The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-12-26
NATIONAL TRAFFIC BUREAU OFFERS
HAND IN THE FIGHT.

q hhNH In LII L 40d -
F.H. Griffith of Wichita Who Attended
Special Meeting in st. Louis a. Tramc
Commissioners Has the Plan OF Fight,
Outlined by the National Traffic Bureau
Against the Proposed Pooling Bill to
Come Up In the Present Session of Con-
press-Mstter VIII be Presented to the
Commercial Club.
T. II. Griffith of this city attended a
special committee meeting of the Ma
tionaI Board Of Trade at St Louis the
Hrs. of the week in ths interest of the
great fight against the railroad pooling
bill in the southwestern states.
At a general meeting Of the board in
the city OF Washington, December l5'
resolution was adopted favOring bill
by congress allowing railroad pools or
traffic combines, to which resolution was
offered a strong protest in the minority
report given hereinafter. The argument
hv Commissioner Vanlandingham in
SUPPORT of the minority report Will be
found closely logical and exhaustive. He
shows WHY the east, with a small ton
mage. is benefited by the pool plan and
how such pool is detrimental TO the
great west and south and dwells upon
the injustice Of the report since the rep
resentatfon from the west and south was
very small. The report of the National
Board Of Trade, which body is an orSani-
cation Of commercial bodies, is calculated
Ii lend a great support to the bill when
i Shall come up in congress.
The fight Of the opposition has opened
and the work in Kansas and Oklahoma
mas been given to the direction Of Mr..
Griffith Commercial clubs, associations
OF shippers, agricultural combinations
all sorts of conventions and meetings
Of material interest vii be asked TO pass
against the pooling bill in all the west
ern and southern states, and the papers
forwarded to the respective senators and
representatives in congress.
Mr. Griffith viii present the matter to
the Commercial club here soon and will
Immediately carry the work into Okla
shoma.
The minority report and Mr.. Vanland-
!nghams argument in support is given
herewith:
Report of the Minority Committee on
Railroads to the National Board of
Trade at Washington, Thursday, Dec
16, 1897
We do not concur in the clause OF the
majority report, which directly or indi-
rectly endorses the legaiizing of pooling
of earnings or tonnage between railroads
and submit the following resolutions in
lieu OF the sections referring to pooling:
Resolved, That any law legalizing pool
Ing Of the tonnage or earnings between
railroads is against public policy, de-
etructive to legitimate and beneficial
competition, and canot but result in un-
just discrimination.
Resolved, That the National Board ot
Trade disapproves and is opposed 10 all
propositions to 50 amend the Interstate
Commerce Law as to permit pooling.
A J. VANLANDINGHAAI, st. Louis.
GEO. F. STONE, Chicago,
r. c. GREER, Peoria,
W. p. TRICKETT, Kansas City,
Minority.
IN SUPPORT OF THE MINORITY.
Mr.. Vanlandingham, in presenting the
report on the behalf Of the minority, said
Mr.. Chairman-I move the adoption
OF the foregoing resolutions as a substi-
tute Tor section 1 Of the report OF the ma
jority committee, or 50 much OF that re-
port as covers the question of pooling.
There are four members Of your COM
miltee on railroads who are opposed TO
lo,-. -l-o.e
we opposed to such a law personally, but
we are here under Instructions to oppose
sucsl a measure, by resolutions Of our re-
speccive organizations. What l may say
as to Why l oppose the measure are my
own views only, ana have not been sub
miJted to the other members Of the COM
mttee.
L am opposed to action being taken
here indorsing the legalizing Of pooling
Of either earnings or tonnage between
railroads because on this question Of ma
tional importance and of special import
ance 70 the territory west Of the AIssis- |
sippi river and Of Chicago, the National
Board of Trade is not representative |
body.
PROPORTION OF COMMITTEE VOTE |
IL IL my understanding that we have
represented here twerIy-nine commercial
organizations, two OF which have inter- |
ests both east and west; only four Of the |
TWEEN ty-nlne are from west Of the Indi- |
ana-lllinois line, and two only from
south of the Ohio river We have three |
organizations representing the city of |
Boston, three representing the city of |
Philadelphia, and but six representing |
the entire territory west Of Indiana and |
south uf the Ohio-the territory which |
produces ta-5e-fourths Of the grain and /
live stock and all of The cotton OF the |
United States, is represented in this as |
ISOLATION by delegates from six cities |
only, namely, Chicago. St. Louis. Peoria, |
Kansas City, New Orleans and Atlanta. |
Yet We are asked - recommend Iegisla- |
shrdluetaoin eta0iu etaoin ininnni |
ton that may decrease the value Of ev- /
cry bushel Of grain, % every pound OF cot |
;on, every head of live stock produced !
IN that territory, by enabling the trans
Po!tation lines 10 divide the traffic Of !
that great territory among themselves,
upon such basis as they mutually agree.