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Show Railroad Executives Ask Prest Wilson To Appeal to People to be Sympathetic Washington, Sept. 9, President Wilson was asked today by a committee commit-tee of railroad executives to address an Appeal to the country that the people peo-ple take a more sympathetic attitude toward the railroads. The committee commit-tee did not ask Mr. Wilson to move for any specific relief, but told him he could do much to remove antagonism antag-onism which they said had grown up toward the railroads as a result ot much agitation. The president was told that because be-cause of tho European war and an antagonistic attitude ot the people toward tho railroads, great difficulty was being experienced ln meeting ob ligations. Chairman Trumbull of tho Chesa peoke Ohio and tho Missouri, Kansas Kan-sas & Texas railways, acted ns spok5& man. He had before tho president a written Btntcment, setting out the position ot the railway men ot the country. v The others in the committee were Presidents Samuel Rea of tho Pennsylvania; Penn-sylvania; Daniel Wlllard ot the Baltimore Balti-more & Ohio, Fairfax Harrison ot the Southern, E. P. Ripley ot the Santa Fe, and Halo Holden, vice president of the Burlington. The president agreed to give careful care-ful consideration to the statement of the railroad men but mado no promises prom-ises on their requests. Ho is under stood to favor the view that tho railroads rail-roads need assistance. The specific requests ot the railroad rail-road men were: "That tho president will call thfi attention of tho country to the press ing necessity for support of railroad credit by the, cooperative and sympa thetlc effort ot tho public and of all governmental authorities, and that tho railroads be relieved as far as posslblo of-further immediate burdenB Involving additional expense. "That the president will urge ft practical recognition of the fact that an emergency is on the railroads which requires in the'publlc interest that they have an additional revenue and that tho appropriate governmental government-al agencies seek a way by which such additional revenues may bo properly, and promptly provided. "Tho credit ot the railroads," said tho statement, "seriously Impaired, as wo believe, beforo the wai started Is now confronted by an omergncy of a magnltudo without parallel lu history." |
