Wichita eagle., 1886-09-15
A LIVELY RAILROAD RACKET.
Kansas City,s First Howl senseless One.

From the Kansas City Journal.
For more than four months the Missouri
Pacific railway company has been endeavOr-
ing to secure from the Kansas railways rate
on freights to all common points in Kansas
corresponding with the rates to the Missouri
river Failing in this, rates have been made
on the Fort Scott and Wichita railway to
Wichita that are the same as those to Kansas
CITY on the main line. the rates to both points
being from st. Louis.
These rates havebeen established through
Mr. E. A. Smith, formerly the Missouri Pa
cific freight agent in Kansas City, who has
been working to bring about this end since
the refusal of the Kansas railway companies
| to make rates that would leave them nothing
The Kansas City merchants who SO cener-
| ously gave $4,000 to the Missouri Pacific to
close the gap between Paola and Kansas City
are feeling that they have been unfairly
| treated to this discrimination in rates, which,
adding distance Of 200 or 300 miles to the
haul, places so entirely at the mercy of st.
LOUIS, is regards the Kansas trade. This
discrimination can, however, very easily be
remedied by the merchants OF the river
towns, as the withdrawal of the river bust
ness from the Missouri Pacific and its distri-
button among the other lines, would stagger
| that corporation to such an extent that there
would soon be restoration of distance rates.
| The Frisco is st. Louis road, and having
Louis trade, and yet it has not endeavored to
make war in rates in the territory. 1T
reaches. While giving low rates there has
been no attempt to ruin business.
| This first blow by the Missouri Pacific may
possibly lead to demoralizing war that will
| cause Wichita merchants to whimper more
than they now exult, especially when they
find that the wholesale trade of that city will
be ruined by rates that will allow smaller
dealers pass by them to st. Louis. In the
event of a war consumers would not be ben
Gifted, and they should not be deceived into
encouraging any such state of affairs.
| The action Of the Missouri Pacific in this
is direct blow at Kansas City. A small
one, it is true but one that shows her intent
| toward the great railroad center OF the west.
Should Kansas City merchants withdraw
their patronage from that system we may
| expect fight that will work Kansas more
injury than it can possibly do good.
| The Kansas roads, on account of their de-
pendence upon eastern roads, connecting at
Kansas City, Atchison and ST Joseph, Will
be forced to take n hand In the melee, the re-
suit of which must be apparent to any ship
| per-
1t remains to be seen what Kansas City
merchants VIII do.
This move IN the part of the Missouri
Pacific may possibly hasten the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe connection with st. Louis
will be so.
The hand Of tie above is the hand of the
Journals Topeka correspondent, but ,ue
voice is that of a railroad whose grip on
Wichita is growing nerveless. Has Kansas
CITY, and the railroads terminating there,
been concluding all these years that the
EAGLES talks and plans for Missouri pool
rates for Wichita but wild vagaries? When
the EAGLE kept reitterating for months
that the Paola link was more directly in
the interest of Wichita than in that of Kan
sas City, did the people Of the latter place
think we were joking?
The threat that the Missouri Pacific in
taking care of her share of Wichita's east
ern traffic as against the Frisco, will bring
on war which may cause Wichita mer-
chants to whimper, is ridiculous threat at
best. There is Kansas City, but there is
also a city of Kansas. The city of Kansas
is Wichita, which city the Frisco railway
reaches. but the Frisco does not reach Kan
sas City of Missouri. The Missouri Pacific
reaches both Kansas City and the city of
K ansas, and that the other lines should
mite in a war against the Missouri Pacific
for taking care of her traffic interests at as
important point as Wichita is nonsense.
As for the Paola link, Kansas City raised
SO, 900 only, and not $50 600. But even if
she had wont the Chicago and St Louis
lines terminating at Kansas City play this
new Paola link into Wichita as against the
Santa Fe? OF course they will. The
Journals talk in that direction is but the
whimper of a whipped child.
As for Wichitas merchants they will
take care of themselves, at least me Journal
need lose no sleep on their account. Kan
sas City's merchants upon The other hand
will withdraw their patronage from the
Missouri Pacific only vhen that road fails
to make it to their isteres to remain with
it. If the Kansa, City merchants should
cut off their noses to spite their faces or to
please the Santa Fee, they will find them
selves noseless. That's all there can be to
that proposition.
Az for the action of the Missouri Pacific
fastening the Santa Fes extensions to
Chicago and ST Louis, that wouldn't hurt
Kansas. Not very much. But how would
it effect Kansas City?
One other point attempted to be made in
the Journal is childish and unworthy an
answer Kansas roads from this time on
will in no sense be dependent on connect
ing at Kansas City. In fact, the T. p and
the Santa Fee are the only two Kansas roads
which are tied up at Kansas City, and the
Journal even in the above admits that the
Santa Fe is going to get out and 90 to Chi
cago or st. Louis or both.
As for E. A. Smith, the man who has so
summarily played smash in the estimation
of the Journal, we take pleasure in stating
that because of his smashing abilities and
smashing proclivities he was elected by the
Mo. Pacific for Wichita, and that he is now
a Kansan and not Missourian as a man.
but as a railroader he is for the Missouri
Pacific and not Kansas Pacific for the city
of Kansas and not for Kansas City.
Brethren, do you tweak?