The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-19
TON-MII B is a FICTION-
A MENACE, SAYS PHELAN
Former Railroad Man, Now a. Stock
Shipper, Gives Sensational Testimony
Before Interstate Commerce Commits
sion---Says Blockade Is Due to Sheer
lncompetency.

AlSOlnPeleIlcy.
i Try where Mr.. Phelan IS herds Craze,
ana ne knows and understands the
transportation business from that end.
Ton-Mile Is Supreme. #
That the railroads are enforcing pol
j icy OF operation for the purpose Of
making favorable ton-mile showing,
lhat TINS consideration has precedence
ling done owed a roadbed and with
equipment that render i its successful
! Accomplishment "a thing impossible was
MI Phelan5s argument in condensa-
4 tlon. While Mr.. Bum Was5Sin contro-
Versy with him, James IT. eIIill, who had
come on3from New York, entered the
1 room IN time to catch the drift Of the
argument from the, concluding words
ana ~. was a4 Significant that Mr.. Hill
ence with Mr.. Bum, and that, after
COMMUNICATING AZ 4 within thegcommission
/ Mr. Hlll3.left thess room to appear in
i the mornin e., leaving the sinferenca5 in
/ the minds. Of all sthats it wasssthe rail
4 Toad. desire TO discusathe stestimony Of
Mr.iS Phel Lag and consiaer ways for an
sWerlng it before submitting the great
ney Mar le:.s Est3sss|@ B .s.ss-. s.
Mr.. Phelan was the last witness ex.
ahmed Yesterday:s He, is "a man of a
\ vigorous individuality. His testimony
hinged about q lengthy article he had
written in a Fargo, n. d., paper. de.
scrlblng trip he had made to St. Paul
with stock train, and denouncing III
vigorous language the failures Of the
stCrltlclslng railroad management un-
m1ae s + making the direct charge
that the roads are incompetent, giving
instances Of hardships and losses put
upon shippers by bungling operation
and arguing from numerous personal
observations that economy Of opera
ton is an important cause Of all the
trouble, j.. p. Phelan, a Dickinson
N. d.. cattleman, electrified the court
room IN the car shortage inquiry yes
terday and gave the most sensational
testimony heard since the investigation
4 began. So u 5st,s.:.; !: : -
MI. Phelan started life as a rail.
road fireman on the Lake, Shore. He
rose successfully thru various grades
I to be division superintendent on the
Northern Pacific. Twenty three years
OF railroading gave him a knowledge
OF operation so thoro that Mr.. Bum
OF the Northern Pacific. who grappled
with him.. found. him 3 tmoreg than a
1 him. - = -
1 Some fourteen years ago MI. Phelan
BECAME an e.. ranchmanIand is now a large
shipper of sliyestoek!8 Ss Xs'5 -
f.. Tie story he ;Bold was one ssof hard
ships and handicaps. It's double signi
ficance lay il it's diselespsGes.of in innate
reasons for failure of the railroads t.
i meg demands Of the, people,. and the
fact- that it was the statement Of q
plain man OF common sense, a tale OF
i a cattleshipper Of the west, tale thai
| the president will .probably hang ovell
with greatest intensesslt, f6T once he was
aase sq5a 1 Sd 5es Eefy foan
road as he found ait. Tho eccentric
Phelan spoke with the assurance Of one
who knew whereof. he spoke, and bill
M fTa evidently mad9 an impression OF
1I'2a1'I consider we Shippers have beer
The 't4sSa f he s ssdso g
! the outset Of his remarks. and the1
/ went into fiery crit cisnEeof some of the
! "circumstances:'Su <s b., f; .5..f;:a
| Cattle Moved Earlier. III:
1 - livestock comm Fenced to- move this
lYear in july he said; - the bulk 81
it mo = il in septemb be- and October.
testi Mri P phet assgss Yesterday
| moved later than usual, and that this
is one Of the reasons fof. the congestion
of traffic. said Mr.. Harlan.
i II Livestock has not moved later, but
earlier insisted Phelan. His article
IN the Fargo paper was read to him
and his attention calledsto criticism he
tmade Of delays Of Great Northern stock
1 ST guess I-,knew, :, was the reply
i Hwhen 7 make ia pratctice to drive
my cattle 100 miles ft6r shipment or
| the Northern Pacific, when I am bu1
4 forty miles from the Great Northern
I What is your opinion relative to This
1 car shortage?'' asked Mr.. Marble.
4 80. 1t makes me tired to hear people
! talk, Of car shortage, :" was the answer
4 :no car. shortage: sNere's plenty o.
cars lying around terminal yards, bu
the roads are not moving them. There
/ are too many dead men in this railroad
business, and mot enough. live ones
q There is too much depending upon sub
4 or dlnates to do worksirie Of brains arr
! paid for doing. Dead mem can e III
a the work, anyhow
1 Says Repairs Are Neglected.
!, Phelan then launched into denunci
l dClOn OF Gne efforts OF railroads OF tn,
northwest in recent years to cut dow1
expenses by making ahoddy repairs t,
engines and cars, addKeven not making
any sometimes, when they were essen
a tial /.
MYcu can't expect good service. on /,
railroad, he said energetically; g will
the application Of tile methods Of MAJ
running a cheap clothing store. There
all the time something breaking or Civ
ing out on engines and cars, causin,
delays, and lack of division shol
. facilities and shon supplies ito make tn
repairs promptl " and we'll. It is appli
cation of the principle of a; man buy
ing an auto and then expecting God Il
. take care of Il it 81: The Witnes
! launched into a leng thy criticism 8
the, condition drthern Pacific loco
J motives. sss -
The Northern Pacifc,n he said
at one time was to be compared wit
4 the best of systems, Repairs were KEEP
. up in fine shape as to detail. re
member one instance Of roadmaste
. telling me he had found as many a
. Il5O broken rails in one stretch Of IA
miles, and yet in his work had neve
) had an accident. ] tell you heStroubl