New-York tribune., 1921-12-28
Farm Deal With
Roads Charged
BY La Toilette
Senator Says Agricultural
Leaders Agreed to Drop
Move 10 Repeal Cuaran-
ty Section Of Rail Law
Conferred i'm Washington
Plan TO Restore State Con-
troll of Rates Declared to
Have Been Abandoned


were made by Senator La Toilette, of
Wisconsin, in a formal statement.
issued to-day, that representatives. of
the railroads and of the coal, steel and
lumber interests at "secret" meeting,
held in Washington, December 9, at
tempted to obtain from farm organiza.
ton leaders, and did obtain from some
such leaders, adherence to an agree
ment not to push legislation to repeal
the commonly called guaranty section
OF the transportation act or to restore
state control of state rates.
The Wisconsin Senator made his
charges in celebrating on his assertion
that plan is now afoot to perpetuate
the fundamental proW sions of the
transportation act, embodied in Section
lo-A (thc guaranty section, of which A
portion expires next March ~, and to
render permanent the intolerance con-
ditions which have made the trans
portation system for the past two years
an instrument for the exploitation of
the American people
In substantiation of his charges Mr..
La Toilette made public what he de-
scribed as a brief report of the action
of the conference of December 8. which
he branded as a conspiracy Ito betray
not only the farmers but the consum-
ing and the producing millions of the
nation" This report was made public
by the Senator without an explanation
of it's source.
This conference" says the state
ment, 'was participated in by the spc-
cial committee representing the rail
way executives, of which W. w. After
bury, of the Pennsylvania Railroad,
was chairman. 1t was held at the
Racquet Club, in Washington, on De-
cember g. 1921. There had been a pre-
vious conference in New York on Sep
tember 21. of which J. Z. Howard was
made chairman. Those present at the
bury, Howard Elliott, of the Northern
Pacific; W. ]. Harahan, of the Chesa-
peake g. Ohio; w. b. Stormy, Of the
Atchison, and r. S. Binkert, who is as
sistant to the chairman of the As
sociation of Railway Executives, New
York
THE iron and steel industries were
represented by j. A. Campbell of the
Youngstown Sheet and Tube COMPANY.
of Youngstown, Ohio, and CT f. Be
ment, of Lansing, Mich. repre esenting
the Novo Engine Company.
Railway supply organizations were
represented by A. B. Johnson, presi-
dent of the Railway Business Associa
ton, of Philadelphia. and Frank W.
NoXon, secretary OF the same associa-
ton. Lumber interests were repre-
sented by Charles Hill, Of the Southern
Pine and Sales Corporation, of New
York; A. B. Hammond, of the Ham
mond Lumber Company, of San Fran
cisco, and j. II. Browne, of the Pacific
| " M hp,
"Construction companies were repre-
sented by +. c. Marshall, Munsey
Building, Washington, D. c., and E. T
Trigg, Of Philadelphia.
THE National Industrial Traffic
League was represented by ". II
Chandler, Boston, Mass, and J. II
Beck, Chicago.
The National Association of Manu-
facturers were represented by J. A
Emery, Of Washington, D. C.
THE agricultural interests were rep
resented by J. R. Howard, Gray Silver
II. c. Mckenzie, of New York; RALPH
Snyder, of Kansas, and O. Z. Bradfute
OF Chicago. They were all of the
American Farm Bureau Federation. the
last three named being members of its
legislative committee The agricul-
tural interests were also represented
by w. |. Drummond, president of the
international Farm Congress, and by
7. c. Atkeson, of the National Grange
Mr.. Atterbury stated that the rail
roads desired the help of the interests
represented in securing further wage
reductions and in opposing the amend
ments pending in Congress proposing
repeal of Section Is A. After con
siderable discussion, the agricultural
representatives. not being disposed K
oppose the amendments absolutely, ad
iournment was taken for lunch with
the understanding that representative:
of the carriers and of the agriculture