The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-01-21

Of the association al work in every
town that is a division headquarters.
In Kansas the organization is about
as complete.
In the beginning there we're sixteen
railroad companies that joined the as.
ISOLATION. As result of the first
years work the number has more than
doubled, there now being thirtyfour
members out Of two hundred and
thirty thousand miles OF main track
railroad I'm the country little more
than one hundred and ten thousand
practically half-are affiliated with the
association OF this large percentage
more than ninety thousand miles are
located west of the Mississippi where
the agitation against railroad abuses
has been strongest. That eastern rail.
roads appreciate the Importance of
the movement Is shown by the fact
that one of the most closely organized
parts of the country is that section of
New England which Is served by the
Boston and Maine railroad. And it
is expected that within a few months
number of the largest eastern rail
road systems will join. Wherever the
Hartman interests predominant such
action is looked upon as certain.
Up to the present the association
has devoted itself chiefly to the work
of organization. Morrissey and his
dozen assistants hold as many meet.
ings OF railroad employees almost
nightly. At each of these meetings
a start is made toward the organi2a-
ton of local branch. Not until the
individual members of these local
/ branches number two hundred thou
sand will any aggressive work be un.
, dertaken. Morrssey is too shrewd
: to make a fight on any specific piece
T of legislation until he has good show
of winning When a protesting com
mittee can demonstrate that it rep
resents large and solid body of vot'
ers in his own district he thinks that
! almost any state representative or
/ senator will be inclined to listen &c
reason. Probably by next spring the
organization in Oklahoma and Kansas
/ l,
to start an active campaign.
Meantime, every few weeks pham
phlets setting forth the railroad side
of the situation are sent out to ar
increasing mailing list of over TWEEN
ty.fve thousand, One of these book
lets contains a speech made by Nor
rissey. himself. before the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers, entitled
railways of Today Should Not be
Judged by Events of the Past"
In another is printed letter dis
tributed among his own employees b!
the president of large company max
ing railway supplies, in which the pres
ident declares that everybody directl!
or indirectly interested in the rail
road business must-if they would es
cape ruin-Organize and agitate to pre-
vent the passage of indiscriminate anti
railroad legislation. A third cover!
the speech of a vice president of ;
western railroad system, in which i
is stated that the seventeen million
people who depend on the railroads
for living should have representation
in municipal. state and federal coun
ellis, to the end that the railroads ma!
be allowed to equaize in freight rates
This vice president urges the lorna
ton of militant and aggressive or
ganization.
That the American Railroad En-
ployes and Investors association i
certain to exert "a considerable in
fuence on future legislation can hard
ly be doubted 1t has large financial
backing and, in Morrissey, a leade
who unites, more than does any othe
one man, the confidence of railrOa
managers and labor unions.