Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-03-21
GREsHAM'S DECISION.

CHICAGO March 15-Judge Gresham YES
terday rendered his decis ion on the points
raised by the Burlington road against the
Bic! Eerhood in Its petition asking that tho
Wabash road be compelled to receive and
handle It's freight
Judge Gresham rehearsed the main points
from the petition and the answer from the
receiver, which were published In full some
days ago After summing up the situation
| the court said:
ALTHOUGH the property of tho Wabash road II
in the hands of the court is operated by the re-
celVer, and he Is bound to put forth every effort
| 10 transact its business In the most profitable
| way. He Is bound to receive all trattic rendered
him and he can not discriminate In favor or
against any railroad company. More need not
| be said on this question, 40 the receiver has
wisely rescinded his former order. which does
not appear to have been considered at any time
| Is hts permanent policy.
Although the petitioner has accomplished
Its chief purposes In invoking the aid OF the
courts, 1t is urged by its counsel that persons
| belonging to the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers, and especially p. M. Arthur, who
Is the chief officer Of that organization, has
| 1nterlered with the receiver and his sub.
| ordlnates In the management OF the Wabash
property, and that they should be punished for
| their Illegal and contumacious conduct. The
| receiver and his counsel make no such COM
| plant. On the contrary, the receiver declares
| that there has been no suon interference with
him:
"While the affldavits submitted In support
| OF the petition show that Mr.. Arthur sent q tel
| egraph message to the engineers OF the Union
Pacific Railroad Company at Omaha, direct
ing them to haul no cars of the petitioners it
| does not fairly appear from the evidence that
the engineers in the service of the receiver re-.
ceived such ORDERS by telegraph or otherwise,
For the present 1t is sufficient to say that
| Inc court will protect the property of the
| WABASH Company in its custody. The en-
| ployes OF the receiver can not be obliged
10 remain IN his service against their
| VIII. Neither they nor others will
be permitted to interfere with or
disturb the receiver or his subordinates in
| the possession and operation OF the property in
his custody. Lawless interference with the re-
| celver and his employees In the discharge OF
| their duty will not be tolerated. 1t is proper
| 10 state, however, in justice to the Wabash
| eng neers, that they do not desire to
maintain an attitude OF defiance to the law,
ana that they are now willing to aid the re-
| celver in the lawful and successful administra-
! ton OF his trust. The receivers answer
renders it unnecessary for the court to do
more than direct that the petition remain on
| tile for future action should there be occasion
| for it,"
This decision appeared to give satisfac-
t1on all around The Burlington officials
were jubilant and declared that they
couldn't have done better if they had writ
ten the decision themselves. 1t forced
the brotherhood to recognize the existence
| or law, which was what the Burlington
| was after The company also claimed that
| ills was a test case and would have q
wholesome etfec5 in deterring any other
road from handling its freight At the
| strikers headquarters the decision was re-
ceived with unconcern. Those of the
brotherhood who were willing to speak of
the matter at all claimed thai it simply
| placed the engineers in the same position as
before the petition was filed.
The through-freight blockade has now
been practically raised, all the important
roads handling Burlington freight as
usual, except the Rock Island. the
St Paul and the Belt Line The
last named, which is part of the Western
Indiana system, is giving the Burlington
more trouble than any other at present
The Belt line is needed for expeditions busi-
ness, and yesterday the Burlington decided
to try the courts again to compel the OPEN
ing of traffic
Late in the afternoon Writ Dexter filed a
bill in the Federal Court praying an injunc-
ton restraining the officials of the
Belt Line from refusing to handle
Burlington freight and also that the
Belts employees may be restrained from
declining to draw Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy freight and cars This petition will
be called up before Judge Gresham at 2
o'clock this afternoon, when it is more than
likely that the Belt Line will secure a con-
tinuance as was in the Wabash case
The bill charges the Belt Line with Grip
ping the @" road because much of the
delayed freight is perishable. The engi-
neers are charged with having usurped the
practical management of the Belt Line and
the officials of the latter continue to en-
ploy them. The persons responsible for
the delay are charged with q criminal
offense. The bill also says that it is
filed under the Interstate Commerce law
and to prevent a multiplicity of suits by
consignees and consignors of freight for it's
non-deivery by the Bedtime. s T. Pope,
train master of the Burlington, made
affidavit that there were 1876 loaded freight
cars in the Burlington yard waiting to be
transferred to the Belt Line ana 200 in
possession of the Belt Line awaiting trans
fer to the Burlington.
The grievance committees of all the
roads got together yesterday. After long
sessions by themselves joint meeting was
held, lasting nearly the whole of yesterday.
at which about one hundred delegates
were present, representing every road GEN.
tering In Chicago The result Of these
deliberations is variously construed At
the strikers headquarters the usual dense
ignorance prevailed or was professed as to
the action of the meeting:
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Ia, March 15-Not q
wheel of a regular freight or switch engine
was moving in the yards of the Union
Pacific at this point after 10 O'Clock
yesterday, at which hour the last engine
was run into the round-house and
abandoned by the engineer and fireman
In charge Every stall in the large round
house is filed with abandoned engines, and
the yards are deserted except by the
crews engaged in unloading freight
The engineers began running their engines
into the round-house Tuesday night and
quietly abandoned them one by one until
every engine was housed. No reason is as
signed by them for their action other than
that they are tired or troubled by some
bodily ailment, but glance over the
yard discloses the presence of q large
number of Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
loaded frelght-cars made up in regular
trains and consigned to the Union Pacific
for transportation over that line. This is,
Of course, the real cause of the difficulty,