Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1886-04-24

This association, while it existed. Ia.
composed OF all the rsilroad commands
whose roads wholly, or Jun part rrfai-s ~ ~
various through lines between tbs ms
souri, river and the Pacific eosrs
I Each member regardless OF irs g1r1rr.-l5.,-
I OF mileage or business, had q voice s. r.
tions.
Previous TO December last year. our com
4 pany had as you know, no vav of raarifI,--
/ the Pacific coast except over the line ~ ~
southern Pacific road. That C1rnDa7l, A-l7
/ long held monopoly of the California l1rI-f-
tt7I5l - --'--9- tp5l 4s as rEespazsars upon
lle4r property, Who had no business there.
/ and besides the matter OF feeling. tneir hs-i
q a-l AE5-s-t llterclauged with as was much
7i1oL leL IMAM IL ged with Their of the
I connections outside of California. a65 fbsir
Z earnings upon it correspondfuoIv fs-s Tffe
I expressing it mildly to saw thaf undar ~
| circumstances the Southern Pacific did not
ENooUHAGE BUSINESS 0vER CUR L1s7E
I 10 1s not 700 much To say that We had To
l work under the greatest disadvanfare To-
every QoLlar we earned against the most er-
/ asperatlng competition.
/ Our proportion IN the pool for all Caiifor-
/ MIA traffic, as settled by the last arbftrsfir.7,
z was ABOUT rHellig -tlte per cent-pr0pontiou
/ entirely unsatisfactory TO us. and winch WA
/ exceeded by our actual business, TIA spite Of
4 elt adXantages uzsder which it was con
quoted. Having completed the California
southern road, which gave us q direct and
I independent line to the Pacific coast and
[ ~
I We gave IN December last notice Of our with
I draWal from the association.
Al an adjourned meeting held ia New York
l ia d eDrqarys 1t was proposed to continue the
association and an attempt was made to re-
adjust the percentages. This failed and was
followed by a meeting OF the presidents and
general managers at the same place, and
with the same result Of failure to aqres.
AT these meetings 1t was urged to Continue
the old association with all its old members
as antagonistlc interests and complications
with DIVISION based upon previous earn
!tl8a- We could not assent to this, because
the proposed basis was unjust TO us inasmueh
as until december i, we had no line Of our
own into CALIFORNIA; ana rlrrr busirass ~
carried on under the
DIsADvA1EAGla BEFORE ALLUDED
to, being done over competing line. The
division was therefore proposed to be based
on a state of things which had ceased to eE-
1st; and the proposition ignored entirely our
new and independent line and the increased
facilities which it secured 10 Us for obtain
ing and handling business. We proposed
that the business of southern and northern
California should be separated There are
but two roads IN southern California, the
Southern Paelic and the Atlantic u Pacific
(the California Southern being considered
as part Of the same interest as the latter
and the business OF TINS district should be
pooled between these two interests, their re-
spectiVe proportions to be divided with their
eastern connections
1t is a fact that there are in southern Cali
fOrnia only the two roads named If the
Central Pacific is to be considers separ-
ate interest from the Southern Pacific then
1t is in southern California only by its con
uectIOn with the latter, that is, lt is there
only as are any of It's eastern connections,
immediate or remote.
The Southern Pacific road by virtue of its
Central Pacific division is shorter than our
line between the east and northern CalifOr-
MIA. Our line is much the shortest between
the east and southern California. Hence the
interest of the two companies,
GRANTING EQUAL FACILITIES no ZACH,
is quite different in the two sections, and to
simplify the division and do Justice TO both
parties the two sections should be consider
ed separately and separate pool made for
each section.
1t has been said that We refused to accept
arbitration, but that statement is not cor
rect. A fact is not subject for arbi tFatiOu.
and 1t is a fact that there are only two in
terests In Southern California. How and iu
what proportion the business should be di-
Vided between the roads is a matter of
Judgment and proper subject for arbitra-
tOns and this We have frequently offered 70
submit 10 arbitration and abide by the re-
suit.
1t may be well to say one word more The
disruption of the association was no tit rea-
son nor Justification for the cutting Of rates
and sacrifice Of earnings which was inaugu-
rated Immediately and with such reckless
haste.
LAM GLAD TO SAY 10 YOU
that for this action and the loss Of
revenue which has followed it we are not
responsible. We did not begin it, nor
did we follow it promptly, and when We
did it with reluctance and because we found
that we should otherwise lose all our
through business. We then decided IL was
our best course 70 demonstrate our ability
to secure as much or more of the California
traffic as we had claimed for cur fair pro-
portion.
No one regrets more than do a warfare
Ia rates and the reduction in revenue which
is sure to follow. The contest has continued
now almost two mouths-certainly long
enough to prove that peace is preferable as
it may be, costly as a war always iE, peace
can be bought at too great a sacrifice.
We are looking for an early settlement Of
the trouble and upon basis which involves
concessions by all parties.
I bespeak for the board of directors the
same hearty confidence which they have re-
ceived in the past, I venture to promise ia
their behalf that they viii to the best OF
their ability manage your afiairs mindful
always of the great responsibilities with
which they are clothed.
ANNUAL MEETING or THE SANTA EE