Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-02
RAILROADS VS.. NEWSPAPERS.
An Effort to Get Free Advertising and
The Rasult
From the YeD York Herald

From the Yet0 York Herald
DETROIT, MICH, Jan. 30.-A curious
warfare, of which the public VI this city
or elsewhere have heard nothing, is be-
ing holly waged here. 1t is between the
Michigan Central, the Wabash, the Lake
Shore and Michigan Southern and the d
troit, Lansing and Northern Railroad
companies, on the one hand, and the Jour
Englisn daily newspapers-the Free
Press, Tribune, Mems and JOuTndi-on
the other. Their equal numerical division
OF the forces does not of itself make the
conflict an equal one.
now THE FIGHT BEGAN.
A month ago the four railroads named
resolved that alter Jan. they would no
longer pay the newsL apers Tor printing
their respective time cards. For years
past regular advertising rates have been
charged Tor publishing the time tables.
At the meeting when it was decided to
stop the practice the roads argued that
the papers must publish The Time Of the
arrival and departure Of all passenger
trains as a mere matter of news, and rea-
soning thus IL was not difficult thing to
convince the railroad repre- sentatives
present that for years the Detroit newspa-
pers had been extOrting money from the
roads. However, as mere matter OF
courtesy, the roads decided 20 grant the
dailies annual passes "On condition Of the
publication OF the time cards of the COM
pany." This they had long done with the
country press, and they failed to see why
the condition should not also be exacted
from the dailies.
The surprise Of the roads was great,
therefore, when the Detroit dailies, as il
by previous understand simulta-
neously stopped the publication OF the
railroad time cards, and on Jan. 10,
when the annual passes expired, refused
to accept the new ones offered. The df-
ferent lines were also notified that all
notices OF excursions, change in the time
of the running OF trains and similar an
nOuncements which the papers here have
been accustomed to publish free OF charge,
would be accepted only on payment OF
regular reading matter rates. The spirit
of the fight soon spread to everybody con-
nected with the press, and, although no
orders to that effect were issued, It was
understood in every newspaper office that
war had been declared and that the cam
pagn was to be long one. Since Jan. 10
there is not a reporter who has not been
able to scent a railroad accident at twice
the distance as formerly, and several re-
cent fatal accidents, as depicted, have
been unusually narrowing and distress
ing.
SOME DISCOVERIES MADE.
Among other things the papers have
suddenly discovered that a number of
railroad gates are needed at an equal
number Of street crossings, ard this dis
covery resulted this week in State Rail-
road Comm ssiOner William Mcpherson,
OF Howell, coming here to inspect the al
legged dangerous localities, and the gates
will no doubt be ordered up ty the Com
missioner. The proposition of the rail-
way companies owning elevators to
charge extra storage for grain therein in
order TO force its T, moval. although not
an unusual thing, has just heen found to
be "high-haDded outrage on the De-
trct Board OF Trade, and such a howl
was raised that the companies changed
their minds and notified the Board of
Trade that extra storage rates would not
be exacttd