The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-04-02
irsight to thls clLy Al tLe IOvest rate that


will pay, and we intend to do It."
Mr.. Jewett, Of the Erie, said the East.
ern bound freight business Of his road
would be done in future without regard
to schedules. He would take freight for
whatever he could get, and as much Of II
as possible. No movement toward 4 fur.
ther compact would come from him. He
was tired Of making compacls which
were broken before the ink was dry.
Mr., Rose, Of the Baltimore & Ohio,
proiessed ignorance regarding Eastern
bound ireightS, but did not believe his
road was cutting under the schedule, "a
charged. The Baltimore i Ohio had
always been made scapegoAt Of the New
York roads when they wanted TO draw
ont Of compact.
Dealers In Western produce say they
have been able to get their own terms
for some time past, not only on frelghts
from tho West, but from ocean steamers.
One gentleman said he recently made q
contract on a quantity Of pork from
Chicago to Europe at 45 cents, and had
shipped provisions from this city to Liy.
erPOOl al l0S per ton. II Is thought the
railroad war will have the effect OF ad.
vancing the rates Of provisions to Eu.
rope, because il will bring large quan.
tity OF grain to this port, and shippers
prefer 10 handle that commodity or cot.
ton to pork, tallow, lard, or other like
substances. One Of the Whits.star steam.
ers, rather than fill up with provisions
this week, purchased lot OF stone bal.
last in order to carry an entire cargo OF
cotton.
The Pennsylvania Company deny hay.
ing cut rates, and make cOunter.charges.
All are thus at swords points, and COM
petition will be the rule for the present
at least
1t is not impossible that truce Of
some kind may be patched up once more
between the great East and West lines;
but We doubt it. The Baltimore and Ohio
has advantages which it is bound 10 re-
tain, even at the risk Of its credit, and
which, we apprehend, no combination
can ignore or put out Of the problem. It
is unnecessary to point out that a new
railroad war, with all the uncertainties
OF duration and fortune which it in
wolves, cannot but precipitate a stock
disaster OF no mean proportions. Lake
Shore touched ASS Saturday, the lowest
which it has ever touched, since the Van
derbilt management, which held it above
80 through 1872. New York Central,
which averaged lis through March, 1876,
was Saturday down to s9i. The railroads
are rapidly getting into the desperate
case OF the patriots Of rs, whom Ben
Franklin sought TO comfort on signing
the great declar alton with the cheerful
assurancO,-"Now il we don't all hang
together, we shall be pretty sure to hang
separate"
The expensive 'lines" and agencies
by which freight is drummed up are
found to be great burden and great
cause OF friction at this time. II is the
interest OF the agents to have flexible
rates. They want to peddle, and the
roads don't seem to be big enough to kick
the peddlers off the track. These "lines'
and agencies in both freights and passen.
ger business are mere barnacles, they are
an outgrowth of the days OF railroad ex.
travagance and inside rings, and we can
see now no reason for their existence.
The railroad, itself midlle.man and
used by midde.men at both ends, delib.
erately allows another class OF middle
men to stand between it and the public
and to spread trouble between itself and
its competitors. 1t seems that both econ
omy aud the control OF their own inter.
ests admonish the railroads to dismiss all
supeFiluous agencies and to cut of all
needless emburrassments, before they sac.
Frifce the property OF innocent investors.