Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-11-23
c. & 0. OPENS FIGHT
ON ADAMSON LAW
Serves Notice II Will Ask Fed
eral Court for Injunction
on December 4.
N. & w. BEGINS ATTACK, TOO
Seaboard Expected to Act To-
Day; r.. F. & P. and South
ern May Fall in Line.
N. & w. BEGINS ATTACK, TOO

Following tho action of tho larger
trunk" systems OF the East. tho rail.
roads IN this section Of the cour,ry
yesterday made their frs, move in their
fight against the operation Of the
AdamSon act when bills were fled in
tn" United States District Courts scrv
ing notice that the railroads; would
seek injunctions restraining tho on
forccm"nt Of the law until it's conyti.
tutional,y and acop. can bc deter
mined. Notices that the injunctinne
would be sought Monday. December I
wee served yesterday afternoon.
Tho railroads asacrt that tho Adam
son law not only attempts to r.gu!at.
the hours of work. hut would in effect
p'oduct a large increase in wages.
without limiting tho hours of service
1T the 'rainmen. aud ;illcGc that fnr
ii.iS reason tho Law is at variance with
-" Constitution of the United States
they also assert that i'm it's pr"s"n,
.orm there - no way of determining
III" scope OF the law and TO WHIT
bi anchcs Of railroad service il applics
&. a %. ACTS N RICHMOND
AND y. ~ w. IN LINCIBuItG
Tho chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Company filed n bill Of complaint, in
the United states District Court for
the Eastern District Of Virginia in
this city. and in the District Court for
tho southern District of West Virginia
against tho United States district at
torneys and local officers of the four
broth"rhoods. Similar proceedings
were instituted by til" Norfolk and
Western Railway Company yesterday
at 1.ynchburg and by the Virginian
Railway Company at Norfolk
In local railroad circles yesterday il
was generally understood that the
Sehboard Air Line Railway Company
would hlc It's petition in tn" District
Court in this city probably to-day. and
that tho Southern and Richmond Fred
"ricksburg and Potomac Railroad Com
pnnies would shortly take the same
steps With it's general headquarters
according to charter provisions. located
in Richmond. the Southern will also
file its injunction proceedings in this
city.
II was also said tina. stakeholder
OF the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Company either has or will file suit
that company TO prevent them from
complying with tho law on the ground
that II is unconstitutional.
II. r. a T.. OFFICIALS WAIT
FOR LATER DEVELOPMENTS
While il was the opinion in railroad
circles that the Richmond. Fredericks-
burg and Potomac Railroad Company
would take the same steps as the other
ra ilroads. officers of the company Said
last night that as Yet they were un-
decided as 10 what action. if any. they
would take in the matter. The opera
ton Of The law. they said, with their
short mileage would not materially af-
feci the road. and since the Federal
court IN Missouri; yesterday held the
act I" h" unconstitutional, they were
waiting for further DEVELOPMENTS.
The complaint tiled by the ,,hesa-
peake and ohio Railway Company YES
terday is directed against Richard H.
Mann, United States district attorney
for the Eastern District OF Virginia:
Richard Evelyn Byrd. district attorney
for the Western District of Virginia:
w. j. Burke. local cha airman of the
Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engineers:
w. b. kirtley, local committeeman of
that brotherhood: w u. Carter, loca,
chairman and w. l.. Harris. secretary
of the Order of Railway Conductors:
u. +. Satterti"ld. division chairman of
the brotherhood of Railway Trainmen.
and w. l.. Wood. Il member of The
sam" "rsanization: !. G. Clarke, gen
cral chairman OF the brotherhood of
Firemen and Engineers. and j. FL
smith, local chairman of the same or
GaniZation.
Sattcrhcld and Wood are employed
as hrakemen. and Clarke and Smith
as hremen by the Chesapeake and Ohio,
and are all residents of Richmond
CLAIM ACT EXCEEDS
CONSTITUTIONAL. POWERS
The petition sets forth that the act.
II valid would increase the wages
pa>d by the railway company to many
OF IT'S employees To the extent Of AT
least several hundred thousand dollars
during the period prescribed by see
ton 3 of tho act. which would he not
less than six months or more than
nine months from January L. The
complainant says that the act exceeds
the power conferred upon Congress by
the Constitution of the United states
and is unconstitutional and void for
reasons. which are enumerated as
follows:
merce among the States or with for
eign nations. and is not means APP
propriatcly related to any regulation
of such commerce.
Said act, on its face shows that il
merely creates temporary and cX-
perimental status for the purpose Of
enabling Congress and the President
l" observe. at tho expense of the com
plainant and other railroad companies
the erect of the experiment, so as to
decide IN the future whether such re-
nuirements tf constitutionaD arc
proper or not.
Said act unreasonable and arbi-
trarily deprives the complainant of its
liberty of contract. aud thereby. as
well as by compelling the complainant
to pay increased wages. deprivcs the
complainant Of it's liberty and property
without due process of law.