The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-12-02
Railroads Appeared Before the la
tsrstste Commission Yesterday.
WANT EQUIPMENT LAW CONTINUED.
A Protest Was Battered by the Or
gained Employees.
CHIEF MORRIssEY DENOUNCED
Sensational Exchange Between Him
and President John X. Cowan of
the baltimore and Ohio.

commerce commission today opened the
toned for an extension of the time in
which they may comply with the law re-
quiring them to equip their cars and en-
gines with automatic car couplers, hand
rails and air brakes. The representatives
or attorneys of several hundred railroads
and also of leading labor ORGANIZATIONS
were present and the chamber In which the
commission sat was crowded to the DOORS
Intense interest was manifested. John h.
Cowen, enc Of the receivers of the Balti-
more and Ohio railroad. presented the gen
eral subject to the commission. Previous
to his general presentation Chairman Nor
rlson or the commlss on called for the oral
argument OF roads which were cor;ittely
equipped under the law. but which had
petiuoned the commission for an extension
OF the time as applied to the cars of other
roads which had not complied. Samuel
Hthr, representing the Boston and Albany
railroad, made a brief argument OH this
pant TO show the utter paralysis Of traffic
which must follow il roads which had COM
Piled with the law were compelled to cease
handling unequiFred cars. Mr.. Cowen pre-
sented at some length the whole question,
representing in this issue not only the Bal
timore and Ohio. but the Lake Shore read.
The Lake Shore, he said, was enc OF the
most prosperous roads in the country and
1t had been able to comply fully with the
law, but it was here uniting with the other
roads in asking for an extension. The
business of the railroads OF the county
was largely unit and those reads which
had equipped their cars could not haul un-
equipped cars without technically violating
the law. Mr.. Cowen said that he vas
chairman OF committee at this hearing
which represented about 600, 900 of the 800. :
OoO freight cars engaged In Interstate COM
merce. The question OF the PASSENGER csrs.
ne SAID could be dismissed. as they were
practically all equipped. or the freight
cars OF the country, 44ls per cent were
now equipped with car couplers and 3CIh
per cent had the additional air brake at
taehment. He argued that this was suffi-
Gent evidence that the roads had made an
honest effort to comply with the law. He
onered as the principal reason why the
ROADS mad .ot complied fully the Industrial
depIession which followed the massage Of
the act In 1893. which. he said h.ti ren-
dered them financially unable TO mike tho
outlay required by the law.
lie contendod that the law as passed
was defective and that congress reccanized
this by giving the commission the power 10
suspend Its operation. The single uues-
ton presented to the commission, he
argued, was the method and extent of ex-
tension, because unless an extension was
granted Interstate commerce must cease
he urged that the extension be for Ave
years with provision for an equipment of
one-ntth OF the cars each year, thus work.
ing up to full and complete compliance.
IL there ives then default, he said, cars
hot equipped could be Withdrawn from the
interstate commerce without endangering
the transportation facilities of the coun-
try He further said that It would cost
from $40 900 to $50 .000, 900 for the rail-
ways TO comply with the law. This money
must be earned. II the commission de-
cIined an extension the roads would be
absolutely unable To- equip their cars out
OF their own resources. The cost he said.
must come out OF the wages OF the en-
pioyes If the roads were 10 be driven be-
yond tleir financial ability
The percentage of equipped cars for the
control Of Inc trains ranged. according to
estimates given by experts present. from
20 to 60 per cent.
p. II. Morrisssy. at the head Of the
Brotherhood OF Railway g'rainmcn, and
representing the Order of Railway Con-
ductOrs the Locomotive Engineers the
Brotherhood OF Locomotive Eiremen, and
the Association OF Railroad Telegraphers.
| followed Mr.. Cowen with fOrcible pres
entation Of the attitude Of the railroad
| He agreed with Mr.. Cowen that In large
measure this was great commercial quos-
| ton. This law, the main features OF
which were to become operative on the
| first day Of the new year. he said. repre-
| scented the heart and conscience OF the
| American people as represented by their
| chosen servants in congress. The aSsoc.a-
tions for which he appeared We're a unit
In protesting against any such unreasona-
| BILE extension as had been proposed Five
years. he said, would render the purpose
I of the law migratory. During the past five
years 1000 railroad men have been killed
annually and between 10000 and $4,000 in
iured. OF these casualties so per cent
were directly attributed to the two evils
this law was designed to correct. The
! slaughter would continue as long as the
| present conditions remained. He thought
something should be done with roads able
at least to comply partially, that had ut
| terly disregarded the law. He replied
! rather heatedly to the intimation OF wage
reduction thrown out by Mr.. Cowen.
II sreaf In no defiant spirit" said Mr.
| Morrissey: "but want TO say that when
! the question CT reduction OF wages IL
presented &c US we will meet 1t. II the
alternative OF reducing of wages or the
| manning OF it's members were presented tc
the organizations which represent d.
rot hesitate TO say that they would pre-
| selves"
lie called attention TO great financial
losses the beneficial associations OF the
r-ads had sustained. In death aud disabil.
| ity claims 81, 900 900 had been l.aid cut
during the past ave yeers, enough to com
pletelv enuio a road Hike The Louisville
and Nashville.
When pressed by Chairman .fcrrison. Mt
| Morrissey replied that the railroad e'n
| r'oyes agreed that the maximum exten
sion must not exceed year.
In discussing the proposition OF TINS
railroads made oy SIR. Cowen. Mr.. Nor
! rissey asked II the COMMITTEES In grfntip'
an extension had the power TO impos'
conditions.
II am sorry TO say" replied Chairman
Morrison. that there are some things th'
committee does cot know AMI that Is on'
| Of them"
Ex-senator Butler OF sonth Carolina. u
behalf Of the Mobile and ohio road, ~ :
! rncmber a. the senate at the time ~ ih'
passage Of the act confirmed Mr.. 'oweI'
ststen,ent that The law WAS tentative
Mr.. Lewis Of the New York Central
whose road has complied fully With tn
1o- oakad fc- the extension on tho groun(