Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-02-27
THE COAL FREIGHT MATTER.

The railroad commissioners OF the
state sat at Jefferson City, Wednesday,
to hear the witnesses for the Missouri
Pacific railroad in the coal freight dis
elimination matter. There were pre-
sent from here, Messrs. J. G. McGrew;
his attorneys, Messrs. Shewalter and
Blackwell; Mr.. NJ. w. Serat, superin-
tendent of the Lexington Coal Mines,
and MIR. Michael Mckee al employee of
the railroad; the last two in behalf
of the road. In addition to these there
we're at Jefferson City, Messrs. A. w.
Drake,C. ". Lewis, H. T. Lemist and
J. Il. Lyons, employees of the railroad
company.
Messrs. Serat, Drake and Lyons were
examined. Their testimony was not
of such weight as one would have ex-
pected even from so weak a cause. MIR.
LYONS testified to the cost of hauling a
train of coal cars to Kansas City, from
Lexington; that 20 to % cars could be
pulled as far IS Pixley, where only
about 5 cars could be pulled up the
hill, SC; all of which had appeared in
the testimony for the prosecution. Mr..
Drake had all array of figures to prove
that this division of the Missouri Paci-
Hc railroad was losing money; had
come out S. 200 behind hand last year,
SC, the transparency of which to the
commission was calculated to do the
roads cause more harm than good. He
said that coal could not be probably
hauled from Lexington to Kansas City
tor less than Ss cents per ton; and he
had the egregious impudence to assert
that coal could be hauled, SO miles,
from Rich Hill, cheaper than it a be
drawn, 40 miles, from the Lexington
banks.
Mr.. Lewis, who is division freight
agent, had a list of figures to show that
coal cannot be hauled from Lexington
to Kansas City for less than "a cents
per ton. He also testified that it was
cheaper to haul coal from Rich Hill to
Kansas City than from Lexington. He
stated that he had the fixing of rates
on all other things than coal. Mr..
Pratt then asked him what it was
worth to haul wheat. He did not know.
Corn? He did not know. Cattle? The
same response. Hogs? He could not
tell. Coal? Eighty.four cents per ton.
The commissioner then inquired how
it was that he did not know what it
was worth to haul those things of
which he had the regulation, and that
he knew so positively what was the
proper rate to make OH coal. That
settled his hash.' He put the finishing
touch to the value of his testimony by
being 80 cornered that he had to admit
that the C.. & A. could and did haul
freights from St. Louis to Kansas City
and intermediate points cheaper than
the Missouri Pacific.
1t seems to us that the defense has
made out a most excellent case for the
| plaintiff in this cause. 1t is established,
that the railroad and Lexington Coal
Companies are practically one,in viola
ton of the constitution of the state OF
Missouri ; that determinations are
made against private miners, in viola
ton of the statutes of Missouri; and
that the present freight rates are too
high. 1t appears, then, to be clearly
the duty of the railroad commission to
make a fair rate of freight. We will
undertake to prove, in a joint discus
sion in these columns, upon equaI
terms with any gentleman the railroad
may designate, that a forty cent rate
will pay the railroad company double
as much money as an "a cent rate, in
profits upon its legitimate business al
a common carrier. We believe tina,
forty cents to Kansas City is enough
We base this view partly on the 81
cent rate made by tine Wabash which
has to paw toll over the Kansas City
bridge. We base it on what is being
voluntarily done by railroads in othel
states; and we base it on common
sense calculations which honestly lool
toward conserving the railroads inter
est; that is, this road, from here to
Kansas City; and the object of devel-
oping its business and that of on
mines.
But If that rate cannot be made, III
higher rate should be thought of than
so cents. The commissioners repre-
sent the state. They see how films,
has been the effort to prove that tn
coal and railroad companies were sep
arate interests; they see how transpar.
ent have been the other subterfuges OF
fered; hence what respect can they
have for the assertions made by tn
railroad company as to freight rates
Ii the commission can afford no relic
of what good is it? No namby-pamb,
action will do. Let it take a boil
stand. If it errs let it err on the sid
of the people. If its powers are doubt
ed, here are men ready to test them il
the courts. Give them the chance t
do so.
Fix the rates at so cents to Kansa
t City and IS cents to Atchison, anC
, let US see if the railroad company will
over-ndet them? The thing has to b
tried sometime. Why not now? 1
the commissioners will do this the,
will strengthen themselves with tn
people; and they will open out posi-
bilities in the development of Lexingto
coal that haye never yet been dreamI
of. Our proximity to these market
Is a God given privilege; who has tn
, right to deprive US oft by legerdemail
. and jugglery?
The Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsyl
vania and West Virginia coal operator
and miners are in convention, together
at Columbus, o. Now that look
something like getting down to a ju:
basis-both sides represented.
Higginsville had a very large an
l enthusiastic railroad meeting, Wedne,