The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1884-10-22

From Charleston, Tenn, /.
q To- Railroad Commits
Rate. sion Rate.
Atlanta, Ga......... A." l6H
Augusta, a,Ga...-......"..-...".......,l9 294
Selma, Ala ,r.,,,,,,.,;.q.,,,,''''f rs
Charleston, s, C,.-,."..'..,Y"..O t 40A
From Athens, Tenn, - e.t .a ''1s
Atlanta, Ga a........................lS Az
Augusta, fs ~ BOZ
Selma, a,Ala....n.,.,,,,,.,,....... 29
Charleston S. .C........................32 AZ
From Knoxville, Tenn,
Atlanta, Ga a..........-..............,,,,,2l 20h
Augusta, Observation-Disclosures: S3H
Selma, s..-T Sz
Charleston, S. .C..........,............S5 44H
From Morristown, Tenn, 1sF .rr-- sa
To-
Atlanta, a,Ga..............!.,..:.....,.2 .7-n 23H
Augusta g. ff S01a
Selma, AIa................. 81
Charleston, S. .C...........-............38 4615
From Greeneville Tenn, E.5aH
To- r. -ttl . -rr--- -,t
Atlanta, Ga ..............-.............Zo " Zo5s
Augusta, :33 at+t~is S6A
Selma, Ala..........-.-- --.-..-.... III 30
Charleston S. C......,.................38 az
Going a little further, we will take
rates on grain, per 100 lbs, car load
quantities :'}. TT1 sstI !s.fj h.1ET
~ -, w. jasr1- 2ai#-Hg a.i
From SAX M R4ilEtead R4Biltea Co Gommis- q ats
Charleston, Tenna....-,.......,.....40 =. .fHC IS
Athens, Tenn.......................4 e5 I,-
Knoxville, Tenn -. ........40 83
Morristown, ,Tenn............,...;..89 80 Y zar 6lH
GreeneviIIe, Tenn..............89 59A
What is here said Of East Tennessee will
apply with equal force to all points in
Middle and West Tennessee, and as fully
80 per cent. of all the traffic moved by rail
in Tennessee goes beyond the border of the
state to find a consuming market the peO-.
pie have here praeticalsillustration of the
feast to which the farmers of Tennessee
were to be invited by the gentlemen aspiring
to act as commissioners If they had been
allowed to perfect their plans. 1t is for
tunate thing for the farmer and the people
in general that the court granted an injunc-
tion and stopped the wrecking process which
weuld have involved every interest lin
Tennessee. Oil but, say these gentlemen,
we were not going to apply our Tennessee
tariff upon through traffic. We would make
special rates on such business. Special rates,
Ell? If you admit that special rates are
necessity, and that through traffic viii not
bear the same rates per mile that are APP
piled to local business then all of your ar
guments fall to the ground and your COM
mission plan is an admitted failure. 1t is
upon the theory of away with special
rates and competitive through rates" that
you have secured a. hearing at all. Aban-
don that, and your occupation is gone.
Adopt it under your own plans, as shown
by the foregoing tables, and you ruin the
state. 4.
But, say the commission, we are not 60
Ing to let you make our figures. Beg pardon,
gentlemen, have not, done so. The fore
going tables are based upon the figures
printed in your tariff, a copy OF which is ]
now before me.
The general interest in this railroad ques-
tion demands d little further Investigation
of the work of the Tennessee commission,
for which the people have paid six or seven
thousand dollars and received not dollars
worth of benefit Messrs. Savage, TURKEY
and Gordon were appointed in March, 1883.
Their salaries date from that period.
ri After lapse of about sight months, dur
ing which time no visible service was per-
formed except TO endeaYor 10 persuade some
people that the railroads tgreat, grinding
monopolies, so-called, } were doing the peo-
pie great damage, they went to work ito
make tariff True, the roads were ehafg
ing but 8 cents per mile on passengers, while
their charters allowed them 5, and 20 to so
per cent. less upon freight than the char
tered rights gave them. utwhat did they ]
care for chartered rights? They must make
capital, political capital, out of their posi-
ton, and the only way to do so was to plunge
in to destroy the railroad regardless OF char
ter or any other right.
Well, to work they went. They made a
tariff, looked it over, found it would not do,
and tore it up. They made asecond, which
shared the same fate; finally in utter des-
pair and realizing the importance of doing
Something and their inability to do il, they
fell upon the plan Of taking mp The Georgia
tariff and making it fit the business of
Tennessee. When We consider the charac-
ter of traffic in Georgia and compared it
with Tennessee, the ridiculous attitude .of
the Tennessee commission becomes appar-
ent. The products which Georgia exports
consist mainly of cotton goods. thrpentinc,
resin, fertilizer and pine lumber; the products
exported BY Tennessee consist Of wheat,
corn. -four. live stock. coal. pig iron. hard