The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-02-06
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PRACTICAL PEACE SCHEME.

10 President Mitchell If the ms
co Railway SysbsiA. IL attributed 10
me current neBs mat seemG ~ De
4 nOfkable scheue ~ bring aDD1t
frlendller relation be'S@sn railway
uanagers and their DatrDns 5ir
Winchelrs plan. Eaid ~ have been
sdovted by his system. W be pr intp
prac'ice yery sDOn. is ~ bring lhe
galway representatives. and the ship
pefs along CoGir lines into frequent
infOruAl confegenceE for diScusslon
~ disputes, complaints, or other mat
tsf " interest " DD'h. As explained.
fhese meetings viii be- arranged On
short notice, their dales ana places
~ suit the shippers convenience.
1hgs. n any group NJ railway pat
ronE Or any community considers thai
the railway has dealt IN certain mat
fers harsIy or unfairly. Or dsslres
accommodation whlch II THINKS the
carrier may reasonably grant. con.
ference may BE- quickly arranged
with he proper representatives. Oi
tho road. a. which ne questions may
be- tlreshcd Out In rriendly fashion.
without the necessity Of tedious and
cHaspomting correspondence and red
tape, and free ot the danger that
over Onicous aub0rdinaics. by ~
unnec"snry bitterness or antaRonism
There are controversies. II may
De set dOwn Al once. which will
not yield 10 This ludiclous treatment,
the confercos finding themselves 80
far apart mat the commissions or
court must arbllralo. But In the less
important disputes. whose name Ia
legion, adjustment ought easily 10 be-
reached by suc1 conferences between
principals A very great part ~ the
bitterness manifested by the shippers
against railway cOrporHtlons IN the
mass may be traced almost direct TO
some compnratiyly trivial transac.
1ion or series of transactions In
which the individual shipper Thinks
that his own road has wronRod him
The equities are not all upon one
side, Of course, but We dare say that
IN The majority OF instances The ship
perB grievance iB not wholly ground
less. A prolific Hourcc of illfcollng
IN hho past has been the dilatory
practice Of more than one great rail
way system In the lundlng OF
claims The vast amount of red
tape In which their adjustment has
been involved with the consequent
tlrcHomc and Nccmingly ntcp'lonnl
delays. provoked sharp rcbullc from
tho Interstate commerce commission
a voar OF two ago. Arbitrary en-
forcemcnt OF hard and fast rules by
which shippers are sometimes forced
to pay for the neglect or lncrlcicncy
of the carriers employees. likewise
has raised up enemies for the rail
ways among people whose friend
shin ls worth having. 4 tactIcas,
oVcrofIiclous or impcrtnont subordl
nate. In position which brings him
daily In contact with the customers
Of his employer, can stir up In
single working day more bitterness
than the general officers OF the road
can allay In month
Intelligent railway managers must
appreciate these things. but they
have been painfully slow TO seek out
the remedy. Mr. Wlnchclrs plan
seems excellent in theory and ought
10 work we'll In practice. The clash
OF interests will. as we have sug.
gested, cause disputes that can not
be settled by the methods he pro
poses. but vast deal of unnecessary
friction and heat should b. avoided. |
with very great advantage 10 the |
railways, which have learned by