The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-12-21
RAILROAD ExzoRrIoN.
Experiences of Merchants AID shIppe
keIated at the AbIlene ConVsntioa.

E1gerl:ns:es. Of Merchants ,s, cad shippers
The following instances Of extortiou
and lack OF accommodation on the pari
Of the railroads of the state were related
at the anti-mOnopoiy convention which
closed its.session at Abilene yesterday;
Mr.. Martin, of the Junction City
Union, submitted the following:
"Parkhursi, Davis s. Co, of Topeka
last spring opened an exclusive grocery
jobbing house, and being young and
enterprising firm made quite a stir in
the towns Immediately west of Topeka
upon the Kansas Pacific. This seems
TO have raised howl over in Missouri,
and forthwith the K p. road, instead OF
fostering and encouraging a Kansas
house. Immediately put It's cloveh hooi
on the concern and advanced the rates
from Topeka TO Silver Lake about fifty
per cent; 10 Rossville, ST. Marys, Wame-
| go and Manhattan almost one hundred
per cent and 10 towns further west an
advance.
This was virtual prohibition to Park
hurst, Davis & Co. jobbing any goods in
these towns, as in addition to the Kansas
City rates which they bad TO pay from
Topeka they were handicapped by the
rate of fifteen cents which they had 10
pay on their goods from Missouri river
points.
In explanation, the rate from Kansas
City TO Silver Lake on Du th-class
freight is seventeen cents per hundred,
while from Topeka it is the same, which
plus the fifteen cents Parkhurs;, Davis
s. Co. have already paid on their goods
makes their rate thirty-two cents per
hundred, as against the seventeen cent
rate to the Missouri river jObber
This Is indeed royal encouragement
for our young and vigorous capital to
meet with, from road built by public
money and Kansas lands. with all its
offices in the state of Nebraska and its
owners in New York"
Mr.. Walton, of the Clay Center Dis
patch, related the case of a miller at
Clay Center who sent special agent to
Texas TO work up a market for his flour.
He was successful in obtaining a num-
Der of customers aud reasonably antiei-
patcd deriving fair profit from the re-
suits Of his enterprise. He was obliged
to ship over q branch OF the Kansas Pa
cilic to Junction City, there to be trans
| ferTed to the Missouri, Kansas s. Texas.
Shortly after he began shipments, the
rate of freight on flour from Clay Center
to junction City was suddenly raised
and made equal TO that from Clay Cen
ter to Kansas City. and he was thus
peremptorily robbed of all the fruits of
his labor in Texas.
Mr.. Hoffman, of Enterprise, then
took the floor for the purpose of giving
the experience of a'Customer for his
flour. residing at EmpOria. His CON-
municatian with that customer had
been practically broken off by the in-
crease in freight to Junction City,
in which had taken place on the 23d of
August. Immediately on the restora-
ton of lower rates n few days ago, the
Emporia dealer ordered quantity of
-four from Mr. Hoffman at Enterprise.
Mr.. Hoffman applied to the agent of the
Kansas Pacific for Missouri Pacific cars
in which to ship the flour to Emporia,
and was informed that no cars were to
be had. The Emporia man was notified
OF this fact and started to visit Enter
prise himself bringing with him two
empty cars of the Missouri Pacific road.
He was successful in getting them 1,
Junction City, but could not induce tho
agent of the Kansas Pacific 10 send
them over that road