The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-02-15
STRIKE BLOW At
STATE RAILROADS
CHAMPIONS OF CORPORATIONS
SWEPT ASIDE BY ADVOCATES
OF THE PEOPLE.
MILLIONS ARE INVOLVED
In Relief Funds. According to the
King BilI---Adkins Act Provid-
ing Penalties for Unloading
Cars Discussed.

Springfield Ill, Feb 14,-Tho Hi
nois legislature has been stuck ny
the railroad cyclone that has been
rushing through the western states.
/ Champions of the corporations were
swe ept aside like chaff and in the eX-
element it appeared that The trans,
portation companies had lost their
/ grip on the lawmakers, especially Of
! the house.
The house judiciary committee re-
por.ed ont with a recomm ndation
that II pass Representative Kings bill
forbidding the enforcement of a
clause by which members Of corpora
tion relief associations maintained by
Numerous railroads ont Of employees
wages. rfIinquish their rights to sue
for damages if injured in the service
of the employing corporation. This
measure had the united support Of la.
Dor organizations, as voiced through
c. A. Randall OF the Brotherhood Of
Railway Tralnmen and Others, and as
soon as this was shown, ne commit.
TEEN insisted on action, no more
than two or three out Of forty having
the temerity 10 vote NO"
Pleads For the Railroads.
J. Nj Redfern OF the Burlington
railroad in vain pleaded for the cor
Doration. hut his contentious were ev.
posed BY Representatives King, Pier
son and Blair with a completeness
that excited hiariy. The questions
they put were too hard for the lobby,
ist
Mr. Redfern's most ANNOYING dis,
cimfture was when he introduced
half dozen employees of the road
who he said were present to oppose
the bill Mr.. Blair asked if these men
had not been coerced into coming on
pain OF losing heir positions, and Mr..
King added that every one Of the six,
in private conversation, would admit
he came against his will
The final blow was landed by Mr.
Randall, who presented a bundle of
officials resolutions adopted by rail
road lodges indors.ng the bill. He also
had a letter of Endorsement from
Grand Master p II. Morrissey, of the
Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen
For the Illinois Federation Of Labor.
President T. r, Wight was present. !
b. NJ Hunter represented the Mine
Workers of Illinois, and W NJ. Rosseil !
was on hand for the Chicago FEEDER.
alton of Labor All this had a tend
ency TO punctme Mr.. Redfern's state
ment tha laboring men were no;
for the bill
Millions Are Involved.
Millions of dollars in relief funds !
ami other Millions in damage suit La |
bilties are involved in the King hill |
as the railroads have been paying ont /
to their sick and injured employees
only one-ffth of the amount those cm- ,
ployes have paid in by force for eth /
erwise they could not secure employ /
ment The Burlington alone has pro /
flied $500 600 by it's scheme on re- /
quiring its men to surrender 81 or 50 /
a month.
Then. when a man is injured. he /
could. not sue, but received from the /
relief found a small pa.t of what the /
court would have awarded him in /
damages. Redfern threatened that, ifi
the bin were PASSED, his company /,
would dissolve IFS relief association. /
but it was pointed out that a simi
lar law in Iowa had not caused such .
action.
The gun trained on the railroads I
was double-barreled While the judi .
ary committee was busy meeting
albor's demands. the house commit I
tee on railroads was facing hot shot .
from the Illinois Grain Dealers As /
socia-ion which has a membership |
OF $50 600 and is holding state con
vention here A delegation OF 100. 70 /
meet whom Chairman Guy l. BUSH .
had convened the committee. filed /
the meeting room and overfowed into +.
two adjoining rooms.
Reciprocal Bill Discussed.
Fer two hour the visitors discuss /
ed the Adkins reciprocal demurrags /
hill framed 70 abafe the car shor age
nuisance 1g heGUu1E deiiHqent rail. .
roads To nav the same = day for
failure to supply cans as shippers nov .
must pay for not loading cr unloading f.
within f0rty-eight hours
r preventative D. J. Egan Of Chi
cago and Charles Schermerhorn Of /
SDr ngfeld both Democrats. disci0s- /
ed that thew held briefs for the rail-I
roads. bH. which they attempted 10 .
GO s question tbe spokesmen for the
farmers th y became targets frr svch /
showers Of fac.s ard figures that
their discontinue was Comple-e 4