The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-02-14

are not satisfied This is one of the
auxiliary lines you speak of.
30 long as Y.u build the auxiliary
lines al the expense of the people you
will probably continue to build them.
We come next t ! Your remarks upon
local and distance tariffs; and it cannot
be OUT of place TO remark that 1t is not
very material whether We stated IN our
decisions all the Feasons for the differ
ence in rat of the two tariffs. We
found the two in force on your line, but
the distance tariff rates were so high that
they prevented the industrial develop
ment of the state. For instance, for
GO mile haul on wheat your distance
tariff rate was 90 per cent. higher than
the local rate to Kansas City, and 60 per
cent. higher ON haul of 200 miles.
That the Kansas miller who bought
wheat Tor his mill had to pay you So
and 62 per cent more than the Kansas
City grain buyer had II pay for the same
length of haul. Aud if so the same for
other classes of merchandise, and these
are the Re aSonable rat s" with which
you propose 10 bu Id up Kansas indus
tries.
You say: time af.er time have we
shown to your honorable board that
over eighty per cent of our freight traffic
consisted OF interstate traffic passing TO
or from Kansas and other states Time
after time have we shown to your hon.
orable board that Atchison and Kansas
City practically represent two gatewsys
for the interstate traffic coming into and
going from the stare. Time after time
have we explained TO your honorable
beard that the foundation which had
supported Us in past years In making
lover rates to aud from these terminal
gateways were these three reasons:
1. By reason of the necessities of com
petition with other lin leading from
Kansas 10 the cast by other gaIeways
north and south of Atchist N, LeaVen-
worth and Kansas City.
BY reason ot the necessity of lower
rates than our old distance tariff ia es in
order to take the surplus products OF a
far western state like Kansas to a mar
ket far beyond tae state.
3. Because the business done in train
and car load lois and In large volumes
like that to and from these terminal
gate ways could Ge transported a: less
figures than small and scattered local
traffic, after including nearly twenty
other factors of expense, btsides
switching empty Car hauling and
car detention"
We recognize the validity of your rea-
sons by adopting different rates Tor
the two sch-dul, $, making the through
| rates from and 10 all terminal points
lower than those on the distance. We
don't understand the point of our oft nse
| in this instance Bit referring To the
| inst para grapl gu tied aboYe, We have
| to confess that you nave been very earn
est and persistent in your efforts TO en-
tighten US upon tAe subject of interstate
traffic. Your efforts have not been in
the least offensive, but rather amusing.
| We never had much confidence in your
| interstate commerce theories as applied
to Kansas railroads. Your theory Is
that upon ali traffic originating in Kan
| sas, and passing over the stale line, and
upon all business coming from the state
line and terminating in Kansas, and all
| tEat traffic that neither originates nor
terminates in Kansas, but passes over
| your line through the state which con
stltutes, as you say. eighty per cent. of
the VIII ole traffic of your Dad, the state
has nothing to do with. That you have
the power to fix any rate you please
upon ali this trath =, unvaXei by state
regulation.
For the sake of the al gdmeut we may
admit that upon traffic pas ing over your
line to Kansas City You might, in the
absence of other inlerposing bst icles,
fix your own rates. But one of your
lines terminates at At:hison, and AtchI-
| SIN is in the state of Kansas. Even
your theory admits The right OF the state
10 fix rates from any point on your lines
in Kansas 10 and from Atchison. As
you Justly obs rye, com petition fixes the
rates east of the river. A shipper has
substantially the same eastern connec-
tions at Atchis) IN as at Kansas City.
The sum OF the two local rates, .. e the
rate on your line and the rate east of the
river, constitutes the through rate. Now,
since the state has the power, even on
your theory, TO fix the tate TO the ter
minus of your line at Atchisnn, Il has
the power to effect the through rate. OF
course you couldn't expect to persuade
any Kansas shipper to ship II or from
Chicago and st Louis over your line at
a rate that would exceed the sum OF the
two local rates, one of which the state
may fix and the other by competition
It would be an amusing performance to
attempt to maintain rate at Kansas
City higher than that fixed by the state
| at AtchIson. So that you will perceive
that even your own theory don't eman-
cipate you from the ri strictions OF state
law.
/ You state your honorable board has
| IN your recent decision adopted a dis
lance tariff for the Atchison, Topeka s
Santa Fe raiload which you state is
Just, fair and reasonable and which foI
the NJ st seventy miles, you state, is af
low as the tariffs upon the highest
classes of roads in Illinois, ana which
tor the additional tour hundred miles
of the road within the sta'e of Kansas
we find to be as low as the rates upon
the highest classes of roads In some OF
the STATES east of US. How can YOU
honorable board 10 Justice and reason
make a lower tariff without forcing
us to apply to the courts for protec
tion?'
| You are mistaken when you say thai
we stated that your distance tariff oYeI
the first seventy miles of your road was
as low as rates on first class roads IL
Illinois. 1fyOu will consult our decision
you will observe that We had reference
solely to the local tariff Ii We haC
characterized your d stance tariff in
comparison with rates on any eastern
road, we shoIld have beea compelled K
have said that it was lormously above
rates upon any eastern road that VIZ
know of To u st the value of the les
of your statement, viz: that 'fJr the ad
ditIonal four hundred miles of the roaC
| within the state OF Kansas you flnd'
Tyour tariff "to be as low as the rate
upon the CHEST Glass of roads in SOM
OF the states e asst OF us" we Will quott
rates fixed by US to Newton, and taos,
upon the Illinois commission ers' tariff
for the anne distance:
Rates to Newton, POI miles from
Kansas City-First class, 511Sc; seconC
class, 5315c; third class. 4719c; fourth
class, 42c; wheat, lie; other grains
1870; cattle and hogs, 80 soc.
illinois tariff, Commissioners rates
First class SEE; second class, 42c; thirt
class, 32.50c; fonrth class, 25c; wheat
10 80; other gr Iins, 49,; cattle aud hogs
1880
; The other classes are commodities il
the like proportion.
You then add, How Can your Honor
: able Board in justice and reason make
lower tariff without forcing US 10 Sppl,
, to the courts for protectiong Yol
[, have right 20 apply To the courts, ans
G We have already shown how much yoi
: need protC ction. But we havn't show
it all, and we shall take great pleasure Ii
e assisting you in showing the courts hoV
e unreasonable We have been. By inst
tutiHg an investigation of the histor
Z aud character o; your stock transaction,
! we will proceed t. ascertain what par
s of your atock Is bona ticIe and what paI
| islllegal aud bogus. We have no doub
that you will perform an unintsnd,