Evening star., 1909-05-28
KNAPP TO INVESTIGATE
Cabinet Decides to Send
Chairman to Georgia.
MAIL TRAINS NOW RUNNING
No Passengers Carried and News
paper Men Put Off.
STATE OF GEORGIA MAY ACT
Talk of Interfering as a Stakeholder
to Settle the Strike-Directors
In Atlanta.
MAIL TRAINS NOW RUNNING
STATE OF GEORGIA MAY ACT

President Taft and his cabinet con.
sidered the Georgia railroad strike to-
day and decided that Chairman Knapp
Of the Interstate Commerce Commission
should go at once to Atlanta to use
his efforts to effect adjustment Of the
trouble or at least enforce compliance
with the Interstate commerce law
1t also was decided that Second As
sistant Postmaster General Stewart
should go to Atlanta to look after the
movement of the mails. The President
was Informed that mail trains left both
Atlanta and Augusta this morning, and
up to the time the cabinet adjourned
mo word had been received OF any I'm
reference with them.
ATLANTA. Ga. May 2s.-Carrying a
negro fireman. the first train of any sort
to run over the Georgia railroad in more
than five days, an engine and mail car,
left here at 7:3O o'clock this morning
The train pulled out through a deep lane
of spectators at the station. but there was
no demonstration. -..-
The fireman bore name distinguished
in Georgia, Joseph NJ Brown, which is
identical with that of the governor-elect.
who will take Office in a few weeks. The
object of keen scrutiny. the fireman kept
his eye upon his work and smiled good
naturedly. A few comments were over
heard from the crowd that he was run
ming a risk.
The engineers upon all the trains today
were the regular men who stopped work
last Saturday. They returned to work
with the assurance from Assistant Chief
Burgess of the order Of Locomotive Engi-
neers that they would be protected.
The mail car was q combination, half
mail and half baggage. bat the baggage
compartment was heaped with mail
sacks.
Newspaper Men Put OF.
The train made only little more than
seven miles In iAa>1sse -iS0ufs eOwing to q
stop at DECATUR. the first town east of
Atlanta, where newspaper men who had
started to make the trip In the baggage
There was a long conference with Of
hcials Of the road over their presence and
II was finally decided that they were pas
sengers and that the road had no right
to carry passengers.
Disapproval and in few instances in
dignation against the presence of negro
firemen was expressed today in the re-
ports wired here from the first dozen
towns through which the mail trains
passed.
Reports were received here that prep
arations to start trains are being made at
way stations.
State May Interfere.
Unless there are immediate steps taken
by the officials Of the Georgia railroad to
restore train service it is reported that
the state of Georgia may interfere to set
tie the strike. The state is a stockholder
In the Georgia railroad, and under the
state law has power to operate trains.
The arrival here OF Fourth Vice Presi-
dent Evans of the Louisville and Nash
Vile railroad. upon which 1t was re-
ported that the question of arbitration
was waiting, was delayed several hours
by small freight wreck about an hours
run out of Atlanta Mr.. Evans is a d.
rector of the Georgia Joint Terminal
Company, over the tracks Of which the
Georgia railroad enters Atlanta. That
the consent OF majority of the di-
rectors of the terminal company is nee
eSsary to any arbitration agreement is
the position taken by the strikers. and
hence great significance is attached to
Mr.. Evans visit Notwithstanding his
statement that he is not here 10 con-
slider the strike. Mr.. Evans presence
will make a majority of the terminal
directors in the city.
Train Starts From Augusta.
AUGUSTA, May 2S.-With a regular
crew. including a negro fireman, the first
train over the Georgia railroad since last
Saturday left Augusta at 7.45 this morn
ing. The train consisted of mail cars only,
demonstration marked the departure of
the train.
Reports from Harlem, Bonneville and
Thomson. the latter forty-five miles out
of Augusta, say the train passed through
those places without incident.