The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1882-10-14
communication.

EDITOR TIMEs:-I must express my
hearty indignation concerning the
article that appeared in the Inter
Ocean of last week, and was also
alluded to in yeur columns, concern
INC the Northern Pacific railroad COM
panv, and its employees, for an alleged
overcharge in a shipment of potatoes,
and referring to them in the columns
Of our papers as highwaymen and rob
bers.
I know whereof I speak when we
say that tie general freight agent Of
the n. z. railroad, Mr.. J II. HANNA
ford is a gentleman respected by all
who have ever met him, socially or in
business, and when our citizens and
papers refer to him (for he it is who
makes the rates. or to his worthy rep
resentatiye, Mr. Il. d. Taylor, our es-
teemed agent here, in the manner
alluded to above, they stoop beneath
the dignity Of gentlemen and citizens,
and | for one am ashamed of them.
BY referring to the tariff sheet of
the Northern Pacific railroad com
pany, [ find their rates on flour, grain
and mill stuffS, in car lots, from St.
Paul and Minneapolis to Superior, 10
be ID cents per cwt.; potatoes, ear
lots, IL cents per cwt.; minimum
car load is 10000 pounds, and the
freight on a car load Of potatoes from
st. Paul or Minneapolis, shipped over
the \. 7. railroad to Superior, would
have cost S35.00-no more, and the
distance hauled nearly three hundred
miles. Most assuredly this is not m
excessive charge. In comparing the
tariff Of the r. p. from St. Paul and
Minneapolis to Superior with the tariff
of the st. 2. 4 D. railroad from St.
Paul to Duluth, in their short haul of
one hundred and fifty miles, find the
tariff to be precisely the same, Is cents
on grain and milIstuhs, and 17@ on
potatoes, the n. 2. hauling nearly
three hundred miles, against the ST.
T. d ID. railroad one hundred and
fifty. Now if the n. 2. railroad in
dealing thus justly with us are discrim-
mating against Superior, Will the edi-
tor or the gentleman who penned the
article in custom please explain.
Having shipped more ear lots Of
freight into Superior over the n. +.
railroad since its completion than any
other one man, and [ might almost
say more than all of our merchants
here put together, and having been
quite extensively engaged during the
past nine years in the shipments Of
grain and produce over most all the
different railroads in the state, | have
vet to find or hearof the railroad COM
Pany that issue q tariff anywhere near
comparing with the rates made by the
Northern Pacific railroad company
over its long haul from st. Paul and
Minneapolis to Superior.
Cars should not be overloaded and
excessive charges would not accrue;
all old shippers have found this out
and many Of them to their sorrow.
Experience is sometimes expensive,
vet in the end a good thing, for with
it cometh knowledge and wisdom.
And now, Mr. Editor, please retract.
Do not permit the officers Of the
Northern Pacific to feel that we look
upon them in any such light as repre-
scented; after hauling our goods three
hundred miles at the Duluth short
line tariff, had we not ought to be sat
isiied? [ really think that we should
be proud Of the concessions made us
and respect the officers and manage
ment Of the Y. p. railroad for the
fTiendIineSs and generosity which they
have ever manifested toward our
people and our town. Yours truly.
Gro. N. SMITH.