Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-02
FREIGHT CHARGES.
The Patrons Of Husbandry and the
Railroads.
A Formal Complaint to the General
Assembly.

The following memorial will be laid be-
fore the House this morning. 1t was pre-
scented az the recent meeting Of the State
Grange, formally adopted and referred to
a special committee, with intrucliOns to
urge the Legislature to take such action as
may be deemed necessary:
To the State Grange of Tennessee
Patrons of Husbandry-WOTthy Brothers:
At the last regular meeting Of Davidson
County Council, Patrons of Husbandry,
held in the city Of Nashville on the 81
inst, the undersigned were appointed a
committee TO present for your cOnsidera-
ton some facts that can Be subst antiated
by abundant proof relative to the discrimi-
nations in the freight tariffs Of some OF the
railroads running into and through our
Staie-discrimina'iO ions at once prejudicial
20 the growth of our cities and towns
through which they run, and ruinOus to
the mercantile, mechanical and agricultg-
raj interests OF the whole country cOntigu-
Gus 70 their locality. The facts are these:
1. Some merchants Of GOOdlettsVille, a
village in this county, thirteen miles north
of Nashville, on the line of the ST. Louis
and Southeastern Railway, have been en-
deavOring to ship corn from Mount Vernon,
Indiana, per this road, % supply the farm
ers of the vicinity Of GOOdlettsville, who
are entirely destitute Of provisions, owing
to the severe drought Of last summer.
While the freight charges on this railroad
from Mount Vernon, Indiana, TO Nashville,
Tennessee, are only. fifteen cents per 100
pounds, these merchants were charged
twenty eight cents per 100 pounds from
Mount Vernon to GOOdlettsville, an inter
vening point, thirteen miles nearer to Mount
VenOn-a difference Of thirteen cents
agaiI ST the destitute farmer. Again, said
railroad charges on what it terms double
first class freight thiTty-fOuT cents per 100
pounds from Nashville to GOOdlettSVille, a
distance Of thirteen miles, or more than
double the entire charge from Mount Yer
non, Indiana, to Nashville.
,. Instance the tariff rates on corn on
the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis
railroad. Corn from the State Of Illinois
can be shipped from JOhnsOnyille, on the
Tennessee river, through Nashville, to At |
lanta, Ga, for Z cents per 100 lbs. less than
the Tennessee farmers corn can be shipped |
from Nashville to Atlanta, nOtwithstand- !
ing the fact that Nashville is sixty miles |
nearer Atlanta than JOhnsOnyille. This is |
not all. Corn raised by the Tennessee |
farmer in the neighbOrhOOd Of Johnson |
vile is charged 20 cents per 100 lbs. more |
from Jacksonville to Atlanta than it costs |
the Illinois farmer to reShip his corn from |
the same point and over identically the /
same railway discrimination Of ~ cents /
against the Interests OF the Tennessee.
3. Take the case Of corn from Johnson
vile to Montgomery, Ala, over the last /
named road from JOhnsOnville to Nash /
vile, and then to Montgomery over the /
Louisville, Nashville and Great Southern /
route. Foreign corn can be shipped from
TO Montgomery for Z cents /
per 100 lbs. less than Tennessee corn can
be shipped from Nashville 10 Montgomery,
(thOugh 90 miles nearer.) The Tennessee
farmer pays 4jc per 100 lbs. on his
corn from JOhnsOnville TO Montgomery,
while the Illinois farmer reships from
JOhnsonville to Montgomery, over the
same line, for pc per 100 lbs.--a discrim-
inalion of z0c against the Tennes -ee farm
eT. Again: The Illinois farmer can ship
his corn from the banks Of the Ohio by boat
and reship at JOhnsOnyille to Montgomery |
for 1Oc per 100 lbs. less than the Tennessee
farmer can ship from Jacksonville to the
same point.
For a more forcible and more explicit
exhibit Of these facts, we refer you to the
able speech Of Gen. W. II. jackson, de-
livered at Bell Buckle last summer. There
are three rail routes running into and
through the State Of Tennessee built by
the credit Of the State and Of the counties
through which they run, by the Individual
means Of the very parties thus 50 invid-
iOusly Disseminated against; but now
owned principally by private corporations
who have so manipulated the stock in said
roads as to obtain a controlling power in
their management, and who are now using
that power, obtained by questionable
means, to the great detriment Of the agri-
cultural population Of Tennessee. And
when questioned as 10 their right in the
premises, defiantly fOut in our faces a
piece of parchment called charter. From
his charter they claim there IS no appeal.
Neither Legislatures nor constitutions can
20 behind It. BY virtue Of it they claim
perfect and complete immunity from all
measures Of redress sought by the aggrieyed
parties.
But charters have restrictions as we'll as |
franchises. We claim that these restric-
ions have been broken through in the dis
above cited; and that fai.v
ire to observe a contract by one Of the par
les thereto should absOlve the other. If
Dur conclusions are correct, the logical il
erence is that these corporations have for
cited their rights under their charter and
hould be brought within the purview Of
tatutOry laws.
Your petitioners, through their commit
ee, do most respectfully submit these acts
o you as the representative body Of the ,
Patrons Of Tennessee, praying that YOU
viii direct the attention Of our Legislature
o them, with such suggestions as you, in
our collective wisdom, may see proper to
make. Fraternally,
a. II. SHARP,
j. A. PAYNE,
L. b. CHICKERING,
Committee.