The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-02-24

WOulu keep hllNb 10 lhE u Ale GVulu III tuo
interests along our roads and prefer none
OF them.
Reporter-Permlt me, Mt. Keyser, to
ask whether your company does not own
or have an Interest In some coal mines
near Cumberland. ask this because you
seem to do the principal share Of your
hauling from that region?
Mr.. K.-The company does not own q
dollars worth Of coal land anywhere I'm.
less It be some abandoned real estate.
They once did have a small coal interest
for The purpose OF supplying their own
rolling stock with fuel. They 10 not even
work this interest now, and they never
owned dollars worth OF coal property OF
any other kind. They buy their own coal
for their own use by contract. Tie com.
pany made 1t a matter Of principle years
ago that they would own no interests OF
any kind that would put them In false
position before the public. Unlike some
Of the Northern roads, they have steered
clear OF any complications OF that sort.
The only reason why they ship 30 much
more coal from the Cumberland and Pied.
mont region than from Clarksburg, Fair.
mont and Newburg, Is because the Goals
are entirely dissimiIar, the former being
used for heating and steam purposes, and
the latter for gas. That Is the explanation
and the only ono there is.
ReportGr-In case Of your being forced
back on your charter, what would be the
effect on our West Virginia coal interests?
Mr.. Kit would kill them dead, beyond
all doubt. Under that charter, as the Leg.
iSlature apparently wishes II construed, we
could not ship dollars worth Of West
Virginia coal for oil time to come.
Reporter-Would not that raise great
excitement among the people affected by
such disaster?
Mr.. X somewhat cxcItedly.l Ny
dear sir, let nc say to you that, II our
charter Is put Into force there will be, in
my opinion, condition OF public senti.
ment along our line such as you nor
have never seen among tho people, not
onl among those interested in coal and
lumber, but in many other branches OF
business.
Reporter-Wcll, won't that he bad for
the interests ofthe road?
Mr.. K.-Undoubtodly and no one can
deprecate 1t more than do. have set
out to do all that | can to reClify com.
plants and bring ahouta better feeling be.
tween our company and the West Wiz.
glnia public, but II now looks as II my
tlsk must be II hopeless one II the charter
is insisted on. In that event have no
hope OF an accommodation. Both Col.
johnson and Mr.. Stuart have proclaimed
that they know that We cannot work un.
der the strivt letter Of our charter to the
satisfaction OF the people without destroy
ing ourselves, and, may add, that they
know that We IRE not going TO destroy
ourselves II We can help It.
il RepOrter-They want you, Mr. Keyser, 10
comeundGr the general railroal law OF the
State. At least, that Is what the Colonel
said
1 Mr., K.--That we will never do. Rest
assured of that. The State OF Virginia
made many laws affecting the charter OF
our road and other roads, but we never
accepted any Of them, except the aut OF
lSl7, We always refused.
Reporter-ls this because you want 10
charge 30 much more than you would be
permitted to charge under the general law
of the State?
Mr.. K.--No, for as you sec, our passen.
ger rates have been reduced 10 three cents
per milo, aud II this legislature had ad.
journed without passing the quo WArranto
resolution, and il We knew that it would
not assemble again for twenty years, we
would not be inclined TO raise those rates
as long rs We could do paying business.
we would be more likely to still further
reduce them, for such Is the tendency Of
railroad management everywhere,
RepOrter-Yes, but, Mr.. Keyser, peo-
pie say that you do not fall In with rail
road progress, US in other parts OF the
country, but 90 on old fogy notions and
keep prices up,
Mr.. K.-The Baltimore road Is as liber-
ally managed US its business will Justify.
am not unwilling to compare its record
with that Of any road In the country, Our
local rates will average very fairly with
those OF the Pennsylvania road, and vet
that road has a much heavier local trade
Than we have, because it runs through a
better and moro populous country,
Here arc copies OF the local rates on the
Michigan Southern road. You see that
We carry under our new tariff n car load
OF flour 100 miles for 80 cents per barrel,
while they charge A cents. We carry
fourth class freight for % cents, while they
charge % Here also you see that on the
Chicago 4 Rock Island road they charge
81 cents local freight on flour, while, as
said, We only charge 80, and they charge
= cents on fourth class as against our %.
This does not look as II We were dis.
tressing the people does it? 1t is
not fair to Comparens with the New York
Central. You might as we'll say that a
street car in a town should haul people five
miles for Ave cents because q street car IL,
Il city can do so and make money.
Reporter-Your street cur com parison is
pretty good one. You might use It still
further to illustrate the pro.rata idea that
come people seem TO have.
MIR. k.-ics, | suppose ! could. You
mean that a street car charges the same
price whether you ride short distance or
y long one. We do better than that in re-.
spect to passengers We make differ.
ence, but ofcouYSe VIC carry through mas.
sengers for relatively lcBs than local onas,
II is so everywhere and 1t must OF neces.
sity be so.
RopoFtor-That brings up tho inter State
commerce question, You do not believe
that West Virginia can touch that?
Mr.. Rot course not. No principle Is
Uettcr settled ny the decisions ofthe United
States supreme Court than that q Stato
has no control over passengers or merch.
andise carried from one State TO an other.
And We have not tho iaintest approhen.
sion that West Virginia could ever make
i appear that our charter rates are sub.
jcct 70 our through rates. No such idea
would receive the slightest Countenance
from the United States Courts, as Won
ington. ''N''
RePOrtcs.-WeIl, Mr.. Kcyser, | have
asked you agood many questions, and oc.
cupied good deal OF your time, but /
hope you will not take i alnisS il press a
little further upon you for more definite
idea as TO what, as Boss Tweed would saw,
you are going to do about our West Viz.
ginia Legislature?
Mr.. K.-Well. Mr., Reporter, don't SEQ
that eau bcsQueezed any more on that
point. | have told you all that | know
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