St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-25
The Atoms General Passen-
ger Agent Defines His
Position.
Chairman Finley and East
ern Roads Touched UP
Very Smartly.
New England Roads Object to
the Routing Of Christian
EndeavOrerS.
Railroad News Selected From
Ali Over the World On
Wheels.

CHICAGO, May 23.-Chairman Finley,
of the Western Passenger association,
has no reason to be in doubt as to the
Chicago & Atoms position. He devoted
a portion of his time to-day to careful
perusal of that company's answer tothe
charge that it had violated its agree
ment in declining to advance the pas
Senger rates from St. Louis to Chicago,
and from Kansas City to st. Louis. The
document was written by General Pas
senger Agent Charlton, who began it
by calling attention to his former an
nOuncement that the Alton could not,
III justice to itself, assent to any adj
vance in rates during the existence of
the boycott that had been imposed upon
1t by its Eastern connections. He then
went on to say: SAT recent meet
ingS you held that the foundation
of the Western Passenger association
was the principle of equality, and that
the whole purpose of the agreement
was to preserve that principle which
has now been destroyed by the boycott,
and declared it to be the duty of the
members or the association to take
OtN 20 W JidSS al lillCo all VII q 1OOO-
ing of equality as prescribed by the
agreement. If the association ignores
its obligation under the agreement, by
what right can you or it hold us to all
our obligations under it, especially as
in the present case, we simply take
action in the direction of maintaining
that equality which you insist is the eS-
sence of the agreement. We are main
tanning the agreement in spirit, while
the association is dlsregating it both in
CUES that the chairman's ruling
is not consistent. claiming that if he
was right in ordering the rate advanced
from St Louis to Chicago, he was
wrong IN a former ruling that the rate
from Kansas City to st. Louis should be
reduced, as the condition in st. Louis
was much worse when the advance was
ordered than the condition in Kansas
City when the reduction was allowed.
1t is further argued that the power Of
restoring rates is not vested in the
chairman, aud that his ruling in this
case is therefore out of order. In con-
clusion, Mr.. Charlton fires this shot at
the Eastern roads: "We are boycotted
for expressing an opinion in favor of
paying reasonable commission. The
payment of commissions is permitted
by the Western Passenger associa-
ton agreement and commissions are
now being paid by many of the lines
boycottlng. Indeed, all the lines be-
tween New York and Chicago are pay
ing commissions amounting to 81 from
New York to Chicago, and SIS in Castle
Garden on California business. Even
the board of rulings, which orders the
boycott against us, at the same time
officially and openly authorized the pay
ment of commissions. 1t boycotts us
for paying commissions, and it author
ICES the payment of commissions in its
territory, and other commissions are
paid, with or without its knowledge.
For expressing an opinion in favor of
paying reasonable commissions, we are
boycotted by lines That are paying I'M
reasonable commissions"