Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-08-15

fs54Snfhercial centers, containing great
mercantile houses having large mees9s
and capable of extending credit to Local
merchants. They, of course, desire to
supply the interior towns of Texas. The
present railway situation is such as to
compel the making of as low through
rates to all these interior towns as can be
made TO the jobbing centers. Unques-
tionably the dealer at local point would
have right to complain, did he not
have the same advantage of
through rates as the wholesale dealer
at interior jobbing centers To make
it quite plain, we will take for example
the Fort Worth and Denver line, and say
that with road direct from ST. Louis or
Chicago to Wichita Falls, another to
Vernon, and another to Panhandle City;
with these lines insisting upon making
the same rates to the junction points with
the Fort Worth and Denver, as are made
from Chicago and st. Louis to Fort
Worth or Dallas or other jobbing points:
The wholesaler in Fort Worth and Dallas
and other cities desires to do business
with the dealers at these junction points
and adjacent towns on the road; but in
order to do it, he finds it necessary to
have local rate far too low to compen-
safe the railroad. Is it not quite plain
that he will, through force of circum-
stance, be excluded from this trade? 1
do not cite this as an example which
actually exists on the Fort Worth and
Denver, but it shows a situation which
does exist on many lines in the State and
one which is not unlikely to occur in the
case of the Fort Worth and Denver; so
that while the roads desire to build up
every interest of Texas, they are de-
feated in doing so by conditions which
cannot be changed. The only remedy
appears to lie III the establishment of
commercial and distributing centers at
points whose natural advantages preclude
the possibility of circumventiOn by lines
leading to commercial centers east of the
Missouri river. As the situation exists at
present, it is without the province or the
power of Texas roads to entirely equalize
it in behalf of interior jobbing centers,
and new line of development must of
necessity be pursued. These interior
cities already advanced somewhat in man
ufacturing have it open to them to become
the manufacturing centers for the state,
and their growth will preclude the posi-
biIity of encroachment by the factories
of other states. With this state of af-
fairs, the people will find the railroads
fighting for these state industries and in
every way giving them encouragement;
the commercial necessities of the state
will be supplied on the most economic
basis, the commerce of the state will be
extended, and the people prosperous.
It is a mistake to believe that in secret
councils of railroad men there are formed
conspiracies for discrimination and ex-'
tortion. None of the roads could pOssiST
bly, find 1t to their advantage to conspire
against the people of the state. The
question with railway people to-day is =
Sc How shall we earn our expenses and
fixed charges, and maintain our property
in safe and proper conditiOn?' The
only answer is. ''In the development Of
our local territory and the growth of or
local business. - They recognize the
absolute necessity for constant confer
ences with and of the friendly co-opera-
ton of the people. No railroad in Texas
has more than earned per cent. on the
money actually invested to build the
road. Many of them fall far short of
earning the expenses created by the Oper-
alton and maintenance of their line; they
are forced to exert every effort to build
up and expand every interest of the
state. The committee, rs business men,
will recognize this. and l trust it will
therefore seem TO Iu0 Wise IOa
refuse to encourage any agitation whichS
would decrease their earning powers and
thereby decrease their efficiency and
ability to discharge the duties which
they, as public servants, owe the state.
In development, the state is yet in itsS
infancy. 1t needs capital to build many
more miles of railway, to build cotton
mills, wooden mills, furniture factories,
packing houses, blast furnaces q
steel works, in fact every de-
scription of manufacturing indus 3
try. Capital is timid. Your
will have great weight
with capitalists either to give them con-
fdence or destroy it. I trust that your
efforts will be directed at the foundation
of the difficulty rather than at relief
which at best could be but temporary
and be followed by many evil results,
and which, though given, would be
quickly followed by the necessity of still
further relief. 1 am most respectfully
yours, G.. F. MEEK. 81
To Mr.. S. D. Blake, Chairman, Dallas,
Tex.