The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-26
NO PANIC SEEMS NECESSARY
OVER THE DECISION WHICH SEEMS
TO UPSET ALL TRAFFIC ASSO-
CATIONS.
LOCAL MEN ARE NOT ALARMED.
Railway Representatives Meeting In
Chicago to Cons der Means to Com
serve Their Interests.

day were inclined to scout the neceS-
s1ty Of the panic which followed the
decision Of the supreme court anent
railroad pooling, and without exception
the officials interviewed disclaimed the
fact that the Western Freight associa-
ton had gone to pieces. The opinions
given, as reported for the Glob E,
were universally encouraging, espec-
Tally when 1T was known that the opin-
ions were asked for publication. With
out exception the officials declared that
until a full text of the decision had been
received and digested, the railroads
would pursue the same lines as hereto
fore, and in this regard the Western
lines seem to have followed the lead Of
the lines in the Eastern Joint Traffic
association, which are said to have
held out against the common interpre-
tatlon of the decision. In fact, there
was manifest desire to hedge from
the effects of the panic and to hold
together the association
General Traffic Manager Hannaford,
Of the Northern Pacific, stated yester-
day afternoon that the road was not
member Of the Transcontinental
Freight Rate committee and, therefore
had not withdrawn. Mr.. Hannaford
laughed at the kilograms printed in
the morning papers to the effect that
the Western Freight association had
been abandoned and its 200 employees
discharged.
The kilograms said that the quarters
of the association in the Rookery
building had been deserted" said Mr..
Hannaford. THAT is all true enough,
for the association has moved into
the Great Northern Hotel building"
General Manager Samuel Stickney,
of the Great Western, tried to impress
upon the G O e that there never
had been pool; that the Western
Freight association was merely an or
ganization formed so that each road
would know what the other was doing
Mr.. Stickney declared there had never
been an attempt made by the asso-
citation to maintain rates or to hold
them up to a fixed standard; that, if
any such attempt had ever been made,
that none of the roads had ever in
tended to keep the agreement and that
bad faith" was generally accepted as
being the thing to look for. In fact,
Mr. Stickney ridiculed the idea Of the
association being a pool
The Milwaukee and the Omaha roads
declared they would take no action
until the decision was fully digested
President Marvin Hughitt, of the
Northwestern, will naturally determine
the policy Of the Omaha road in this
respect. The feeling all along the line
was one of regret. that the roads had
been seized with such a panicky feel
ing. The roads will evidently take a
bracer and back up the Joint Traffic
association In testing the scope of the
decision.
CHICAGO, March 25.-The Chicago &
Northwestern, the Missouri Pacific and the ST.
Louis San Francisco roads filed notice Of
withdrawal today from all the traffic asso-
Citations of which they were members The
Louisville st. Louis Air line also with
drew from the Southern States Freight asso-
citation, Of which it has been a member A
meeting of executive officers of the Western
roads were held today in the Office of Third
Vice President Morton, Of the Santa Fee to
talk over the situation. At the close of he
meeting, however, 1t was announced that no
concerted action had been decided upon and
none was likely to be. The more the decision
of the supreme court Is considered the more
clearly does 1t appear that not a vestige of
ground is left traffic associations as they
have heretofore been conducted. on which to
exist. All that remains now for the roads
to do is to direct their eneges to securing
legislation that will open some way for them
to conserve their interests and prevent their
revenues from being dissipated by mad com
petition None of the associations attempted
to do any business today. No circulars were
issued by any Of them and no attempts
were made to enforce observation of agree
ments. AS yet no cutting has been resorted
to as result OF the collapse of the associa-
tons. The roads are simply attending to
routine business and seem to be afraid to
take aggressive action Of any kind.
mass meeting Of passenger men, repre-
senttng the Western, Transcontinental Ohio
River and Southern lines was held here to-
day. 1t was Of an entirely informal character,
no resolutions being adopted or concerted ac-
ton of any kind agreed to.
The transportation committee of the Chicago
board Of trade Is reported to be engaged at
present in formulating charges of rate cutting
against certain lines Of road, and of receiv-
ing Illegal rates against certain favored ship
pers. These to be presented to the inter
state commerce commission, and by 1t prose-
cuted in the federal courts 1t is said that a
half dozen favored firms have been given such
reduced rates on grain that their competitors
on the board have been effectively crowded
out of the market and found themselves I'M
able to ship a pound of grain. lot Of evil
dence has been collected, sufficient, 1t is said
to assure conviction in a number of cases
and these, it Is intimated, will be pushed
to the utmost limit of the laws.