will have sweet time in collecting
the fines.
AS the matter now stands there is no
telling when the fight is to stop and how
large proportions it will assume. Both
the Rock Island and Milwaukee & st. Paul
managers declare that they will fight it
out on this line if it takes all winter, and
if they stick to this determination a gen-
eral fight on both freight and passenger
business to and from all western points
can hardly be avoided, and some of the
roads may be forced to the wall before the
fight is over.
A GLOBE representative interviewed Mr..
h. R. Gable, vice president and general
manager of the Rock Island and president
of the Minneapolis & st. Louis, regarding
the situation. Mr.. Cable said that as
far as the Rock Island was concerned it
would certainly not recede from the posi-
ton it had taken, and the directors of the
road we're fully satisfied with
the policy it was pursuing.
The Rock Island he said
was not responsible for the war, as it was
due to the Milwaukee & st. Paul's refusal
to do the fair thing towards the other
Minneapolis and St. Paul road. The Mil
waukee & St. Paul refused to pool the
grain business, knowing that by doing so
it could no longer deprive the other roads
of their fair share of the business. AS the
Minneapolis & St. Louis had all along re
ceived one-third of the east-bound bust
ness from Minneapolis, Mr.. Gable could
see no reason why it was entitled to less
percentage now, when its facilities at
Minneapolis were far superior
to what they were then. Of the
st. Paul business the Minneapolis
& st. Louis demands but 20 per cent.
which was certainly reasonable, consider
ing the fine facilities the road had gained
during the last year at st. Paul. On the
passenger business from st. Paul and
Minneapolis, Mr.. Gable said there had
been no pool heretofore, and the fight on
passenger rates resulted from the mis-
understanding regarding the division of
freight business. In making this fight he
said the Milwaukee & st. Paul was hitting
the st. Paul & Omaha line as severely as
the Minneapolis & st. Louis, and the
Omaha line was now getting even by re-
ducing rates from common points
in Minnesota and Dakota,
whore the Northwestern and
the Northwestern and the Milwaukee & st.
Paul are crossing it. The Omaha line,
though forming the connection for the