Arizona weekly citizen. [volume] (Tucson, Ariz) 1880-1901, 1891-03-14

1
d 10Th of February was published as al
r editorial. Dave Coughs statement,be
+ fore the special committee on the freight
1 Dill last evening was one of the mos
3 astounding disclosures CT rascality evel
given publicity in this country. Il
showed system of robbery practiced by
} the Arizona and New Mexico railroad
without parallel in this country, and
: proved to the committee that the bill
prohibiting the continuance of such
} robbery is public necessity. In trust
the committee will discord their railroad
bias sufficient length of time to give
Mr.. Coughs statement the credit they
are entitled TO. The article having Gre
ated quite stir through force of terms.
'Rascality and robbery connected with
the management of the Arizona & New
Mexico railway"
| The Associated Press correspondent
went To the company's office, found
John Shennon, general superintendent
! of the road and asked him if he had read
the Gazette's comments on Coughs
statements. He laughingly said yes
to my answer to the question what he
thought of it said: "1he merited praise
extended to Mr.. Cough, of Graham
county for his recognized smelling
ability has apparently over balanced
him, and his efforts at lawmaking have
been somewhat of fisaco. He was sent
to Phenix by the people of Graham to
watch their interests but from remarks
OF some of his former supporters it is
evident how they consider he has failed.
/ am not aware Of the nature Of the
statements made by Mr.. Cough nor the
source of his information, but it is al
most useless to discuss the subject when
it is evident that he is animated by
personal animosity.
The Clifton people are aware of obli-
cations under which his employers, the
Copper King Mining Co, have been for
months at time and still are to this
road and to the Arizona Cop
per Company uch surprise
is felt at the Gazette paragraph here
/ would like to lay the following before
the committee and the public.
1st.-The road was built to assist in
keeping alive the mining interests
around Clifton. The railroad coming
into a purely mining district takes |
chances that it must depend on life of |
the mines to get back the money invest |
ed; therefore it should have the benefit |
of higher rates.
2nd.-NInety per cent of the freights |
carried by us are for the Detroit & Ari- |
zona Copper Companies. Previous to
pay one and one half cents per
pound and now half cent per
pound and less.
3rd.-It is not transcontinental but
branch road so We have no long hands
which are the mainstay of so many
roads.
4Jh. The road Is very expensive
to build and was built without cent of
assistance from the authorities it runs
through and with money borrowed at a
high rate of interest abroad.
5th.-The total annual tonnage only
averages twenty-five thousand to twenty
five thousand tons.
6th.-It must provide eighty thousand
dollars annually to meet the interest =.
OF its debt and has to provide a sinking
fund to redeem the debt.
7th-Losses from washouts during the
last few months amounts from eighty to
ninety thousand dollars.
8th.-It puts life into this section and |
benefits the territories, exchequer by in
creasing the value of property along its
route and creating business.
9th.-It and the Arizona Copper Co.,
who built the road pay one third of the
taxes of Graham county. L
10th.-When the copper market was I
low in 1851 and again IN 1889 it shar-
sd the losses Of the copper company by s
granting them scale OF freight rates
based on railing rates of copper in New
York. 1t cannot be doubted if these :,
had to pay the former ex-
,essive wagon freight they would be c
to close their mines and Cliff {
ION and Morenci would cease to exist.
1.-THE profits of the road in 1889
md 1890 after paying the interest on its :
ndebtness we're S73, 1877 and 564, ,7o4.13 =
s sufficient to pay about three and three
ourths per cent on the investment. In !.
ace of the above facts and figures can
lot see where We earned such a charact- Q
IT for "rascality and robbery" as the g
Gazette thought fit TO charge us with.
This charge | admit was grounded on s
tatements made by Mr.. Cough, which {
# course / could not but accept as reh- I
.ble. The Gazette should always re- !
member there are two sides to every :
tory. CLARK. :
A rANTA, Ca, March 9.-The Constl- n
ution tomorrow will print review of {
he farming situation throughout the Q
south, based upon the declaration Of the q
of agriculture that the {
prospect has not been so bad in forty II
ears.
From South Carolina, Alabama and
reports are that the farm a
work. is fully one month behind, and h
With !the most favorable prospect the
he record of last year can't be attained.
The concensus of opinion is that the
eduction of acreage and delay in farm
work will cut off the cotton yield by at
east a million bales. Other crops are
likewise backward.
OMAHA, Neb., March 9.-The govern.
nent officials are investigating the case
If the local lumber merchant accused
If attempting to secure by fraud thou
sand acres of timber land in Washing
.on. The firm has been sending car
oads Of men to the coast. 1t furnished
them with money and had them file
on the land which was afterward decided
TO the firm. The company asserts it has
capital stock of half a million and in
full the lumber market of the
world.
WASHINGTON, March 9.-Testimonial
from wholesale dry goods merchants and
others of New York irrespective of party
rraSaptod m Sao-ot arv RlaiDo QYnrocsiunI