St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-25
A GIGANTIC SCHEME.
The Answer Of the Rock
Island Produces a Genu-
inc Sensation.
A Bold Plan to Form a Rail-
way Trust Of Mammoth
Proportions,
With a Field Covering One
Half Of the American
Republic.
The Burlington Has Caught a
Tartar That VIII Make a
Bitter Fight.

CHICAGO, March 24.-The Chicago,
Rock Island q Pacific railway filed its
answer in Judge Gresham court to-day
to the petition of the Chicago, Burning
ton u Quincy railway that the Rock
Island company be compelled toreceiye
and handle Chicago, Burlington d
Quincy cars. Only an inkling was given
in court that the answer of the Rock
Island was sensation of the first mag
nitude, telling of an attempt, heavily
backed and boldly carried into eXecu-
ton, to form a gigantic trust, having for
field nearly half the American republic.
Comparatively few people were present
in court, and before either the Burling-
ton complaint or the extraordinary re-
ply Of the Rock Island could be read,
Judge Gresham inquired of the at
tOrneys on either side how much time
they expected to require. Writ Dexter,
for the Burlington, answered grimly
that if the Rock Island was in the same
box with the Wabash, no time at all
would be asked by him. The matter
could be settled in jiffy. Robert T.
Lincoln spoke up for the Rock Island.
He said emphatically the Rock Islands
reply was not like that of the Wabash.
THEY MEAN FIGHT.
"Our answer" he added, ''means fight
"A fight with all our strength" Judge
Gresham announced that he would set
the hearing for Monday. and by consent
of all parties either Chicago or Mil
Waukee, in whichever Judge Gresham
should be that day, would be the place
of trial. The Rock Island in its answer
states the relations existing between the
various railway systems in Illinois,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri,
Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado, and
goes OH to say that among the systems
of railway traversing the states enum-
Grated are the Chicago ~ Northwest
ern, the Chicago, Milwaukee " st. Paul.
the Wisconsin Central, the Illinois Cen
trial, the Chicago, Alton q st. Louis, and
the Missouri Pacific; that these systems
are competitors with the complainant,
the defendant and with each other, at
originates at OF is destined to
the same territory, and this competition
between the systems of the complain
ant, the defendant, the Chicago IL North
western and the Chicago, Milwaukee q
st. Paul companies extends through the
greater portion of the territory en-
braced in the several states above
named; that for several months the sew
eral railway companies comprising the
different systems have been organized
into several voluntary associations, in
which they were severally represented
by their own officers, for the lawful pur-
pose OF making and maintaining reason
able rates which should be charged for
the transportation OF persons and prop
erty over their several lines; and that
while these associations were in fnll
operation, and in the month of January
last, the complainant, the Chicago, Burl-
ingtOn IL Quincy road commenced
A SYSTEMATIC REDUCTION
of rates for transportation into and
through the several safes and terrific
rieS named, which affected not only its
own revenues, but the revenues of the
several railways referred to as well;
that such reduction was continued from
day to day and from time to time dur
ing the period between the 30th day of
January and the 18th of March, until
the average rates charged were about
One-third of the rates charged for like
service before the complainant inaugu-
rated the war of rates: that for several
weeks after the commencement of the
war the complainant persiStently re-
fused to assign any reason for policy
which was depicting its own treasury
as well as the treasury of every other
railway company which was operating
a line in the states and territories
above named; that late in the
month of February and early in the
month of March it communicated to the
managing officers of one OF more of the
principal systems mentioned its purpose
to prosecute the rate war until the
officers of all of the railways involved
in the disastrous result of its policy
should consent to abdicate the powers
placed in their hands by the stockhold-
erS they represented, not to the stock
holders. but to what is generally
DENONINATED "a TRUST"
which should be managed by three men
who should be vested with the eXclu-
sive and and absolute power to make
and alter the rates which should be
charged for transportation of per-
sons and property over the
several railways above referred to
in the several states and territories
mentioned: also to make compensation
to railway companies from moneys to be
provided by all of the companies which
should assent to such trust, for loss OF
traffice, which might be sustained be-
cause of the rates which the trust might
establish-each company to guarantee
faithful obedience to the orders of the
trust by depOsiting large sums of money
which should be subject to the control
of the trust in paying fines assessed for
diSobedience, and i'll paying the COM
penSation above mentioned; that the
officers declined to submit to this de-
mand because they regarded such action
as inconsistent with the duties which
they owed TO the stockholders of the
scented, and as involving a violation
of the laws of the United States;
that on or about Feb. Is the engineers
and tiremen employed Oh the railway
of the Chicago, Burlington q Quincy
railroad company who were united in
brotherhoodS, which embraced nearly
all of the engineers and tiremen in act
i've service in the United States, de-
manded of the Burlington company
that it
SHOULD COMPENSATE THEM
for their services at the same rates at
which certain other railway companies
operating in the same territory cOmpen-
stated engineers and firemen in like
service; that they also insisted that the
system of classification of engineers
with regard to the terms of service
should be abrogated or radically modi-
fed; that instead of seeking or permit
ting a practical adjustment it deter
mined to use the disaffection of its
own employees to cOeree its competitors
into acquleScenSe in its scheme for the
creation of a great Western railway
trust, and in the execution of such pur-
pose delayed final answer to their de-
n