Middletown transcript., 1877-07-14

i full eqivalent. Your road i laid
from Delmar to New York, upon al
most d natural bed. Its cost Of con
struetion was perhaps not one-half that
Of your areduced rates Western lines.
You have not grade worthy the
name Of one yard when You turn
wheel. aEnumerate" that one Of your
locomotives in freight moving power,
practically, is equal to two used Oh the
Baltimore & Ohio. Can you not "enu-
merate' these as your advantages 7
You use the ordinary corn car for
peaches, not near 50 good as freight
ears, fitted with air brakes and with
maximum capacity Of $4,000 pounds,
in use by the cheap lines.
Your ventilators, doors and shelv-
ing are all that you can justly claim
as chargeable strictly to the peach and
berry trade. AS to hauling corn at the
convenience of the railroad, we assert
that if you had as much corn to trans
port as you have fruits, it could not be
done 20 conveniently or it would pile
up ut this end. Do not complain that
big business is not so convenient as a
little one.
2. You are not in accord with your
record as given BY our committee, nor
with your brother officials, nor with
your subordinates, if you mean to i'm
Div that the determinations in freight
were not intended as a patent-adjusti-
Bile device to regulate prices. Con
sidering our Western advices we think
the reduction small "tub to the peach
growing whale Do not stultify the
grower by theorizing that he intends to
run his peaches bull blindly into the
New York market whatever the prices
may be there and elsewhere. You are
not our guardian and we have never
owed YOU one cent for freights. Cease
your antiquated protectorate.
8. You are reported by phono-
grapher Us claiming 40 per cent. saw
ing Of the new over the old plan Of
chartered cars. 1t is unfair to argue
the slant about the exact amount, when
our appeal is for division of what
ever may be the saving Of an expert
ment at our risk, which breaks up long
established usage.
4. You disclaim any intention to
"coerce." Your representatives and
our committee state the contrary. You
speak Of perhaps offering more Gin
ducements" another year. Shade OF
Motley, heard you ever a word more
misapplied Does it not afford a fit
parallel to the sardonic Duke Of Alba
persuading your pet Dutchmen by fire
and sword to become good Catholics.
The rate as per asase Ide letter. to
Boston is an advance Of eleven dollars
per car. Your inducements next year
may make it 500, and 50 persuade us
to do as you wish.
5. We will pass as you do.
To conclude we present the follow
ing list of grievances for redress:
You discriminate against your ma
tnraI customers, the grower Of the in
land peninsula, by giving lower and
special rates to dwellers upon the water
courses also by making rates dispro-
portioned in every sense to distance Of
transportation. You permit (as we
hold you to the responsibility Of die
tatorship debouching our peaches where
YOU please determinations in favor Of
water-carried peaches from Philadel-
phia to interior points, allowing the
speculator nearly 40 per cent. adyan-
tage over your grower.
You have put the principal part Of
your Delaware State tax upon the
grower.
You have made him pay your law
yer fees and legal expenses in defend
ing your company against the State
suit decided in the Supreme Court in
1873. You have put upon him the
costs Of the suit, and damages rendered
against you, for a violation Of your OBJ
legation as common carrier, decided
agoinst YOU at Dover, in 1868.
AT time when you crush all oppo-
sition to reduction Of your expenses,
you charge us at least equal rates for
less service, and a positive advance
over old rates to some distant points.
Do YOU expect men to be inactive un-
der all such circumstances +? A living
il to be eked out. Notes mature, bonds
and mortgages foreclose. Sir, if there
il such thing as Constitutional"
destructive law possible, for the curb
ing Of railroads, and the Supreme
Court has 50 said, the course Of your
company il not little suggestive to
men 50 imposed upon as we
Com. Frla. Rates Peach GroaUers.