The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1881-06-11
OPEN LETTER TO MIR.
WISE.
Mr.. SOLOMON WISE,


to my letter asking you about
carrying freight to and from New
Orleans at less rates than you
now do, you diverge SO far from
the subject, indulgein such grave"
charges and accusations against
"a majority of our members" and
in so much seIf.proise, that | feel
it incumbent upon myself as one
Of the accused who endeavored
"to revert upon themselves and
their neighbors "deplorab7e mon
opoly at high rates" and to use
the same medium as you did "The
Meridional" to answer your char
ges, and see, If possible, how many
truths are contained in your ap-
peal for public sympathy.
You say, my conduct in the
matter etc Get" What are the
facts to support this flow of self
praise? You purchased a steam
boat as a business undertaking,
and placed it in the direct trade
between New Orleans and Bayou
vermilion, in opposition to the
Pharr "deplorable monopoly" via
Morgan's La. and Texas r. R.,
and established as per advertise
ment in the public papers the
"Morgan's old Teche rates as
your rate of freight charges. 1t
is a we'll known and easily estab
lished fact that during the first
season, Fall of 1879 and Spring
of 1880, your boat carried abont
one-third of the freight and your
opponent nearly or quite two
thirds Of the freight from and to
Bayou Yermilion.
When you laid your boat up
for repairs in the summer Of 1880,
you, on several occasions, stated
that Notwithstanding the small
freights carried, the Exchange
your boat had cleared from Four
to Five Thousand Dollars up to that
time On one occasion the gen.
tleman to whom you made this
statement expressed a doubt as to
its accuracy, you sand 1t a1as so and
your books would prove 1t. Now
the grave question" presents it
SELF" Breathes there the man with
pocket SO dead, Who would not
to himself have said" that he
would do all in his power to gel
the remaining two-thirds of the
Bayou freight when onethird paid
such enormous profits in six OF
seven months No wonder thai
|you spared neither time, means
nor labor" to attain this result
or that "eyery branch" of yonl
business and industries acere z,
made subservient to your steam
boat interests" particularly wher
your other industries and bust
ness" did not suffer, all being il
most competent hands. I car
readily understand that the crime
of those who "persistently employ
: ed the most stenous opposition
j, please excuse these heavy words
they are not original with me, bu.
: merely quotations from your APP
) peal consisted not so much in sup
porting said opposition, as in the
. fact that by SO doing they delayed
your causing the withdrawal o
the Fuller and successfully main
tanning yourself in the trade a
the old ratesp In regard tt
: your congratulations, I presume
) the other gentlemen alluded to
I like myself desire a little more
light upon the cause of their being
Extended US. | am in no vis
%averse to accepting congratula
! tons or anything else that is good
] but must really object to being
e kept in ignorance as to the caus'
of said favors.
l You promised tone Of tn
"means" employed by you to oh
:, tain freight that in case you oh
tanned control of the Bayou trad
8 you could and would C rry freight
E to and from New Orleans on
basis Of Two Dollars and Eft
cents per HID, for sugar and lift
J cents per dry Barrel.
Captain Pharr "the mosopolist
offered to carry the freight 70
twelve months on a basis of Nv
It Dollars and Fifty cents per Hhd
and Sixty cents per dry Bbl. TIL
majority of the people on tn
Bayou belieped you, and deserte
the opposition. !, with only thr.
l. other shippers believed Capt. Phnri
t, and signed contracts with him fo
the above time and rates. You