The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-01-18
THE B. & 0. R. R.
Mr.. Keyssrs Interview With the In
telllgencer 0verhauIed.
A Shipper Whom the New Schedule
viii not Suit.

GRAFTON, W. VA, January:lG, 1879.
Editors IntellIgsnCef:
l have read carefully the report Of an in
0 terview with Mr.. VIM. Keyser, secon,
, Vice President Of the Baltimore & Obi,
Railroad Company, and reporter Of th,
lSTRLlORNCER, published in your issue o
! the llth inst l have no doubt Of the fac
that Mr. Keyser twas quite ready ant
willing 10 give any information in Iii
power in regard to the affairs OF the road, ;
as understood by him, and strictly in &C
cordance with the policy Of the Company
but not otherwise. And may be per
mitted to say that a more ingenious state,
nent could not be made to cover up the
real causes Of complaint by the people and
puff the policy Of the Railroad Company
The people are curious to know how It hap,
pensthatMr. Keyser is posted "in general
way" as to the character Of the reports that
were to be submitted to the Legislature by
the committee. One would infer from his
statements that he has been engaged with
the committeei In makingt he investigation.
and, itso, Of course in the interest Of tho
company, Yet he now admits that the
testimony shows cases OF hardship which
call for Modification and relief" and ex.
cuses the company with the refreshing in.
formation that the company has Sin every
instance sought to rectify such cases. {"
But has the company rectified thenP II
90. to what extent2 My information is
thatin chose" cases it has only given par.
tial relief, and that the great cause Of com.
plant, the heavy discrimination against
West Virginia shipping, continues in full
force. True, we arc informed that a new
schedule Of local tariff or freight rates Is TO
be given, which will reduce the present
rates rom 20 to % per cent, yet il the com.
pany shall do this 1t will only be partial
relief.
GRAFTON AND WHEELING CoNTRAsTRD.
For instance, the company now carry
frSt-ClasS freight from Baltimore to Wheel
ing for IS cents per 100 lb, aud the same
class from Baltimore to Grafton is charged
95 cents per l00lb, and the distance TO
Grafton Is one hundred miles less. Now,
TO reduce the rate to Grafton 25 per cent,
the highest reduction proposed, Grafton
shippers must pay ut cents per 100 lbs.,
while Wheeling pays but IS cents and
ships l00miles further. In estimating the
rate, il the distance be considered, Grafton
would at the proposed reduced rate, pay
near three times as much as Wheeling, but
without considering the distance, Grafton
| mi FNk r.
class freight more than Wheeling will pay
under the proposed new schedule.
The complaint is not so much against
the rates from local stations to local sta
tions, as from terminus to q local station,
say from Baltimore TO Piedmont, Cranber-
ry Summit, Grafton, Fairmont, Manning
ton or any other local point on the line.
The claim is that freights can and should
be shipped from any terminal point such
rs Baltimore, Wheeling OF. Parkersburg, to
local points as cheap as from terminal to
terminal. That is TO say, to any local
point as cheap as they ship from Balti-
more to Wheeling. have before mo a
freight bill OF recent date OF 200 pounds
shipped from Philadelphia to Grafton.
The goods were shipped from Philadel-
phia to Baltimore. from Baltimore over
1.-THE Baltimore~& Ohio Railroad through
Grafton 10 Wheeling, aud at Wheeling re-
loaded and shipped back TO Grafton. The
charge from Philadelphia to Wheeling on
the 200 pounds was IS cents, and from
Wheeling back to Grafton so cents. Such
discrimination is burning outrage and
cannot be excused. II the company can
not afford to ship 200 pounds from Wheel
ing to Grafton for less than 50 cents, then
It Is doing bankrupt business in ship
ping from Philadelphia to Wheeling at55
cents, five times the distance; but the last
financial statement shows Q net income OF
the company for 1878 OF about one million
and a half Of dollars.
It will be hard task to convince the
people that the company cannot afford to
ship freight at as low rate from Balti-
more to Grafton as It can from Baltimore
to Wheeling, one hundred miles further.
1t can be done and the people will not be
satisfied with less. Mr., Reyser admits that
by the charter OF ls47 the road Is limited
to the same, r1ltes 10 all points along the
| line as IL makes to Wheeling, and in ex-
plauation OF the discrimination against in
termediat0 points, he enters into long
history Of railroad enterprises in the coun-
try. He well knew that bis company by
that charter was given extraordinary
rights and privileges, far greater than arc
now given companies, and much greater
tlian It ought to have had,. by virtue o.
which, It has prospered and grown until
it girtlles States with its iron bands, and
4spans the ocean with It's ships. The CON-
lbmY Is not slow 10 take advantage of,every
7btovision' OF that charter that per.
mits " to levy high rates and
take other advantages, and It entorces
those rights Rt all hazards against the In
terests Of the people, upasF and by virtue
OF its charter; but II the people insist
on right under that :ehafter they are
Coolyinformed that "when that bllarteE
was granted Che railroad system was IN
embryo;" ''that nothing more incred,
ible has ever happened than the present
DEVELOPMENT OF railroads" and Mr.. Key,
sermieht have added, the development oI
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Under tht
liberal charter OF 1877, which permitted
that company TO skin Woat Virginia from
Harper's Ferry to Wheeling.
"We must localize Wheeling or 60 into
bankruptcy, or maintain the present OF
proposed discrimination. We can ioaG
and haul twenty Ears that go straigh
through and come straight back for ial
less money than We can load, unlaaA alIlf
haul broken loads from point to POM
, along the I'm" says Mr.. Keyseri bnt'wt
beg 10 remind Mr.. Keyssr that the com
pauy makes thesame Discrimination to 10
cal and intermediate points by the CA
load that II does by the LOO pounds, IN! m!
: that the rates we have given from Baltt
I more to Grafton, 90 esntS, per 100 pounds
do not apply to cor loads but to NY RoYe
or a single box. A single box loaded .
: BALTIMORE can be unlo&died inst as Gheal - e.
car load, loaded at Baltimore, can be IN
/ loaded OF Grafton or CIarksburg rs en- cnesl q
as at Wheeling, and cheaper, because 3 u 70
Dor Of tllesa points can be had at lowe
: rates than Wheeling. i