The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-01-04
"a SORRY SPECTACLE.

SORRY SPECTACLE.
news item from Washington yes.
$terday began with this sentence; ."The
transportation interests Of the coun.
try presented their. cases at the White
fiouse Today Now. how many peo-
Pile id It take to present "the case.
of the transpo ration interests Of THE
country 2" Just six. WHO we're ,hey?
t,eir names and positions follow:
James Mccrea, president Of the
Pei.nsylvania Railroad Company: Fob.
Il ert3 s. lLnvett president OF the Union
Pae!hr Railroad Company, and head
.s3ssof the Hartman railroad interst.,;
q George F.. Raer, president OF the Phil.
X adefphta and Reading Railroad Com.
\ pany;; Charles S. ,Mellen. president of
the New York, New, Haven and Hart.
ford Railroad Company: w. C. Brown.
{ president Of the New York Contra,
8 and Hudson River Railroad Company
and w. w Finley, president Of the
Southern Railway.
~ Not railroad In West Virginia was
represented. Where was the. presi.
Z dent of the Baltimore and Ohio, tho
Il oldest railroad In America. the road
that boasts the "Royal Blue line"
with sll3trains stopping at Washing.
n TONI The q. and ,O.'s head offices arc
at Baltimore, only a sixty minute run
from Washington, with trainc running
+ between the two !c..ies every hour,
\ yet the president of the q. and O. was
net asked to be In that conference Of
II the Transportation interests" Why7
I a2ttle q. and o. SO badly managed
that the other railroad presidents are
iashamed to confer with its president !
1! or invite him to visit the President Of
{ the United States with them?, Or did
& Mr.. Mccrea. OF the Pennsylvania Rail-
road Company, consider himself as
misrepresentation of the d. and Q. Ii.
terests7 It Is very humiliatalg to tie
= people of n rthern West Virginia., ono !
4 Of the richest regions in. the world.
1 etpal ( carrier for more than half
century, and that railroad not repre-
scented In an important transportation
conference with the President OF the
L United States because it is consid.
fered Alnccnsequential. Does not the
y ignoring of the 3. and o. in this meet
SN:ng OF railroad presidents point CLEAR
lylto the fact which Is being cmpha-
sized Just now that it is under the
domination and control Of other inter-
4 este and that Mr.. Mccrea, Of the Penn
4 sylvania, and Mr.. Lovett of the Unicn
Pacitlc, felt that they could speak for
the 3. and O.? How long will the
Y people see great railroad made a
= playthins OF Ike that and its officials
Z be ranked as figurehcads, retarding
& the development OF such an important
State as West Virginia and not rise
Tin their might and through their State
n Legislature and national Congress
/; seek "a redress Of grievances? In the
Pennsylvania Railroad we have a line
1 In direct competition with the .. 4n,-
q Q. II all the principal cities Of the
fntAdfG " ftktaHhfNFr oEaHidtA anu A'.S
a Great lakes. Its friends own and
z operate mines in direct competition
Il with. West Virginia shippers. Tie
u friends OF the Pennsylvania by its
mere nolicy Of negation toward the
}.iB and TO-. are being made rich while
/ West Virginia operators are being in,-
1 povershed and manufacturing indus.
Y: tries are kept out OF the State. No
auettlon SO important as this has
\ arisen for many years, it what seems
4 to be the plain facts in the case arc
true. Every representative Of West
Virginia at Washington, ought to get
Il into this fight with all the vigor' and
power at Els command and help break
III the. letters that bind, the business ~.
~ teresta and stunt, the development Of
Z the State In ni1ea and manufactures,
iii &c said President .Taft's special
Il message which, Will be sent to Con.
H 3ress Tomorrow will deal with this
very question Of ? railroad: company
acquiring and holding stock in com.
"a pcting Company Surely. the stock
s4...inlders Of the y. and o. who are being
X held as unwilling slavcs by the Penn.
ssy;vsnia4 and Union Pacific would well
4 conn such recomn,en eiation enact.
ed Into law. The whole country ie in.
.terested and the President viii pc
4 }doing enc of the greatest acte of his
s. life u he can free the struggling rail.
rs roads from the bonds Of the>.'. compel.
v TORS sand loose the. strange hold If
4 their commercial adversaries.
Here's our heartfest congratulations
/. to General c. d. Elliott and Pardon
III N. "a ttorneYsE g. r Pearson! . ~. u.