Wichita eagle., 1886-11-07
THE RAILWAYS.
Shall st. Louis or Kansas City be the Firs
Center.

Shall st. Louis or Kansas City be the Firs
| st. Louis Republican.
| A conference will be held at the South
ern today between the Southwestern rail
way association and the Frisco, Atchisor
and Gulf roads, and upon an amicable adj
justment of existing differences and the es
| tablishment of an equitable basis upon
| which to work in the future, depends all
promise of the maintenance of the agreed
schedule rates, if not the life Of the asso-
ciotion itself; but it does not now appear
how the association, especially the
Missouri Pacific, can consistently
accede to the demands Of the
Atchison, even for the sake of
peace, for peace under such conditions
would be equivalent to a most humiliating
surrender on the part of the Missouri Pa
cific of the increased earning power and
widened influence to secure traffic which it
has Justly secured by extention of mileage
in central and southern Kansas. 1t is true
that these mileage extensions have rapidly
changed the currents of trade in Kansas by
diverting business to new channels which
the extensions have created, but no law of
trade has been violated, Notwithstanding q
few commercial centers lose much of bust
ness that has hitherto gone to them, but
which at best could not do more than make
temporary markets of them without the
adoption of arbitrary measures on the part
of the transportation lines, and the real
issue, and the one that will appear at to-
days meeting will be, shall arbitrary and
unjustiiable methods be employed to sus
tain unnatural trade currents for the ben
eft of few minor business centers; or
cho ho oil fn
obstruction to its natural objective points?
Before southern Kansas had been grid
ironed by tracks of the Frisco and Mis-
souri, Pacific, more especially by those of
the latter road, Kansas City was the first
point of accumulation, and the rate to st.
Louis from the producing region was the
sum of the locals via Kansas City, and it
was an equitable basis, for Kansas City
was then the first objective point as well as
the foci of the system Of roads in central
and southern Kansas, but of course it was
chiefly point of distribution in transit.
Changes of ownership were made farther
east, still good round per cent of it paid
ribute to Kansas City factors, and justly |
20, for that was a recognized distributing |
point and the one principal gateway into
md out of wide region of country. But |
lew trade currents have since been estab- |
ished between central and southern Kansas
md the Mississippi and St. Louis is now the
objective point of the territory named and
commerce seeks the channels which diverge
o the southwest from Sedalia passing by
nd on the other or south side. of Kansas
Jity. Thus we have the situation as it was
nd is, and it is for the Missouri Pacific to
ay whether the power and opportunity of
hose new channels of trade movements,
which are wholly of its own making,
hall be allowed to flow on in their natural
curse or be hindered. that circuitous
lrrent and a minor trade center may par
eipate in trade distributions, that are all
Olutely foreign to them and upon which
hey have no legitimate claim This ques-
on the Missouri Pacific will be
allied upon to answer today, and I'M
.ss it proposes to neutralize its own efforts
nd money expenditures in Kansas it must
lsist that the rate basis of the sum of the
zeal via Kansas City be forever abrogated
n traffic destined for St. Souls
The rate per 100 pounds from the Wichi-
. territory to ST. Louis is three cents less
ia Fort Scott or Poala than via Kansas
ity-thc latter routes rate being made up
Y adding locals together But the differ
ice in the rate is not the only thing that
troubling the Atchison road, although
he diversion of business to the lower
,ute is very great 1t is acting in this
after as the attorney for Kansas City and
at burg will be expected to be very
ocral to the Atchison in the .
ay of terminal points and other advan- =
gcs for its efforts to force business out of
, 1ci,o fcr Il
, ana whether it succeeds or not the OBJ
cation viii be there, and Kansas City will
Vt be allowed to lose sight Of that fact 4
II as plain business proposition, why
Ould not the lower route have the full
Eefit of the mileage advantage: In
enterprise the merit of an
yantageously located store house is
cognized, and business Of every =
scription rests upon the same general y
sis. Natural CT artificial advantage is 4
lat every business man strives for, and
len secured he would be worse that an
becjl to surrender it without fight,
d as the Missouri Pacific possesses both
tural and artificial advantages in the =
ichita territory and is far from being
weak hands, it is reasonable to suppose
1t it will have full recognition of them
today's conference or wheel into line and
assure strength with all opposition.
Mr. Gould has protested many times that
Louis was the objective point of his en-
? system Of railways; that st. Louis was
/ should be the only great center of ac-
and distribution Of traffic pass
; to or coming from the southwest; that
Louis should be the first point for
angling the ownership of the product of
southwest, after leaving the hands of
! local buyer; that traffic tariffs on his
e had uniformly been made to conform
that idea, and that that policy would be
'ther widened and strengthened. These
ngs he has said many times and now he
brought face to face with problem than
IS his theories and promises in direct an
onism to the demands Of his most pow
I'll and relentless rival, and either he or
Atchison people must back square
yn, and whichever yields surrenders his
d upon the eastbound traffic of southern
nsas. But that it is not all the fight is
!. konsas City demands that this traffic
III seek her market first, and be
It from there direct to eastern
foreign centers of distribution, which
uld, of course, deprive St. Louis
all participation in southern Kansas
de. The traffic would 90 laundering
'oss the bridge, stopping only to change
omotives. and leave no tribute of any
I'd to show it had travelled this way. ST
uiS demands that all this traiIic be
ought to her markets as the first point of
emulation and distribution. aud de-
nds further that the new channel Of
dc which the Missouri Pacific has estab-
led between the grain fields and stock
lches of the southwest be operated to
, end The issue is plain and distinct,