The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-25
FIVE ST. PAUL-CHICAG0 LINES
HAVE WITHDRAWN FROM ALL
COMBINATIONS.
GOOD POSITIONS DESTROYED.
Many Bright Railroad Men VIII Be
Out in the COId-Extent of the
Decisions Effect.

pools, known as the Western Freight
association and the Western Passenger
association. Other roads are about to
follow the lead Of the above-mentioned
roads, and the collapse Of all traffic
pools is imminent on account Of the
recent decision Of the United States SUI
preme court, which rules that the
Sherman law, passed in 1890, prohibits
the establishment of associations or
pools for the maintenance Of rates be-
tween common points by competing
lines.
The railroad officials of st. Paul are
greatly worked up over the decision.
and it is likely all the associations in
which ST. Paul roads are interested
will cease Immediately In addi-
ton to the large list Of associations
which will break up in other portions
Of the West, there are a half dozen
pools which will hit the St Paul roads.
Among them are the Transcontinental
Traffic association, the Western Freight
association, the Western Passenger as
ISOLATION, Minneapolis and St. Paul
Freight Rate association, st. Paul Rate
association and others. These associa-
tons are already practically killed by
the decision, which, coming from the
highest court in the land, will stand
unless congress passes laws modifying
the conditions of the Sherman bill The
decision is one Of the most sweeping
and disastrous to railroad interests Of
any which has ever been handed down
from the national supreme bench. It
a
supreme courts and was wholly unex-
pected in its severity by the railroads.
A meeting of the Western Passenger
association will be held in Chicago to-
day, and it may be the last Of the pool.
There was a sudden departure of pas
senger and traffic officials to Chicago
Tuesday and last evening and few
were on hand to be interviewed last
evening. The collapse of an institution
like the Western Freight association
would be a blow which would affect
twenty-five large roads centering In
the Twin Cities, Chicago, St. Louis
and other cities in the Western states.
The association is, strictly speaking,
many years old, although during lis
career it has been organized and reor-
ganized. The present association was
formed last summer and fall after sew
Ell al Intellectual attempts to complete
the agreement, Finally the attempt
was successful, and the association was
formed with more rigid lines than ever
before. Many new features We're add
ed, among them being a division OF
authority between the board of man
agement and the board of administra-
ton. The former was composed of the
executives Of the road and the latter
was composed of five special commits
sioners or arbitrator. In addition to
this piece of machinery, there was a
general commissioner or chairman IA
the person Of J. w. Midgely, and a rate
committee, composed of the freight
agents or trafficmen Of the roads inter-
ested in the association. The disrup-
ton of the association will play havoc
with large corps of men who are at
present drawing large salaries. The
board Of administration is composed of
c. A Parker, formerly traffic manager
Of the Missouri Pacific; H. H. Court
right, formerly general freight agent OF
the Chicago & Alton; c. L. Wellington.
formerly general traffic manager of the
Wisconsin Central, and H L. Shute.
formerly general traffic manager Of
the Great Northern. In addition to the
commissioners, the Western Freight as
ISOLATION employed about 100 men IN
different capacities, and they. too, will
be thrown out of employment The
Western Freight association is but one
Of the twenty-five pools which will col
lapse, and in the aggregate many Of
the cleVerest railroad men in the West
viii be out of work. The Western
Freight association is one Of the most
important and influential Of the freight
pools of the country. 1t was second
only to the Joint Traffic association.
The total capitalization Of the twenty
two roads in the Western Freight as
sociation is tremendous and exceeds
the total Of the national debt
The association provided some fat
jobs. Chairman Midgely drew $4,000
per annum. The four other commits
sioners drew $4,000 These men gave
up splendid positions less than six
months ago, and the Western Freight
association guaranteed their salaries
for two years. Now, however, as the
association is no longer legally in exist
eEce, the commissioners are liable %
1A4AO A44C4A4SG4ASS Out II the cola.
The TranScontinental Rate committee
is practically an auxiliary Of the West
ern Freight association and controls
rates west of the Missouri river. Thu
members of the committee are the Ore
gOn Railway & Navigation company.
Northern Pacific, Great Northern.
Southern Pacific and the Canadian Pa
cific
The action Of the Northern Pacific
and Great Northern is yet unknown.
At the Northern Pacific it was stated
yesterday afternoon that the matter of
Withdrawing from the association had
not yet been considered. General Coun-
sci NJ. D. Grover, Of the Great North.
ern, said to a reporter for the Glob
that his department had not vet given
any advice to its traffic department
and that so far as he knew the Grear
Northern was not member of the
transcontinental committee He was
under the impression that the transcon-
tinentaI association had gone on the
rocks some time ago. Mr.. Growers
opinion, however, was that as the de-
clslon OF the supreme court was inter-
preted it made the pools Illegal.
A Chicago telegram yesterday saws:
1.-TWO roads followed the example Of
the Santa Fe in withdrawing from the
Western Freight association today.
These were the Burlington and the
Minneapolis & st. Louis. They both
went g step further than the Santa
Fe in that they withdrew from all or
carnations of which they were mem
bers, passengers as well as freight. The
Stnta Fe is still a member of the West
ern Passenger association, and Will re-
main so until fully satisfied that the
law applies TO passenger traffic as well