Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1881-08-13
PETTY DEsPOTIsM.

A correspondent of the San Francisco
Chronicle signing himself Interior Ship
per" thus exposes petty species of i'm
position practiced by the railroad power'
of California. It would indicate that Ne
vada is not alone in its suffering from The
petty tyranny of corporations: Fl
After reading your article Of the 4th lust
headed .sThe Railroad Despotism," can.
not refrain from raising nv voice in behalf
of the interior shippers. You seem to think
that the abuse practiced by the railroad
company of taxing every shipment of mer-
chandise 10 cents for State toll only effects
San francesca. You are very wide of the
n ark. Every shipment that leaves San
Francisco by railroad for the interior, no
matter how small, has tackled on to the
freight bill, when the same is received at
the point of destination, the inevitable 10
cents toll and that it is not all. If John
Thompson sends orders to twenty different
houses in San Francisco for various differ
ent articles of merchandise, and all shipped
on the same day and perhaps in the same
car, Mr.. Thompson has to pay twenty t''l s,
or one toll for each and every shipment,
making 50 in all. And very often these
twenty shipments would not weigh total
of 200 pounds. You must bear in mind
that the country merchants have to ship
often and in small quantities, and from var
ious houses venture to assert that hum
dreds of cars leave San Francisco annually
that collect from the interior shippers an
average of $40 per car for tolls. and in many
instances for short distances this $40 would
be ample pay for carrying the goods Go
20 the depot and see the small shipments
put into a car for the interior. I dare say
that you will often be able to count more
than 100 in single car, and many of them
for the same shipper. say that the abuse
in San Francisco is but a drop in the bucket
compared with what the interior merchant
suffers. also desire to sound note of
warning to the San Francisco manufac
lures. Take for instance the article of fur
bedroom suit of four pieces, well packed,
that costs ct the mandatory $40. is taxed
for carrying $50 miles, from 81 to SIS. Now
what merchant can pay freight tribute of
from 25 to 80 per cent on the first cost of
goods, to have them transported over a
level valley for SO short a distance? I say
none. What does the retail merchant do
about it ? I will tell you: Go into the
shops connected with the various furniture
stores in the interior. and you will find a
man at the bench with his saw and jack
plane making cheap furniture by hand and
letting the improved machinery in San
Francisco rust and decay. 1t pays better |
than to ship. I say again to San Francisco |
manufactures, you are slowly but surely |
losing your tIade, for the simple reason |
that the railroad exactions mean nothing |
else short of prohibition. The country
trade isso diversified and scattered that
they make no effort to correct these abuses.
They say if so strong, wealthy and united |
city as San Francisco, with her Board of
Trade to use its influence in their behalf,
cannot curb the avarice of the Central
Pacific Railroad. it is Of no use for individ-
uals to raise their voices. I might ennm.
errte hundreds of other railroad abuses inst
as glaring as the above, but the people
seem to have settled down to their fate and |
a kick more or less can make little differ
ence.