Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-09-15

4 - A0Bo2UC<k11Us t<k7t ~ S8>o~ss~-s
ing rates Of fares and frsigh.s from
New York. Chicago, 81 Paul and othsr
cities Of the East 20 points on this coast
the principle of charging higher prios
70 towns on the line Of road removed
from tide water than 70 tide-va or
terminal cities will not be adopted, is
hailed with satisfaction not only By
those people and towns situate inland
and most directly and materially. at
fecssd. bat by every man who reooa-
nizss the di6efsaos between night and
wrong - applied 70 the carrying ser
vies. Il II . reversal Of the practice On
the ether overland roads, the insistsnce
upon By WHICH has made whole States
enemies of those railroads and their
manaeewsnt. IL has bssn the uniform
prsctios Of the Central Pacific Railroad
20 graduate its freight charges on goods
from ths East in invsrss proportion
10 the distance or amount OF service
rendered. In other words, the neareF
The plsos Of delivery 70 the place whence
shisn,ent VS. made the greater the
charge. BY this il resulted that MGR
chants doing basiness 500 miles east Of
Sacramento and buying goods in Chi
eago or other eastern cities were com
PEELED to pay considerably more than
double the amount charged the Sacra-
mento or San Francisco merchant who
received 800 miles more service. Under
this practice carload Of freight from
Chicago, on which the charge 70 Sacra-
msnto or San Francisco would be be-
tween 800 and 800, cost delivered at
Elko, New, point from 800 TO 200 miles
respectively nearer Chicago, 500 to
$500. Or course this was unjust. There
never was, there never can be any good
or sufficient reason given for such ex-
tortion under forms Of law. II Is sys-
tenn of bri9anda2e without shadow of
RICH. to justify or policy to commend it.
II is conceded, md is plain enough that
in long hsuls the dropping of of car.
load of freight at a point 100 or more
miles inland from the tide-water ter
minus of road, can in no way have the
effect to add to the expense of carriage I;
that while the cost of haul between the
ternini may not be sensib'y more than
il some portion Of the train were left
few hundred miles inland, it cannot
possibly be less. In other words, it
does not cost more TO haul an empty car
than load,d one, and il a Car be left
at SONS poin. upon the line, unloaded t,
and thence taken empty to the terminus
the charges thereon should not exceed
those established for the whole or q
longer haul, although perhaps they
should not be much less. The principle
announced by the Northern Pacific man
agement will, If adhered TO, eyentuate
in the establishment and building mp of
honrishipg trade centers in the interior,
instead Of draining the whole country
for the benefit Of terminal points. II
will moreover strengthen the hands and
inspire the hopes Of the plundered and
discouraged towns and people along the
two. other ans-continental highways.
Il will in addition serve TO call the atten-
ton of Congress TO the fact that there is
. right and wrong way Of dealing, and
that the right way 10 not to discrimi-
nate in the matter Of transportation,
cit aer for or against persons or places.
Railroads are public highways. They
are constructed and are presumed to
pro ride for the interior what nature has
furDi he'd the people on navigable
rivers, lakes and the sea coast, towit
highways and avenues Of inter-osm-
municstio and facile transportation
When used for the purpose of perpet.
uatinR, intsnsifyinR and adding TO the
natural disadvantages of the interior,
they become engines of oppression and
fragrant injustice. Il 10 sign of better
times, q precursor Of brighter days,
when q powerful corporation, able tc
carry ont its program. announces a
policy founded on equity and declares
that it intends to serve instead Of pill.
lage the country and the people through
which its lines extend, and whose carry.
ing business it expects to handle and
control.