The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-07-23
the RAILROAD FREIGHT
QUESTION.
The Rates Come Down 10 e0S
per Car but that Is sac
tee High.
Another Appeal for Justice
and H4IberaIE1y.

AN]- ASOAAS ~ ~ 44O0ASs
10th we stated that these were the
NJ, X. & T. rates, and the A., T. &
S. +. rates were SO per car on eth
er wheat or oats. Our au thority
was one OF our grain dealers, who
informed us last week that the above
figures were the lowest he had been
able TO get from either of the rail-
roads here.
Mr.. Sargent, agent Of the A, T.
& S. E., informs MS that the rates
over that road are SOS per car,
and that he so told the said grain
dealer. We cannot reconcile their
statements. hut having implicit
faith in the reliability of both par
ties, we conclude that the road has
reduced its rates SO per car since
The News called attention 10 the
unfAirness toward the farmers of
high freight charges. We haverea-
son, in fact, to know that since our
issues of the 9th aud 18th the
subject of reducing the rates of
freight has been seriously consider
ed by the officers OF that company.
The A., Il. s. T. road, being now
owned or at least controlled by the
president and vice president of the
Kansas Pacific company, will no
doubt get around to the same mat
ter after awhile, as it is bound to
compete with the A, I. & s. 4. We
presume the new management has
not yet had time to revise the
freight schedule. If for any reason
Il decides not to compete at this
point, the final result will be that
the people will secure the building
of a railroad that will compete with
both OF them. But we are very re-
luctant to believe that the NJ, X. e
T., under the control OF the great
rival of the A, T. & S. F., will fail
to compete with the latter road at
this point, and we trust soon to hear
material reduction of freight over
both roads.
1t should, in Justice to the A, L.
s. S. E., be stated, on Mr.. Sargent's
authority, that while it carries the
car about One-fourth of the entire
distance from Emporia to st. Louis,
it gets only SIS of the $50, showing
that the railroads in Missouri get $50.
OF course,i if the A. y. & S. F. gets but
SIS of the $G5, it is entitled to that
proportion of the plumber. But that
car ought to go through now at
$45 instead of $50, is evident, and
no matter who is to blame for the
SEQ tariff, the necessity of our peO-
pie is to have it reduced to not over
$40, and if another road is necessary
to save distance, and insure more
competition, and TO get lower
freighs, it ought TO be built, must
be built, and in time will be built.
What we insist upon, therefore, is
that the roads now here spare no
effort to have the present tariff
again brought down, for their
own good as well as for
the good of our farmers who
have the grain to sell, and who
are made to bear the burden and
loss of high freights. We believe
the A, T. 81 S. +. and the Kansas
Pacific can bring influence enough
to boar on all the routes concerned
to have $50 taken off the sos, If they
but determine to do so. If they
don't do this, there is hut one RENE
dy left for the people.
Mr.. Sargent also informs us thai
at $50 per car the rate is 3218
cents per 100 pounds from Emporis
to st. Louis, of which the A., T. s
S. f. gets but ~ cents, or less thar
one fourth the whole. The rates
from Wichita to st. Louis are 4C
cents per 100 pounds; from Newton
to st. Louis 80 cents per 100 pounds
from Atchison to st. Louis % cent
per 100 ponds. From these figures
it can be seen that Wichita an(
Newton have no undue advantage
over EmpOria, and that Emporii
has no advantage over them, al
: though it ought to have the advan
tage in consequence of possessing
two roads. From Wichita {,
Emporia Is 1O2 miles from Newton
to Emporia rs miles from Empori
| to Atchison Ill.
: We close to-day with the conclu
sioE that our statements have beer
/ substantially correct, and that tn
3 lowest rates of freight from this o
, any other point this season are ex
. Orbitant and decidedly Oppressive
4 upon the farmers, who have to tax
/ Just as much less than the st. Loui
}. price per bushel for their grain as
D costs TO ship 1t from their railroa
!. stations to that city. If freight goe
!. up six cents per bnshel, the Garme
4 gets six cents less than before. ]
: freight goes six dOWn:cents, he get
4 six cents more ih tn hafIre. tn
n shippers commission i about III
r same in any case. If the freigh
from Emporia to st. Louis is re
duced $50 per car, that is six cent
> per pushed on wheat, which tn
farmer will get. The farmer VIII
has 1000 bushels of wheat TO Sc
would thus be benefited $50, Whic
would much more than pay his raj
road taxes, even if he be a wealth
Q farmer. And if Lyon county fo
5 instance, has 10O,O 200 bushels of graf
}, to ship this season, a reduction G
n cents per bushel in freight woul,
! save our farmers $1,000. But thi
% money, to which they are justly en-
titled, is virtually extorted frOu
n them. They are robbed of it by
4 S65 railroad car tariff. And If mos
of the 5000 goes to Missouri raj
. roads, SO much the worse. If on
: farmers have 100000 bushels Q
wheat, oats and corn to be shippe
e east, SOS per car tariff rObs ther