Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-06-17
WAR OF RATES.
A Plain, Unvarnished Tale Of How
the War Began, Who Began it
and What it Means

From Cedar Rapids Daily Republican, June 4, SO.
Having made copous extracts in Wednesday, paper
from Passenger Agent Carpenters letter, setting
forth the beligerent views and and purposes Of the
Chicago, Milwaukee h st. Paul, the Republican editor
yesterday sought out Passenger Agent flanagan, Of
the Burlington, Cedar Rapids Northern, to whom
Mr.. Carpenters letter addressed to learn If pos
sible the "Adert Lea" side of the controversy. MIR.
Hannegan, retCent at first, finally gave what de-
Sired history of the present war of words and of
rates and the causes thereof as seen by him With
out numbering up the article with questions and
answers, the following is the substance Of Mr.. Ham
negans clear and candid statement
You were correct said he "in your infer that
the Carpenter letter was meant more for the public
than for my especial edihcation Passenger agents
are not constructing nne-page letters, type writer
measure simply to crafty their own feelings or to
post up the passenger agent of some other road The
fact is the Albert Lea route, which he seeks to bete
in pnbliC estimation, has been doing very large St
Paul passenger business. How large, do you ask?
Wen, rom 25 to 80 per cent of the entire passenger
business that Centers at St Paul and Minneapolis and
the ST. Paul (or you call 1t here the Milwauk, @
has determined TO freeze out the Albert Lea-whch
YOU understand is the combined Rock Island, B., {.
r. n. and st. l.. The impelling causes of the pres
ent war? Let us 60 back little. About yea- ago
association formed of all the lines running
to Council Bluffs. The St. Paul people after took
the position that unless they could force the Rock
Island TO come into ST. Paul association and &C.
Cept terms of their diCtaton, they would withdraw
from the Council Bluffs association in which they
have a very light business. The Rock Island never
refused to into the St Paul association, but simply
refused to be bulldOZed into it by the threats Of the
ST. Paul people. When the ST. Paul road drew out of
the Council Bluffs association Jan l, SOL the pre-
text they made was the finding Of ticket in brok
er's Office which gave cut rate from Chicago to St
Paul over the Albert Lea route The ST. Paul people
met that sD-called cut and went farther-they made
the rate to Council Bluffs. That In January
last The Rock Island refused to meet these rates for
over two months.
Next, the St. Paul, some time ago, went into a
commission agreement with all the other lines run.
ming out Of st. Paul and Minneapolis on east-bound
business. This agreement they evaded by paying
duplicate checks. The Albert Lea people finding this
out withdrew from the commission agreement. We
now down to about three weeks ago Soon RS
this action taken the ST. Paul people began lower
ing rates between ST. Paul and Chicago, and in every
instance they made the same retes from Council
Bluffs from St Paul. thus carrying out their threats
that if the Rock Island continued It's support of the
Albert Lea route they would make the Rock Island
large Council Bluffs business improbable that its
ST. Paul business would have to be abandoned in self
| defense. At this iunct ire the Burlington, Cedar
Rapids Northern came into the assistance of the
Rock Island. We simply met the St. Pauls action as
to Council Bluffs business by maxi ing the rates
given by the ST. Paul wherever we met the St Paul
| in competition.
81 almost forgot speak of the limited trains put
on by the st. Paul and Northwestern too-to drive
GUS Of ST. Paul and Minneapolis This their last
| resort What effect did they have?' They created
no new business but simply transferred certain
trains to their limited How have they affected u.s.
Il only say that have continued to do good
hrstclass business, and our second class business
never was as large.
"Mr. Carpenter doesn't deny that he has taken the
initiative, and been the aggressor from first last
Instead Of making reasonable and fair explanation
Of his position he nine solid type written pages
addressed to me but intended for the public tor the
purpose of disappearing the action Of the Rock
Island and its allies and Of undertaking the Albert
Lea route in the estimation Of the lblic take it
that the public will require something than the
say Of official Of rival road before COndemning
route so well known and popular as the Albert
Lea