The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-02-07
and custom heretofore prevailing.

snd custom heretofore prevailing. The
policy and custom ia the past
has been based upon the fact that
hitherto one company has had the
right 70 make its own tariffs. BY taking
away this freedom In the making of our
own tariffs You remove all incentive 70
/ the development of business upon these
auxiliary roads. In the past our ''policy
and custom" has been TO operate these
auxiliary lines year after year at an alb
soIute less, waiting for the time TO come
when, by reason of q continued system
OF reasonable rates in connection with
the reasonable rates upon the main line.
9 larger business would be established
from which we should in the fu-
ture receive fair return for the invest
ments made. Under the principles an
nounced in your opinion, it seems to be
clearly your purpose to make US no re-
turns-fOr the loss we have incurred IN
the past IN the operation of these auxll-
| larry lines, and We can only look for
ward to the fact that as the business de.
velOps, your honorable board will make
such Reductions in the rates as to make
| the property continue unrem1neraiive.
It does not seem to as to be good law,
nor fair in equity, that because the
Atchison, Topeka s. Saltd Fe railroad
has been willing In the past 10 operate
| these auxiliary lines at an actual loss in
order to develop the country tributary
therein, that your honorable board
should assume the right to reduce the
rates on the auxiliary lines to figures
which will max. their operation still
greater loss and then insist upon the
Atchison road continuing to operate
| them. We appeal to your own good
sense to say whether such course must
not lead to the entire cessation of con-
str IF 81 or1-I
lines, and whether also such decision
must not force our company TO appeal to
| the courts for the protection OF the In
| terest that we have IN those roads al
| ready built, and IN which this company
| is but part owner.
Your honorable board gives US the
chief rtasop for this opinion, that 1.-THE
rates are made by the commissioners
upon the basis of the net earnings of the
system as 8 whole. If any part of the
system fails to pay its own way, the loss
Is made good out OF the earnings of that
part whose operation has beef more than
remunerative We understand from
this that you decide that the earnings of
our main line, the AtchisOn, Topeka and
Santa Fe railroad, must be used TO make
good the losses on the auxiliary lines.
Is this fair? Is it just? Are we TO re-
CARL this as an lntImation that Ii these
auxiliary companies adopt their legal
rights to operate their own systems as
separate and distinct properties, with
separate and distinct and rates, that
you will exact 8 penalty against the
AtchisOn, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad
by adopting still lower rates for this lat
ter line? We are 10th TO believe that
your honorable board would proceed
10 such an extreme measure. II
seems u US that such a measure could
only be considered as penalty eXacted
against The A, T. s. s. F. rail
road main line, for the enterprise it has
exhibited IN reaching out into far coun-
tries and bringing across the state q
volume of traffic which. while Inereas-
| ing the earnings of the main line, has
also enormously contributed to the
growth and well being of the whole con-
tiguous country. If such principle be
adopted by your honorable board, there
must be an end TO railroad enterprises
in the future. 1.-THE people who own the
AtchisOn, Topeka s. Santa Fe main line
invest millions of new money in build
ing new roads in New Mexico, Arizona,
California, Mexico, etc and by these in
vestments bring across the state of Kan
sas vast traffic, which would otherwise
be carried by other lines outside of Kan
sas, ought they not to receive a reward
in the state of Kansas for this enterprise
| If as fast as this new business increases
across the state of Kansas your honora-
bic board is to reduce the earnings in
| the state of Kansas upon all its other
| traffic in the state, where will he an in
centIve for increasing the business.
In his second letter to the commission
srs, Mr. Touzalin warns up and argues
the situation and their decision as fol-
lows:
We respectf ally ask from your honor
able board, and from the public living
| upon the lines of road, q careful consid-
Grafton of your decision of January /,
1884, in connection with all the evidence
| that has been before you previous to
that decision and since its promulgatio
| In view of these facts, docs not the whole
tone and spirit of your decision point to
this truth, that your new tariff has been
made not because il was needed, not be-
cause the interests of the people required
/ il, but because q railroad commission
having been established, and the rate
| making power given to them, new rates
must be made, and lower rates would
| probably be more popular than higher
rates? Is 1t not a fact that the
| entire evidence which has come
| before your honorable board has
| gone to show that the old system of rates
| upon the Atchison road was fair, reason
/ able and equitable, and was based upon
principles which would give the largest
possible development TO all internal en-
terprsse? Is It not fact that the so
called complaints" from Usage City,
| Newton and Great Bend were arranged
tor beforehand, so that q system OF rates
could be made by your honorable board
by making rates for an eastern, central
and western point, and thus cover the
| whole road with commissioner
tariff? Is it not fact that this question
of Tate making has become political
one, and not a commercial one? Is it
not q fact that your decision already
threatens serious injury to the eastern
half of the state, by removing that COM
merciaI freedom under which we have
greatly assisted in building up all its in
teresfs.
We believe that these questions must
| all be answered in the affirmative, and
we are confident that failing to obtain
postponement of your decision, that the
time will be short until the people on
oursline will see this whole matter as it
appears to us. We believe that the peo-
pie on our linz will coon understand the
| motives and reasons which have actu-
ated the anti-Tailroad cry that has been
SO loudly called by an interested and
disappointed few. The interest OF the
people On our line is our interest, and
our interest is theirs. It is our interest
! that they should protect, and it is their
interest that We should prosper.
We believe that there is no
spirit amongst them which inclines
them to our injury. A poor railroad is
a curse TO a state For twelve years the
Atchison, Topeka s. Santa Fe railroad
has served them fairly and reasonably,
in good times and in hard times. For
years the people who own the Atchisou
road have spent their money like water
in Kansas and out of Kansas, TO bring
, | prosperity to themselves by making then
, line all that il could be. Their object
. lin doing so has been 10 make
! money for themselves, but in
. doing this they have enormously CON
tributed to the wealth of the people Of
their line too. 1t is to their interest thai
. our prosperity should continue, and soon
|, er or later they will accord to us thai
commercial freedom under which ouI
prosperity and their own has been fairly
, earned.
Mysterious Dssth-sman Pox.
ST.. LOUIS, Feb. 4 The dead body o
c. G. Carpenter, with q wound in tht
head, was found in the road, three mile
D from Lawrence, Kansas, on Saturday
e night. There is no clue to the murder
g er, and the affair is shrouded in grea
E mystery.
4 The small pox has broken out il
0 Smithton, MO and so much anxiet.
prevails that the public schools hay
!. closed. The number of deaths is no
{ stated. The same disease also prevail
o at LittletoWn and st. Peters, and q dozei
|. or more deaths have occurred.
Reception Tor the Jeanette Victims.
New YORK, Feb. 4.--The commOl
j council of Brooklyn has appointed
e committee TO arrange for proper recer
4 finr Of me rarnnina Of the RicfiFna of III