The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-27
NARRATIVE OF THE RECENT DIS
RUPTION OF THE WESTERN
FREIGHT ASSOCIATION.
CAR FERRY FIGHT TO BLAME
PRIMARILY FOR THE BEGINNING
OF THE PRESENT HOSTILITY
OF RIVALS.
GREAT NORTHERN COAL FEEDER
One May Be Built In British Column
bfa to Tap Veins Near Crows
Nest.

The desire to protect their roads in
dividually, and irrespective of the well
fare of the organization Is what has
precipitated the boiling of certain
roads from the Western Freight as
ISOLATION.
The history of the struggle of the
association to maintain it's existence
goes farther back than the withdrawal
of the Rock Island and the Atchison
roads, which occurred in the middle OF
last week. The story runs back three
or four months, during which time
Chairman Midgley has made a hard
scrabble to preserve unity The mem
bers of the association generally con-
cede that the break was no fault of the
chairman's. Mr.. Midgley is looked up
on by all traffic men as being an I'M
usually safe and conservative man to
represent them in an association. 1t is
the conservative man who makes
money for his road, or for any COM
bination of roads they figure, and the
official who SlaShes rates on the Slight
est pretext and thus disturbs the en-
tire situation over a large territory.
who not only decreases the dividends
of his own road, but those of others as
we'll. The members of the association
have faith in Mr.. Midgley, although
perhaps they think that he writes more
letters than is necessary. But the cir
cular recently printed in the Glob e
which was the first intimation in this
section that the Western Freight as
ISOLATION was on the verge of dismem-
berment, was issued with a well de-
fined purpose by Mr.. Midgley. He knew
that if he. directed it to all traffic men
that copies of it would be sure to fall
into the hands of general managers.
who would themselves take the matter
up and make an attempt to patch up
the trouble. But the scheme was in
effective 1t seems. The boiling of the
Rock Island and the Atchison brought
about crash which has been hanging
fire, but which might otherwise have
been averted. The trouble Gates back
to the recently 3settled war between
the Michigan Car Ferry company and
all rail lines between Chicago and ST.
Paul. When the car ferry company
cut rates, Mr.. Midgley worked hard
to prevent the all rail lines from fol-
lowing. He counSeled delay and ad-
vised the members of the association
to get together and come to some con-
certed plan before any move was made
to meet the cut. This plan was fol-
lowed until other of the lake lines
pooled issued with the car ferry com
pany and made reduced rates of their
own. Then the trouble began. Chair
man Midgley was unable to prevent u
break in the agreement, and one of the
roads jumped. Then came the thick
of the ferry rate war which will be
remembered with mingled feelings OF
amusement and resentment by the
various roads interested. The trouble
started here. Chairman Midgley
begged and importuned, but at the
first chance other roads found fault
and broke away What the general
managers will do in the matter of re-
organizing the association is certain;
they will reform the fragments, and
ii the boilers do not want to come in,
they can stay out and take the con-
sequences. Still, an association which
does not comprise within its member
ship every line in the iterritory effected,
is at best but slim affair and is bound
to go to pieces in time. Consequently
the hope of the freight men is to get
the Rock Island and the Atchison back
into line.