Wichita eagle., 1889-07-26

display of its characteristic inconslsten
cies, takes up the subject and says:
) The time TO make the fight is right now,
; when a general reorganization of rates is IL
progress, and the transportation commit
tee can not act too quickly and too earn
estly
The suggestion that all the Missouri
, river points should act together Is GOOD
one. Leavenworth, st. Joseph, Atchlsor
and Omaha are as vitality interested a
Kansas City. Their future prosperity de
ponds upon making the Missouri river the
proratlng point and they ought to be alive
to the situation.
The board of trade of Atchison has taken
hold of the matter, and is now discussing
the adYisability Of acting in conjunction
with other Missouri river points. The
Times believes in unity of action, and In
the coming contest it will be especially de-
sirable \ conference between the com
mercal organizations of Kansas City and
Atchson is desirable and would result IN
much good. And when the representa-
tiYes of all the Missouri river towns get
together and interchange views they will
find that their interests are Identical and
| that 1t will be to their advantage to act to-
gether.
The point Of inconsistency in the fore
going from the Times is that it advocates
therein the very thing it mas been devot-
ing itself for days in battling against in
another direction, that is, IN urging and
| demanding the maintenance of the syS-
TEN or practice of breaking bulk on all
! freights at that point a practice that has
been abandoned by all the lines touching
that city except one or two. The Times
already realizes that with bulk breaking
at Kansas City at an END, and the Mis-
souri, river practically wiped out of ex-
! istence as a basing line, under the new
order of things, that point is left with
out the special advantages that have
conspired mainly to give it the prestige
it has long enjoyed, and that unless
| something is done to restore its lost van
! tage ground, it must enter the contest,
not for further commercial contests, but
| to hold what it has as against at least
one competitor that has already sue
ceeded in dimming the lustre of its
former mastery. Taking up the subject
again and following the line marked out
by the Times in the paragraphs above
quoted, the Champion again says:
L At
| facturers and grain dealers directly inter
ested, did nothing, because-as we are in
formed-they hoped the railroad compa-
MES would themselves see the injustice of
their action, and change their policy. 1t
| is now, we think, clearly apparent to ali
! that we must fight, and fight vigorously,
! to obtain Justice. A railroad corporation
| has no more soul than an oyster. The
scoundrels who devised that infamous
''ioint freight" tariff had some selfish ends
to serve that no one can understand, and
no appeal to their sense Of right and Justice
viii avail
The Champion has no hesitation in say
ing that the division" or Joint freight"
tariffs make determinations that are
square violation of law, national and state.
These determinations cannot be defended
on any correct business, or even railroad
principles. There can be no legitimate or
honest excuse for them. They were made
to serve some selfish and dishonest ends.
Their effect is disastrous to the
prosperity of dozens of communi-
ties, and destructive to the in
! terests of thousands Of merchants, manu-
facturers and business men. Kansas City,
Mo, Kansas City, Kansas. LeaVenworth,
Atchison, ST. Joseph, Nebraska City and
! Omaha, are all alike Disseminated
against, in favor of mississippi river
points" so called-in other words, Chicago
y
three and third per cent in freight rates.
1t is time that all these cities were NOV
ing, and moving in earnest, to abolish this
infamous wrong. The railroads should be
arraigned at once, before the courts, before
the interstate commerce commission, be-
lore the state railroad commissions. and at
the bar of public opinion. They can be
compelled to act justly-and nobody asks
anything more at their hands. They can
be compelled to abolish the infamous and
destructive determinations they have
established in freight rates, and the time
70 compel such action is now. Let all the
cities of the Missouri Valley cooperate
together, and they can make their power
felt.
Wichita and the EAGLE are interested
spectators to this contest (one-sided
though it is so far between the two great
rivers as to which shall be THE basing
basing point for east and west traffic.
We are interested in general way, only,
however; because we know that Wichi-
ta's interests will not, can net, be iniuri-
ously affected if the basing line remains
where it Is now: neither Wilt be placed
at disadvantage if the basing point or
line shall be changed. If moved to the
Missouri river the present arrangement,
under the state commissioners orders.
will apply just as it does now. and if no
change Of base is made we will still
maintain our statu quo as regards COM
petition with points on the Missouri. So
let the band proceed.