The sun., 1918-11-25
RAILWAY HEADS TO
FIGHT U. S. CONTROL
Conference Called for DecCm.
Der 4 Here to Discuss
Plans of Action.

One of the most momentoug confer.
ences of railway presidents aud their
| counsel In the history OF the Cni,aa
States IL scheduled for December 4 a.
the Grand Central Terminal in this cit,
| II marks the second gun IN the cannaig,
| against Government ownership OF unhi,
! utilities and for the prompt return u tia
railroads to the control OF their owners
| The corporate executives and their cout.
| sci of nearly every important railroad &,
the United States have signifled their f.
| tention to attend the meeting and unless
present plans are changed definite stems
of far reaching effect will be taken a,
| that time in the direction of the prom,
ending of Federal control.
The call for this conference antcdates
| the resignation of william G.. McAtoo
as United States Railroad Administrator
| and the steps taken on Friday by tao
| National Association of Owners of Rail
road Securities. which, II IL said. rerra.
sents railroad holdings Of an estimatc+
| value of $4,000. 10000 The appo!n..
meu- of Elihu Root as chief advisory
counsel to the association In its fight for
the return OF the roads TO private own-~.
| ship attracted nationwide attention, bit
! the new conference, at which the Invest.
ment Bankers Association and tie NJ.
| tional Association of Owners of Railroad
Securities will be represented, bids fair
to crystalline the objections to continued
Federal control and to result in dcini;n
suggestions for The future OF American
| railroads.
| The meeting on December { Is 20 10
| held under the auspices OF the Railway
Executives Advisory Committee, OF which
| +. De Witt Cuyler is chairman. The
letter summoning the railroad men,
which was sent out ten days ago by tts
advisory committee. gives little comp.
hcnsive idea of what the conference will
undertake to do. but the general nurpoe,.
\ is to discuss Federal control and tho
future of the railroads thereafter.
There seem to be two schools Of rail-
road men, one headed by Frank TrIn-
| bull. chairman OF the Chesapeake and
| Ohio Railway and formerly chairman ot
| the Railway Executives Advisory COM
! mittee, who Is committed to the iorrrl-
| ton of the railroads of tho country INTO
| ten or twelve regional systems, with a.
end of competition and a moderate rneaS-
| ure of Federal control. The other, " hlch
| is fostered by the Naeads Of the mos
prosperous systems. calls for a hal
dozen big, competitive trP rs-oat!ntntdl
| systeifrs The question as to which o.
| these two schools will dominate the con-
! ference on December 4 Is one OF TIA
! problems attracting most attention in
| railroad circles. It may affect the ell
| tire future OF railroads In this country.
The railroad men. however, are agreed
upon two propositions. one, prompt
combat against tho bill for GovernmeN'
! ownership of railroads introduced last
week by J. Hamilton Lewis, Senate"
from Illinois, but defeated for r'e.ec.
ton the other, that tho railroads upon
their return to private ownership can
never be run in the fashion they pc-e
before the assumption OF Federal con-
troll with the rate schedule held down
by the Inters ate Commerce Commission
and with forty-eight or forty-uine state
commissions contesting with the Fedora
commission the rules and restrictions
FOR railroads.
The problem of unscrambllnS the raj
roads from Federal control is a cruciai
one at best. It has now been comp)ici'i1
by the resignation of William u, No
Adoo az Diroctor-General of Railroads
and by the uncertainty as 70 who will
succeed him. Railroad men. hpweye q.
yesterday gave emphatic approval 70 tn
course taken by the National As4oci'
tion OF Owners Of Railroad Securities
retaining Elihu Root ana Ills asS'r',a'
and they look forward to Imperial do
velopments from the forthcoming 9',''-
ing