St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-04
IN CHAoTIcHEcOHDITIoN.
The Freight Rate Situation Assumes an
Alarming Aspect.
SHREWD HEADS AT SEA.
The Baltimore & Ohio Will Make Rates
Regardless of Its COM
petit0rs.

Z The clouds that have been gathering
ON the railroad horizon are fast closing
up, and the sky is growing darker and
darker, day by day. A storm of some
violence is now an absolute certainty.
The first mutterings of thunder have
been heard and the first big drops of
rain have fallen. Just how and where
it will break is matter of speculation.
The worst of it is that there seems to be
no silver lining to the storm cloud. and
apparently no solution to the difficulty.
city not one of them was found bold
enough to venture an opinion as to the
outcome. No one could see any end
but chaos, and all united in damning
the interstate commerce law. That
there will be an end to the democrat
izatiOn sometime, is of course certain.
but where the relief is to come
from is one of those things that CANNOT
be foretold. Apparently the commodity
tariff is at the bottom of the trouble.
This has been put into effect to certain
Iowa points, and will certainly extend
to Sioux City, Kansas City, Atchisen,
and all Missouri river points. This is
like knocking down the first brick of
line. all of which lean against each
other. 1t will certainly extend gradu-
ally, till the whole line collapses. re-
sulting in utter decentralization of rates
throughout the whole southwest. Den
yer, Ell Paso and Texas points are liable
to be affected at an early date. The fact
is that the Iowa lines cannot help them
selves, and the only question now is
which will be bold enough to take the
first step? The Kansas City directors
were discussing the matter yester
day afternoon for some time, and
decided to give notice of put
ting the commodity tariff into eff
feet to Marshalltown and various
other Iowa points. The next meeting
OF the western traffic association occurs
on the 9th inst, but it is not expected
that any result looking towards settle
ment will be brought about. The
initial mistake was made in issuing the
commodity tariff schedule. Had the
Chicago lines accepted the inevitable
and not attempted to dam up Lake Su-
perior, but made their rates on a basis
entirely independent of the lake and
rail lines. this decentralization might not
have arisen. 1t is no use diSregarding
the fact that there is big lake to the
north, and it is equally senselesS for
railroads to enter into competition with
water transportation, which has, or
should have as little to de with rail
transportation as with hanson cabs. If
the Chicago lines had issued reason
ably high schedule, after their
overwhelming defeat, schedule
acknowledging the principle of differ
entail rate to the lake and rail lines,
this chaotic state of affairs might have
been averted. An all-around so or 55
cent rate would have answered much
better than complicated commodity
tariff, which must of necessity cause
confusion and complication. The skein
is now so tangled that the clearest-
headed railroad men in st. Paul declare
their inability to unravel the knot. On
being asked their opinion as to the out
look they one and all shake their heads
and reply, ''chaoS and decentralization"
Their sole answer when asked what the
end will be, is an ominous shake of the
of the Northern Pacific, says
that the root of all this rail
road disturbance lies in the interior
ence by outsiders with the management
of the roads. Chambers of commerce,
legislatures and other bodies of we'll
meaning men, ignorant so far as run
ming a railroad is concerned, have been
able to dictate to the roads, and have
caused all the trouble When granger
legislatures confine themselves to legls-
lating upon matters of which they have
some slight knowledge, and allow the
railroad companies to manage their
own affairs and settle their difficulties
among themselves, these complications
will cease to trouble all classes of bust
ness. But so long as the boards OF
trade, chambers OF commerce, petty leg
islatures and other mutual admiration
societies are allowed to manage the rail
road business of the country, SO long
will chaos reign. Meanwhile the end
is not vet.