The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-27
THE BIBLE OF THE NEWLY RE.
ORGANIZED WESTERN PASSEN-
GER ASSOCIATION.
COPIES OF THE AGREEMENT
RECEIVED BY THE ST. PAUL ROADS
TO CONSIDER AND AC-
CEIHT.
SOME OF THE PROVISIONS In 1T.
The New Organization Includes an
Immense Amount of Territory
Members of the Committee.

! Yesterday the newly reorganized
! Western Passenger association, which
has absorbed the Transcontinental Pas
senger and the Southwestern Passen-
| ger associations, became effective, with
charter membership Of about a dozen
and a half roads.
ST. Paul roads received copies of the
| agreement and have until May l in
which to consider it and apply for men,
| bership. Memberships after that time
will have to be acted upon by the board
| of trustees and the association proper.
| The only st. Paul road which has ac-
cepted the agreement so far is the Chi
cago, Milwaukee & st. Paul, but nearly
all of the others have signified their in
tention of joining Immediately. Frag
mentary statements concerning the new
| agreement have been printed from time
to time, but the full agreement did not
reach the public eye until yesterday.
AS is known, the association was Or
ganized along the lines suggested by
the recent decision by the supreme
court of the United States in the Trans
| Missouri rate case. in which it was
plainly decided that an agreement to
maintain and pool rates had been eff
fected and carried out.
The governing power Of the new as
ISOLATION is vested in an executive COM
mfttee of seven members, who have al
ready been selected. Circulars received
yesterday announced the selection of
Messrs. w. F. White, j. Charlton, c. H.
| Heaford, w. B. Kniskern John Sebas-
t1an, P. S. Eustis and c. S. Crane. The
executive committee will meet in Chica-
! go today to attend to the preliminaries
| Of the launching and to transact such
business as may have come up since the
association was organized. The terri
tory embraced in the new association is
vastly larger than that of the old as
ISOLATION, as it embraces the transcon-
t1nental systems and reaches as far as
British Columbia In fact two of the
local associations, off-shoots of the big
association, are to be located on Brit
ish soil.
The new agreement carefully avoids
any phraseOlOgy which can be con-
strued as an agreement or proposition
to maintain rates. The rate question,
V,
! there Will be no open attempt at least
to control rates after the old fashion.
The moral effect Of the association will,
however, probably secure the same re-
suits as the old association. The terrific
~ covered by the agreement embraces
Minnesota, Iowa, Northern peninsular
of Michigan, Wisconsin, that portion of
Illinois embraced in and west of the H.
linois Central railroad territory, part Of
MICGOII1vi n Of 20,
dian Territory, Oklahoma, a portion Of
Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota,
part Of South Dakota, California, Mon
tana, Washington, Nevada, Oregon
and British Columbia. The exceptions
to Minnesota territory is on local bus
mess between st. Paul and Minneapolis.
also between Duluth and Superior.
The agreement, so far as its routine
matters go, is very similar to the old
agreement. There will be a chairman.
who is to act as executive officer of
the association, and who is elected by
the unanimous vote of the members.
The chairman and executive commit
tee will pass upon matters which are
brought up by the various roads, and
make recommendations to the asso-
citation. The expenses of the associa-
ton, with the exception Of that of
the chairman, will be under the CON
troll OF the executive committee, and
will be borne proportionately by all
the members.
with the chairman Of the association
their rate sheets, tariffs, rules and
regulations pertaining to the passenger
traffic of the road. Here is where the
reorganization comes in. The articles
state that after receiving the rates.
tariffs, etc, that the chairman shall
take steps to see that the information
lis disseminated among the members"
The chairman is also instructed to see
that the rates are published and to
cooperate with the roads in issuing
joint rates.
The effect OF the supreme court de-
cisiOn is plainly seen in the following
clause: Nothing herein shall be con-
strued as preventing any member from
taking individual action in changing or
issuing rates. Whenever a change is
made, the announcement must be sent
to the chairman Immediately, and he
VIII in turn notify competing lines
ana lines interested. All rulings by
the chairman are to be binding, unless
reversed by a majority vote of the
members.
The aim Of the association Is sup
posed to be to punish members who
violate the law and with this end in
view the chairman under the agree
ment is authorized to examine the
books and records of members for the
purpose Of investigating the com
plants filed by disconnected members.
When the chairman is satisfied that
the rates are being Illegally or secret
ly changed in violation of the state,
federal or interstate laws, or when any
party is found to be guilty of acts in
conflict with the spirit Of the agree
ment, it becomes the duty of the chair
man to recommend such action as will
protect interested lines. 1t is also
made the duty of the chairman to dis
courage and prevent violations of the
| interstate law or state laws. In case
of illegal acts by lines outside Of the
association, the chairman is to issue
an order in the name of the traffic Of
ficials Of interested lines, suspending
the joint relations between the Offend
ing outside line and the members.
The association Will establish local
bureaus in Chicago, st. Louis, Kansas
City, Leavenworth Omaha, Des Moines,
st. Joseph, st. Paul, Minneapolis, Den
yer, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, San
Francisco. Los Angeles, Portland Gin
Guiding Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver
and Victoria and New Whatcomb).
~