The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-02
LIFE SAVING ON THE RAILS.
ARGUMENTS HEARD ON ENFORCE
MENT OF THE LAW OF 1893.

lions Appear Before the Interstate
Commerce COmmissiOn-The Rail
road Men Ask That the Time For
tended Five Yenrs-CIaim THAI
Compliance viii Cost $4,000, 900
to $5O.OOO.OOO.
Washington, Dec. 1.-The interstate COM
merce commission to-day opened the hear
ing of the railroads which have petitioned
for an extension of the time in which they
may comply with the law of 1893, requiring
them to equip their cars and engines with
automatic car couplers, hand rails and air
brakes.
The representatives. of several railroads,
and also three leading labor organiza-
tions, were present, and the chamber in
which the commission met was crowded
to the doors. Intense interest was mani
tested
John x. Cowen, one of the receivers Of
the Baltimore and Ohio, presented the OBJ
jections of the railroads to the commits
sion.
Previous to his general presentation
Chairman Morrison of the commission
called for the oral argument of the roads
which were completely equipped under
the law, but which had petitoned the COM
mission for an extension of time as ap-
piled to the case of other roads which
had not compiled.
He offered as the principal reason why
the roads had not complied fully the in
dustrial depression which followed the
passage of the act in 1893 which he said
had rendered them financially unable to
make the outlay required by the law.
de contended that the law a s passed was
defective and that congress recognized
this by giving the commission the power
TO suspend its operation. The single ques-
ton presented to the commission, he ar
gued, was the method and extent of the
extension, because unless AN extension was
granted interstate commerce must cease.
He urged that the extension be for five
years with provision for an equipment
OF one-hth of the cars each year. thus
working up to full and complete compli-
ance. If there was then default in cars
not equipped, he said, it could well be de-
manded by the interstate commerce COM
mission without endangering the transpor-
tauon facilities of the country. He fur
Their said that it would cost from 10000
V0 to S5oOO,OOO for the railways 10 comply
WIN A4iC law. L HIS money must be earn
ed. If the commission declined to great
an extension, the roads would be absolutely
unable to equip their bars out of their
own resources The cost of this, he said.
must come out of the wages of the en-
ployes if the roads were to be driven be-
yond their financial ability.
The percentage of equipped cars for the
control of trains ranged according to es-
Inmates given by experts present, from
20 to 60 per cent.
p. H. Morrissey, representing the Broth
erhood of Railroad Trainmen, the Rail
road Conductors Association, the locomo-
tive engineers, the brotherhood of fire
men and the association of railroad tele-
graphers, followed Mr. Cowen with a
forcible presentation of the attitude of the
railroad employees toward the solicited ex-
tension He agreed with Mr.. Cowen that
in large measure this was a great com
mercial question. This low, the main fea-
lures OF which were to become operative
on the hrst day of the new year. he said
represented The heart and conscience of
the American people, as represented nv
their chosen servants in congress. The as
sociations for which he appeared were n
unit IN protesting against any such I'M
reasonable extension as had been pro-
posed. Five years, he said. would render
the purpose of the law nugatorv. Dur-
ing the past fve years $500 railroad men
nave been killed annually, and between
zVVW and 1900 injured. OF these casual
ties 90 per cent. were directly attribut
able to the two evils this law was de-
signed to correct. The slaughter would
continue as long as the present condi-
tons remained. He thought sometb,pg
should be done with the roads. which
being able at least to comply partially
had utterly disregarded the law.
He replied rather heatedly to the intim-
alton of wage reduction thrown out nv
Mr.. Cowen. Il speak in no defiant spir-
1t, said Mr.. Morrisey, but l want to
say that when the question of a educ
ton of wages is presented to us we viii
meet it. If the alternative of reducing
wages or the manning or death of its
members were presented to the organiza-
ton which 1 represent. 1 do not hesitate
TO say that they would prefer to go out
and equip the roads themselves"
He called attention to the great finan-
cial losses the beneficial associa tons of
the roads had sustained. Death and dis
ability claims amounting to 81, 900 600. had
been paid out during the past five years,
enough to completely equip a road like
the Louisville and Nashville.
When pressed by Chairman Morrison,
Mr.. Morrissey replied that the railroad
employees agreed thai the maximum eX-
tension must not exceed year.
In discussing the proposition of the rail-
roads made by Mr.. Cowen, Mr.. Morrissey
asked if the commission, in granting an ex-
tension, had power TO impose conditions.
i am sorry to say" replied Chairman
harrison, that there are some things the
commission does not know, and that Is
one of them"
Ex-senator Butler of South Carolina, on
behalf of the Mobile and Ohio railroad, as
a member of the Senate at the time of the
passage of the act confirmed Mr.. Cowen' S
statement that the law was tentative.
Mr.. Lewis of the New York Central,
whose road has compiled fully, asked for
the extension on the ground that the com
mission could not contemplate such an
interruption of traffic as must follow the
inability of his and other terminal roads
to haul unequpped cars.
Ex-Congressman Harrison of Alabama
made the point that the yellow fever in the
south had been a severe strain on south
ern roads.
The several roads which had fully COM
piled, those which had between 70 and 100
per cent. of their cars equipped, and those
with between 70 and Is per cent. were call
ed, and the representative Of each gave
an estimate of the time in which the work
Of complying with the law could be COM
pleted.
After the recess, julius Rosendale of
Philadelphia on behalf of himself and
many eminent divines whom he said he