Strike bulletin. (Clinton, Ill.) 1913-1915, 1915-03-31
SAYS RAILROADS ARE
TRYING TO BULL OOE
RAILROAD Commission
Chasmaa of Texas Body Says Roads
are Exciting Every lnflssaes
10 Get ln5ease.

DALLAS, March 3i--Railrosd Commis-
sion.r =. b. Mayn-lt at N. clos. OF IN.
railroad rate hesnX I'M. afternoon. mad.
some rather sensational statements Ia
when liz charged the railroads with Try
INK To "hulldoze' tn. commission In a
prepared statement b. said
>ssse.e.s Of Nsy ss~,A
SIM" ia. hearings on the Increased
rates hav. started the railroads have
brought every pressure to bear to force
me commission To grant their IL per cent
missed employees. stopped the work on ex-
tensions and bcttsrm.nts-laid off a.
many men as possible. som. OF these
tarts have come to the attention Of the
commission during its hearing. Yesterday
IN" Information cam. TO the commission
AT Tyler That Information came through
petition presented by the Commercial
'1uh OF that town 10 pl-fse grant an In
had been closed and would remain closed
until an Increase was granted
VIII not stand for the railroads OF
this state brow-beating the commission.
IL the railroads get any increase In rates.
II must come through proof that they
are eauitsbly entitled to an increase. Much
evidence has come 10 the attention of this
commission within the last week that the
railroads are trying tn put In jeopardy
pose Of gaining Increased revenues for
stockholders and bondholders In over
capitalized lines Of traffic In Texas
have today sent rather lengthy teie-
,snden, Of lhe 81, Louis sou,hwest.rn
railroad, In Which make the following
statement
Teseapss ss Esssaa..
pALIAs. March is.-Mr J. w Eyerman.
General Superintendent ST Louis South
western Railway Company OF Texas. Tyler
Tehas-The closing of your shops at Tyler
at this particular time. throwing out of
employment some 500 or zoe men when
N" commission IL hearing the application
Of the railroads for an Increase in freight
rates. certainty comes In bad taste. Your
business IL better than IL has been for
some time. requiring. so ! am advised. an
extra switch engine to adequately handle
the traffic. Every prospect that your
company will enjoy a large business this
vegetable crop. Your equipment should
be In firsi-elsss condition to move this
business Am most reliably informed tha,
YOU have now sufflcien, locomotives in
shops at Tyler TO handle the business of
your road. IL these locomotive. were re-
ralreh Iol and in N.,-eilsss condition; tha,
aged by rust. Am also advised that there
are hundreds of freight cars on sidings
tnat could Il. repaired II the Tyler shops.
and that yen are sending great number
II Your freight cars out of the state for
repairs. Think your action very untime-
y TIE welfare Il the men and their
families who were IN your employment
seems not to have been considered as II
should have b. n. AMI II the Information
rect H. n the purpose of your action Is
entirely improper He who asks equity
Nuri 10 equity ana unless the shops at
fNler are reopsnod and the men put back
to work shall consider II my duty To
move that the commission suspend further
action On Your application for an Increase
IN freight rates. pending an Investigation
into the reasons why the Tyler shops Of
Your line were closed when they should
for adequately handling the traffic. Please
advise at once.
Earle n. Mayfieid.
Gts sopVeses - List.
Dallas has one important Industry which
is vitality affected by the proposed new
rates wanted by the railroads requested
OF the state railroad commission now In
session here. This became known Thurs
day when Gentry waldo. assistant gen
erai freight agent of the Sunset Central
lines, submitted the tentative tariffs he
and . committee had complied as suEGes-
tions, and among them was an upward
revision on cotton gins. cotton gin ma
chinery and cotton compresses
Dallas 10 the distributing point for the
Southwest on first named products three
big cotton gin factories being located here.
The change suggested by the roads to
get them the increased rates sought are
general, affecting practically all lines OF
Industry.
W n. Scott. president OF the Sunset
Central lines testified as TO the Increasing
cost of operating expenses to the roads
He backed up his testimony with a mass
of fgures and said that ~ 1904 prices
had prevailed In 1914 the railroads would
have saved approximately t3s7s2ss
The commission adjourned this after
noon without announcing the date of their