The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-03-20

are now injuring the stock man OF me
west without any corresponding bene-
fit to ourselves. A.,
Many of those who engaged In the
stock business have bankrupted them
selves and embarrassed their creditors,
while others are on the verge OF imam
cial ruin which will slowly but surely
come if they rely on the future I'M
provement of prices in Chicago for re-
| lief. ,
By adopting the ideas l have sug-
gested. which are in line with the
resolution offered, we relieve the Chi
cago markets OF large parC OF the
surplus stock that gather there-af-
fording the monopolists opportunity
to carry on their oppressive system
bv taking advantage of the absolute
necessity OF drivers to sell. We would
also improve the chance for better
price to those who ship to that point.
would be willing to start this en-
terprise at Fort Worth. l well know
that here in this bustling. active city
there is energy and pluck as well as
c1pital that seeks investment. But
an establishment here wonid not re-
lieve the Southwest unless 1t could be
arranged with the railroads to haul
the cattle at fair price; and it would
then. require two hauls-tirst the
transportation OF the live stock, and
second the refrigerated carcasSes;
whereas, at Rock ort it would require
only one drive nj cost say from ~
to 80 Ger is per head or q haul w"!ch
from my experience, the railroads
would he apt to make in rate impoS9i-
bic. 10 illustrate:
From Austin we shipped Il car OK
ice to Corpus Christi III II lime car
upon which was paiG $50 freight. The
same parties in Corpus Christi or
dered a ear of ice from Quincy, ILL.,,
shipped in refrigerator, for Which they
charged So more t1an for lime car,
800 miles to Austin, right by our fac
tory and over the same route that our
car travelled $50 miles 20 Rockport,
and charged them only $50. The rail
roads now charge us to St. Louis T95
on a car of cattle; but by the same
rule. adding one-third we would have
to pay 1926 to Fort Worth.
In this connection | will say that
in Austin we have a wholesale fruit
and vegetable dealer. Last summer |
requested him to order apples from
Northeast Texas, as | thought the
apples from that section superior to
the Missouri crop. The dealer plainly
informed me that he could not aiihrd
to ship apples from Northeast Texas
because the railroads charged him 60
cents per hundred from Paris in
Lamar county, and only 50 cents per
hundred from st. Louis.
In Justice to the railroads, | will say
that one of the officials informed me
that they were forced by the interstate
commerce law to discriminate against
local freight; and, that the losses sus-
tanned on hauls under that law they
were compelled to make good and
equalize on local freight in the
State. This Official may have been
merely inventing an excuse for the
apparent inconsistency and injustice
i am not certain on that point, and
the statement of the official may be
received with many grains of allow
ance-but | do know that at Corpus
Christi, the people were forced to order
ice from Hannibal, Missouri, or from
Quincy, Illinois, although everything
being equal, they preferred the ice
from Austin factories. They were
forced to make the orders from these
distant points because the freight on
the carload, 800 miles more remote
from them was cheaper than that
from Austin-this too, on the same
line Of road.
But, have depressed. The refrig.
Grating establishment at ROckport
would give to us two markets, in
crease the profits and quiet the fears
OF the stOckmen Of Colorado, Kansas
and Missouri may say OF the whole
west The dreaded dead line" would
be moved further south, and event
ually Obliterated. We would have no
panics about pluro-pneumonia and
spanish fever; and friendly, even
brotherly feelings and relations would
again prevail in business in which we
have common interests, without
clashing and rivaling.
The war being over, we could
shake hands over the "dead
hne," and the stockmen of the
southwest, now virtually sit
ting respondent and disheartened in
sackcloth and ashes, would again as
sumo their independence and man
hood-the cowboy would again rattle
his spurs, with all the pride of IL
knight Of old-all at interest would he
lnvig orated in their noted manhood-
distinguished for bravery, confidence
ana llberal'tv. faithful and trusty as
cltl ems, and strong in their fidelity as
friends.