The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-02-10
FREIGHT TRAIN
SAILING DAYS
New Railroad Plan Would Knock Big
Hole In keoIeuk Business Which
is Now Large, and Mer-
chants Protest.
THE BIG JoBBING TRADE
It and Manufacturing Interests Of keo-
kuk Would Suffer Much, and
They are After Rail-
road Administration.

When the railroad administration
announced in somewhat poetfca
phrase that it would establish sailing
4 days for freight trains out of Keokuk
il started something.
Under the sibilantly smooth term o,
sailing days, the roads undertook te
establish system that would do grea,
damage to the wholesale and manu-
featuring interests of Keokuk. the best
jObbing town in this part Of the coun
try, and rapidly growing in manufac.
turing and every other of the iobbing
centers outside the very large cities.
The plan was. that freight should
be taken to a certain town only on
certain days. For instance, Ka1oka
andoah freight ON Tuesdays. Donnell-
son freight on Wednesdays. and so on
through long and complicated. list
OF stations and time schedules.
Moreover, shippers were not sto be
allowed to take freight TO the depots
except within some hours before the
sailing time of the freight train on
which il was allowed to leave Keo-
kuk-
How the Plan Works Here.
The climax of the plan is seen on
the North road This road runs from
Keokuk to Mt Pleasant with one
train each way each day and every
week day. But although the train
would run, partly because it carries
passengers also, it would not carry
freight from keokuk TO Donnellson,
except on the scheduled days, to New
Boston on other days, 10 LIT. Hamil
on the days it sailed for that station,
and SO ON.
The practical result of this railroad
plan was this: ST. Louis and Chi
cago, not having sailing days for
freight trains. could reach Kahoka or
Shenandoah with merchandise be-
fore Keokak could get there after
waiting for the particular freight
rain to sail for these western ports
on the railroad The same thing OBJ
tains for other inland jobbing cties.
Also, adj shipments out of Keokuk
would be delayed, orders would Pile
up in the jobbing houses and factor
les, waiting for the proper sailing
time of the freight trains, and there.
would be chaos generally In the bust
ness
keokuk viii Not Stand for Il.
The Keokuk business interests az
fected-large ones-got busy as soon
as they were notified of the new plan
of the railroad administration
They met at the Industrial associa-
ton rooms, and that organization
Joined in their crusade against apply
4lng ocean sailing day methods TO the
railroads TO Mt HaniI. Memphis, Mis-
souri,, Carthage, Illinois, and all other
points in Keokuk territory. Keokuk
5oobing territory is large one, as this
City sells groceries 10 the Missouri
river and drygoods north OF Chicago
and south OF Saint Louis, regularly.
What applies 10 Keokuk applies to
every other iobbing town in the coun-
dry" said leading wholesaler this
morning, and We don't want any ad-
vantage whatever-au we want Is ab-
sofute parity with the larger cities in
railroad shipping regulations"
keokuk through it's Industrial asso-
citation and the principal shippers here
drafted strong protest against the
whole new plan and enlisted the as
distance Of its congress sio-ai delega-
tion. A strong letter was signed By
all the manufacturers and tob5ers Of
Keokuk, addressed TO Walker d
Hines. the new director general OF
railroads, and Senator'S Curnrnius and
Kenyon and Congressman Kennedy
got copies Of 1t and a request TO en-
sshasize it before the railroad admin
istratiop.
The Letter Of Protest
The letter OF protest, addressed 70
Director General Walker D. Hines for
the attention OF his bureau of sugzes-
lions and complaints, and signed nv
| the Keokuk Industrial associates
| president, John Nagel, and every lob
1 Der and manufacturer and large shtp-
| per in Keokul., is as follows:
| Our attention has been called
by Mr.. A. G. Maxwell, division
freight and passenf er agent Of the
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
railroad company, to the PROPOSE
ton that you propose sailing
day sch edules, covering all rafl-
roads at Keokuk, Iowa
Now, as an Industrial associa-
ton and shippers and manufac-
l tuners, we most earnestly and
respectfully protest against this
proposition. Our reasons in so
= doing, In brief are these: Even