Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1873-04-22

tho opinlon tnat farmers on the MIL
waukee and st. p, al line ought to
be even more dissatisfied, for the
rates on the latter road were at least
twenty per cent higher. He though.
that farmers in Wisconsin did not re-
alize the extortions and diserimina~
tions like those in Illinois, for the
price OF wheat was such that the val
ne of one peck would transport q
bushel to market, while in ILLINOIS
the price of three or four bushels of
corn was barely sufficient to carry
one bushel to market. He had late.
" sold 500 bushels of " heat to
Griffi hs y Durham, Three Rivers,
Mich, TO DO delivered in sac $.
When ready for shipment be in
-tructed the station agent TO be ready
with cars Instead of cars, howev-
er, the station agent received q teIe-
graph order from the general freight
agent at Milwaukee to "receive no
grain for Chicago or points beyond y"
The order had not been rescinded,
nor could he learn why it was issued.
The company had plenty of cars, and
would furnish them without delay
for Milwaukee, but not Chicago.
His grain had been lying for nearly
month in the depot warehouse, and
be could not tell when when be would
be allowed to ship "to Chicago or
points beyond" He also had an orr
der for a consignment OF wheat for
Hamilton, Ohio, but coult not fill it
because of the restraint placed upon
his business by this order. If be was
not allowed to ship to Three Rivers,
Hamilton or Chicago by rail very
soon, be would ship to Prairie du
Chen, thence by boat to Savannah,
Ill, and from there by rail to Ohica-
20, the rates by this Gil cuitous route
being no greater than by Milwaukee
and St. Paul cars direct. He ex-
planned why Boscobel, with all her
facilities, had no manufactures
Parties hsd repeatedly been there
wn { pr"ar &C Iog for oil ible sites,
ii hough hey found every nat
ural adyantag g supplied, they could
not afford to pay the freight rates
charged on manufactured articles,
aud so they went elsewhere. The
town was even less prosperous than
FIVE years before, aud the only thing
that could change its condition would
be lower freight rates. The improve.
ment of the navigation Of the Wis.
c'nsin river might do some good. but
that project was slow If completion.
Mr.. Barnett. Of Barnett 4 Kron>
sage, dealers in grain and produce,
had been buying grain at BoscobeI
for ten years. He said that be was
believer in the movement inaugur-
ated in Illinois for securing cheaper
transportation, and had no doubt
but it's ifinuence would lower rates
not only in that State but by indi-
rection throughout the country.
Boscobel was thirty miles from the
Mississippi at Prairie du CHEN, but
shippers on that account were in no
better position than if they were $50
miles away. The rates tor this short
distance were two-thirds as great as
from Boscobel to Milwaukee, more
than five times as far The rates to
the river had no reference to the cost
OF carriage, but were arbitrarily plac-
ed so that the natural advantages of
water communication aud competi-
U9n should De rendered. unavoidable.
the railway compsny, 81 the tariff
were arranged, charged chree times
as much per mile for q ton of grain
or produce to the river as to Milwau-
kee, and twice as much per mile
from Boscobel to Milwaukee as from
Madison to Milwaukee. He could
not see why it was worth any more
per mile to haul q ton Of freight over
portion of the distance on the road
than to haul it an equal distance over
some other portion of tn same road.
If it was worth 90 more then he
could see no justification for the
charge. For a time the rates to
Prairie du Chen were considerably
lower, and then he shipped 10 that
point and from thence back to Bos-
cobel TO Milwaukee for less than be
could shlp direct to Milwaukee, al
though the distance was Sc miles
greater. But the company discover.
ed that this was being done, and so
raised the rates to Prairie du Chen
as to prevent it. The discrimination
on live stock was not q ute so great;
the price per car from Prairie du
Chen, 279 miles, to Chicago was $40,
and from Boseobel, 251 miles, ISL.
On grain, from the river to Milwau-
lxee, 1914 miles, the rate was 10 cents
rnr hnshol, qnd from B >scobel, 166
| Is ~ IL c.nfs Tho schedules of
I ign tariff published by me Mil
yankee and 81. Paul Railway, nomi-
nally for the guidance of station
SCENTS and shippers, were never ad-
hered to, and 10 their practicable op-
erations for guidance were worthless.
At competing points the rates really
charged were less than in the pub.
lished tariffs, and st non competing
points the rates were greater. FIR
I cAAulplS bur ia~t ~pcOtoi tfrigu tdL-
fl. published January % 1873 fixed
the rate for live stock at $50 from
Prairie du CHEN to Chicago, when
only $40 was charged by the agent,
and $50 from Boscobel to Chicago,
when S5l was the amount really de-
manded. Mr.. Barnett could not see
why, as common carriers, the Mil
waukee 4 st. Paul Company, with q
line running direct to Chicago, should
at all times be willing to take certain
classes of freight for Chicago, and at
other times should refuse to receive
grain for that point from Boscobel,
when it could be shipped through
from other stations on the line with
out hindrance. All that the people of
Boscobel wanted was fair show and
he did not think they bad it under
tina existin0 discriminating arrange