The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-02-20
THE RAILROAD WAR.
Why the Atchison Company
Drew Out.
BIG REDUCTIONS IN PARES.
No Government Observation-Disclosures
sOn-The Correct Theory-Never
Married-AnOther Crisis.
The Railway War

CHICAGO, February 19.-An overland
railway war, growing out of the eel
lapse of sthe Transcontinental Assoc1-
alton, was instituted to-day in thor
oughly aggressive way, both as to pas
senger and freight traffic. All the lines
running west and southwest from this
city having California connections were
booking passengers to-day to San Fran
cisco at $40 for frst-class unlimited.
800 for first class limited, and SO for
second class and emigrant. In the
matter OF contracting for freight no
rates are quoted, but the agents have
been given carte blanche to secure
business at any figures, and it is known
that very large reductions are being
made. The Atchison, Topeka q Santa
Fe did not announce its rates until this
morning, waiting until the initiative
had been taken by the Union and
Southern Pacific companies. The
officials OF the Atchison company assert
that the war has been forced upon
them, against their wishes, and owing
to their claim to what they deemed an
equitable percentage of overland traffic.
| The first Vice-president of the Atchi,
son company, to-day. Speaking of the
given notice of its intention to with
draw from the Transcontinental Asso-
citation on December the 4th. 1885.
for the reasons that the association was
not being conducted upon what they
| deemed proper business principles. The
Atchison Company had purchased
an unfinished railroad in southern
California, known as the California
Southern Railroad, and afterward pro-
ceeded to construct 100 miles additional
from Cotton, the junction with the
Southern Pacific to the Barston juno
ton with the Atlantic & Pacific road,
which was completed November 1st.
The purchase and completion of this
road placed the Atchison company ac-
cord1ng to its claim in a position
to handle and control at least
one-haf OF the business to and
from Southern California, and
there were but two roads into
that territory, they claimed that they
were entitled to so per cent. of the bust
ness. 1t was on this claim that the
association split at its meeting in New
York City. The Atchison company
asked that California be divided into
two districts, the northern to be north
Of the Mojave harbor, and the south
ern to be south of that point. All the
other roads interested, the Southern
Pacific, the Central Pacific, the Texas
Pacific, the Union Pacific, the Denver &
Rio Grande and the Burlington d. Mis-
souri,, in Nebraska, opposed this claim
of the Atchison company. The official,
in summing up, said: Throughout the
entire contest. the Atchison company
has been on the defensive, but mas
much as the Union Eand Southern Pa
cltic road have seen fit to initiate a war
in rates, it is the purpose of our COM
pany to meet them at every corner and
to see that the public has the full benefit
to be derived, If such thingis possible,
from low transportation. While The
Atchison company deeply regrets the
position into which it has been forced
through the combined action of the
other members of the association, and
fully realizes the deplorable results
which are to be expected and which
have always heretofore been obtained,
so tar as revenue is concerned, from a
war in rates, they do not propose to
give up the contest until the question of
equity is conceded to their interests.
None OF the leading officials of any of
the other roads directly in interest
have been in the city, and their views
upon the situation have not been OBJ
tanned. The connecting roads out of
this city are passive and do not expect
to become embroiled in the fight beyond
reducing through rates to the extent of
the reduction of rates announced bv the
warning roads from their terminal
points"