The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-06-29
THE COAL MONOPOLY.

| ltrOm tue haHSaS lily llHeS June I'll
The Times has watched, with consId-
cradle interest, the developments in the
| case Off. G. McGrew against the Mis-
souri, Pacific railroad company, now
being heard by the state board of rail-
road commissioners in this city.
The complainant has charged dis
elimination and exhorbitant rates and
| the testimony thus far has without
| question shown good ground tor an ap-
| peal to the commissioners.
1t has been practically admitted that
the Missouri Pacific railroad and the
Lexington coal and mining
are one aud the same. In other words
the defendants have admitted that they
are violating the constitution OF the
state of Missouri, which expressly for
bids railroad companies from engaging
in any business other than that of com.
mon carriers. The explanations of the
methods by which they run coal mines
in connection with their railroad have
been mere subtelfuges and eyasions.
If, as they state, the officers of the Lex
ington coal and mining company have
simply been furnishing the DAD with
coal, they are violating the constitution
and laws of the state nevertheless, be-
cause the officers of the company and
the officers of the railroad are the
same persons. Aud furthermore they
are acting in bad faith toward the
stockholders.
The point that the Missouri Pacific
railroad is violating the organic law of
the state being established, It is nov
the plain duty of the railroad commits
oinnoro IN nn IN fhn hnifnm nf Tho ,nto
tons between the Lexington coal aud
mining company and its agents in this
city. No technicalities should be al
lowed to stand in the way and The peO-
pie of this city Will tolerate hone The
commissioners are vested with extra
ordinary powers. They are on "A hot
scent now and il is their duty to use all
their authority in following it up. The
people of Kansas City know that they
Oave been ou~tra9eously discriminaIcd
against and they expect the railroad
commissioners to examine all the book
and papers which will throw any light
OH the subject. It is chained tn It the
Missouri Pacific has been giving It's
agents in this city rebates through the
price of coal at the mines. If this is
the fact and the books OF the company
or its agents will show il the public
wants the books to be produced.
The railroad commissioners are con-
tronted with some incOntOvertible facts,
Eastern roads are making a 40 cent
rate into St. Louis on u seventy mile
haul. The same rates obtain into Chi
cago. From Lexington the haul into
Kansas City is from thirty 10 forty
miles and the rate is 65 cents. The
people OF Kansas City wan TO know
why the Missouri roads should charge
a higher rate than the Illinois roads.
They want To know why their manuiac-
lures should be Disseminated against in
this manner. They want all the facts
in the case.
The defendants in the McGrew case
refuse to show their books on The
ground that they should not be com
PEELED TO expose their private business.
But this is not private business The
public is Interested, and it wants to
know by what methods the Missouri
Pacific railroad has been freezing out
private operators and fixing the price
OF coal. Kansas City has suffered from
discriminating coal rates long enough
and now that WE are getting at the
facts we want the matter probed to the
bottom.
Fortunately the commissioners have
shown that they can be depended upon.
Their action in reducing the Alton rate
from rs cents to 55 cents won for them
the hearty appreciation OF the people
of Kansas City. The Alton was not
engaged in the mining of coal, and if il
could afford the reduction, how much
more can the issourI Pacific, which
Is mining Its own coal regardless 81 The
constitution and laws of the statei
The railroad commissioners nave a
great opportunity before them, and the
Times has confidence in their integrity
and regard tor the interests of the
public. II believes hat they will push
the investigation to the limit, give Kan
sas City the same rates that Illinois
roads give other cities and take steps
TO break up the Lexington monopoly.
But if the worst comes to the worst
there are other means of breaking up
the combination.