Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-08-27
COMMITTEES ADDRESS.
Rates in Way that VIII Afford
Necessary Relief.
Dallas News.

Dallas News.
1t has been some days since the meet
ing of the committee of thirty-one and
the railway managers. The News yes
terday asked Chairman Blake what re-
plies he had from members of the COM
mittee TO whom he had written advising
them of the result of the conference with
the railway representatives. Mr.. Blake
said he would later in the day submit to
the News the final action in the shape of
a statement to the public. Following is
the statement:
To the people of Texas: The freight
rate committee, who were instructed by
the freight rate convention held at Dali
las, July Z. to confer with the traffic
managers of the various railroads oper-
ating in Texas, before august Is, and in
event of not Icing able to secure reason
able. reduction in freight rates to appeal
to the people of the state to hold mass
meetings in each county to decide
whether or not the governor should be
appealed to to convene the legislature in
a special session for the purpose of re-
lieving the people of the great burden
and grant the protection guaranteed
them by the constitution, which says
''the legislature shall from time to time
fix reasonable maximum freight and pas
senger rates governing the railroads
operating in the state, - beg leave to
make report:
AS chairman of the committee 1 beg
leave to report that the committee met
the representatives of the various rail-
roads operating in the state on August u
and had a conference with them lasting
three days. The reductions offered by
the railroads were not satisfactory to the
CON mttee, as the following address to
the people by the committee at the end
of the conference will show:
DALLAS, Aug. 16.
To the People OF Texas:
In reply to the traffic managers of
Texas, regarding the answer to our pro-
position, we beg to state that we did not
come here instructed or prepared to re-
cieve the financial or operating condi-
tions of the railroads, but that we were
sent here simply for one purpose, and
that was to ask and to see if we could not
secure friendly reduction of rates now
existing on the lines of the various rail-
roads in the state. Their answer to us
we do not consider at all satisfactory
nor do we consider it correct, as it is
misleading throughout. We do not
state this IN regard TO the cost or the
operating or earning expenses of the
railroads, but in comparing the rates
existing in Texas with those in the
states we referred to in our proposition
to them for the purpose of showing
that their rates are unreasonable. We
desire TO submit to you rates now actu-
ally existing in those states from place
to place upon each article, with the
distance attached; also the rates existing
in Texas, from Dallas to surrounding
points, which are fair sample of the
rates existing throughout the entire
state of Texas. We desire to say that
we have not selected the points In which
we have drawn comparison, but have
taken them at random, and we believe
they are fair sample of the rates now
existing in Texas and throughout the
states from which we have drawn COM
parison.
This committee does not feel to have |
sufficient information to state to the rail- |
roads of Texas just what they should |
charge, and our only way TO arrive at the |
conclusion that we are oyercharged was
by drawing comparisons in the Southern |
states east of the Mississippi river, that |
are not operated by the same manage |