The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-03-19

An Interview with Governor John @
Brown, Viee-Presideat of the
Texas a. Pacific Railroad.

The Injunction suit of the Texas express
company agai.st the International Il Great
Northern and Texas IL Pacific railroads,
coming up in the United States district
court. HERALD reporter called upon Gov
ernur Jonn G. Brown, vice-president of
the Texas & Pacific road in pursuit of ipfor-
nation AS 20 the suit and its merits.
In answer to the interrogatory, as to tue
nature of the suit, Governor Browa re-
snonded that il WAS in reality contest be-
tween the Texas express company and the
Pacific express company. The Texas ex-
nress company had brought suit sga'na. the
International and Texas Il Pacific railroad
companies, praying the court TO restrain
tbem from permilung the Pacific express
oomnany to run cars on its passenger trs'ns,
and ALLEGES in its petition that it is afraid 1t
will be put off of these lines, and wants the
court to issue an order TO
u uoa this. In answer, both
thess roads tender TO the Texas aud the Pa
c;Sc express companies equal privileges on
thoir lines. Then, says Governor Brown,
tho Texas express company replies that 1t is
not able to pay as much as the Pacific
n nTS company, and it pleads with tho
court TO fix the price, 1t proposes that The
rsilrosd companies shall transport for it ON
;.s nas .enper trains freight at the same rate
that il takes freight on its freight cars, or in
n,hor ,vo,ds that it must be allowed to have
a oar with room enough in it for iDlly rs
much AS ten thousand pounds
n FREIGHT, snd that for III
ere;gbtit must only pay regular freight rate:
mar nonsd, say fifty cents hundred for one
burSred miles haulei. /. can take $lOO,O0t
IN currency from one point 10 another, fol
whicn 1t will charge say $780, not less Ihsr
that, and on this money 1t desires me cour'
TO decide that ii shall pay freight only oy
the pound and 100000 in paper will moi
weigh, perhaps, exceeding one pound; &
that the railroad company must furnish th'
Transportation, the car, m engine 70 pun ~
train men, lights, etc, for aDou
thirty cents, while tho express COM
many gets about $500, and is az nc
expense except that of its messenger. The
express company takes no package, no maj
ter now smsil, for less thay say, quarter o.
a dollar. 1t may take forty of such pack
aces, ali small and light, and putting them
;n box. the whole of them not weighing
over ten pounds, it pays cents for one hun
dred miles hauling of this box. yet it re-
ceives $40 for trans porting it. This, says tht
covernor. is what the Texas express company
q asking for. 1t prsys the court TO order
these railroads to mako this sort o.
contract with it. The railroads ii
renly saw ths. it is unjust to the farmer, tc
tho merchant, who ship their products arc
merchandise on their freight trains, for ih'
roads TO transport freight on their passenger
trains at the same rates. Freight they say
carried on passenger trains, not only reache
;ts destination much more speedily than /
can by freight trains, but then II require
mora care. attention and watchfulness, ant
therefore is more troublesome TO the compa
nv and ough, therefore to be pad Tor AT
higher rate The companies say they wan
competition between tho express com
nanes because with competition tn
neonle Twill got better rates, AM
commerce will be to that extent benefited
To tbatsend these two roads, the Texas ant
Pacific and the International, have made
contract with the Pacific express company
and thew have offered the came terms to thu
TEXAS express company. They say 1t this il
NOT fair and equitable, then why not! Meth
or company ChH uuuoi s''' P'~t.s,
the advantage. of the other, neither can be
come monopoly. And 50 OF the railroads
if the Pacific express company makes con
tract with us to pay half rates for its mes
sengers and 80 much month, or quarter, q
per spnum for so much car room, why
should the conrt step in and Interfere II
behalf of another express company! why
should the court take the position OF guar
dian and put the railroad into the position o
words and say, "Ycu must take the messen
gers Of the Texas express company owe
your line, and you must transport thei
freight on your passenger train, furnishing
with a car at regular freight rates. M
matter whether they have full car load o
only ton pounds of freight, still you mus
transport 4 car for its use, and messenge
in thu. car on every one of your passsenge
trains. Thisis equity; this simply ordinar.
Justice for you are but com
mon carriers and this expires
company is simply a shipper" VIII,
should the court do this, these railroads say
and thus aid in the establishment of mon
opoly This, said Governor Brown, was tn
whole msttcr in nutshell, and while he, Q
course, could only conjecture as to what IN
Judgment Of the court would DO, yet no Tel
certain that II would dissolve the injunctio
and leave tho roads to make their own con
tracts and attend to their business as heF
al