The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1912-12-11
THE COMPLAINTS
AGAINST THE l.. C.
Set Before the State Rail-
road Commission.
THEY INVOLVE CAR SHORTAGE
Congressman A. O. Stanley
Appears for the Miners
At Frankfort.
GOv.-ELECT cox TALKS PLAIN


Frankfort, Ky, Dec. 5.-Repre-
sentative A. o. Stanley, of the Sec
ond Congressional district, this af-
ternoon, in a food of oratory, pre-
scented the complaint OF the Ohio
county miners against the Illinois
Central Railroad to the State Rail-
road Commission. Mr.. Stanley fol-
lowed the argument made by At
torney r. V. Fletcher for the rail-
road in relation to causes of car
shortage, at certain mines on the |.
c. railroad. Mr. Stanley said:
81 much regret that We are here
to talk and not to act; that here in
the presence of their hunger and
their nakedness, We offer them not
relief, but coincidence, to parade
conditions in Kentucky before the
public in the public press. These
men, ignorant Of the law and de-
luded by the powers which railroad
else, come and lay before you their
pitiable condition and all this COM
mission can do is to investigate the
situation and seeg to lay it before
the sympathes of the Illinois Cen
trail Railroad Company, that it may
through altruistic motives grant the
relief they pray"
He admitted that Kentucky has
never invested its commission with
power to compel railroads to fulfill
their duties and deplored the fact.
In flowing periods, Mr.. Stanley
pictured strong men at McHenry
begging mot for bread, but for
work." and declared the most es-
sential and inherent power of
railroad commission Is to compel
carriers to perform their natural
duties to the shipping public,
Declaring it fact that Kentucky
is helpless in the face of a situa-
ton that goes into the very essence
of railroads obligation as a com
mon carrier, Mr.. Stanley caid he
would devote his time to showing
how other States have protected
themselves and read extracts from
laws in other numerous States.
At the close of his petition, Mr..
Stanley said a complaint of dis
elimination will be made by amend
ing the petition and Mr.. Stanley de-
clared that the commission has the
power to exact retribution if such a
state of facts is shown. IF you
can't grant relief to these miners,
let us have a food of light on the
situation" he said in conclusion.
The hearing before the Railroad
Commission of the complaint of
Ohio county miners that they have
been reduced to state bordering
on starvation by reason Of the ILL
nois Central not furnishing coal
cars for the mines, began this
morning. Gov. McCreary was pres
ent and a large crowd, including a
number of miners, thronged the
room. Congressman A. o. Stanley
represents the miners and Supt.
Egan, with a corps of clerks, and
Attorneys John Dulan and r. V.
Fletcher represent the railroad.
Attorney Fletcher said the situa-
ton in Ohio county is not different
from that which exists all over the
country. The Illinois Central, he
said, has $4,000 coal cars and o.
900 of these are in the service of
other carriers. The Illinois Cen
trail. he said, originates coal trade,
its cars are sent on the lines of 9TH
err carriers and retained by them,
and the Interstate Commerce Com
mission will not let the road lay
an embargo against lines keeping
its cars. Mr.. Fletcher then took up
the method OF distributing cars and
said the company adopted the pol
icy OF distributing cars on the ba-
sis of past performance, but the Ill
inois Railroad Commission compell-
ed the company, as far as inter-
State shipments in Illinois were
concerned, to distribute cars on
the basis of mine capacity and that
is the basis on which they are OPP
Grated.
Here Chairman Finn interrupted
to ask Mr.. Fletcher IL the objection