The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-24
Disputes Being Queer DlscIosures.

Disputes Bring Queer Disclosures.
Whether that ancient saw about the re.
Sultant advantage to the upright from a
dispute between people of abnormally &C
| quisitive propensties applies here or not,
the fact remains that the Chicago, Mil
waukee aud St Paul Railway Company and
the Pullman Palace Car Company have had
rather a rancorous quarrel about the pro-
ceeds of their united efforts to make the
public comfortable if not happy at the most
surprising charges per comfort. This quar-
rel brings out some rather surprising dis
closures.
Ordinary Pullman cars cost all the way
from $4,000 to $I0,0 900 to build, according TO
the finish thereof. That is immaterial to
the case in point. At the same time it is in
teresting information when compared with
the enormous annual profits anticipated by
the contract between these two companies.
When the companies mado their contracts
in the year 1882 they agreed that the Pull
man company should collect the money,
keep the accounts, pay the expenses and
turn over to the st. Paul road, at the end of
each year, three-fouruhs Of the net profits
from running twenty eight palace coaches
over that line. Meanwhile the railway
company was to keep the cars in repair
without charge-unless the profits should
exceed 81, 800 year for each car. This last
proviso indicates that there is enough profit
in railroading to make it worth attempting.
But the Pullman company SO arranged its
accounts as to spare st. Paul any embar-
RAISING excess of profits
So long as the familiar sleeper extortion
was applied exclusively to the public the
st. Paul road apparently discovered nothing
wrong about it. But when the Pullman peo-
pie put in bill of expenses in accounting
that revealed next to nothing in the way OF
profits for st. Paul, the officers of that
thrifty road precipitately arose almost as
one man, and vociferously shouted fraud in
frantic accord. They vigorously stigma
tized the sbill as grossly excessive to the
very verge of highway robbery,
and they straighway proceeded
to court of law to compel
the Pullman people to open the books and
produce vouchers. They say they have
long been little curious to know how the
state of trade is with Pullman, anyhow, and
how he is getting along. Consequently
they declare that they do not intend to let
up on him until he gives them peep at the
figures.
One of the principal items objected to is
$685. 7S 2S worth of lordlY and con-
descending porters. They really do
amount to something in fact-to
the company. Now the world can no longer
wonder that they are somewhat arrogant
All of this does not materially concern
the general public half so much in any other
way as that it further demonstrates the
growing tendency to commercial dishonesty
in almost every channel of traffic with q
degree of emphasis that can but prove i'm
pressive.
Years ago there was time when men
engaged in commercial pursuits prided
themselves upon their irreproachably pune
tilious integrity. Now that rule appears
to have "met with reverses," as the forlorn
advertisers say when out Of job.
Any sort of device that is not a criminal
infraotion Of law is now openly resorted to
with the utmost freedom aud degree of
nonchalence that is not devoid of actual
pride in the cunning thus manifested.
With honesty so contemptuously rele-
gated to the background as an obsolete
virtue there is little reason for wonder that
the penitentiaries of the country are becom-
ing overcrowded and so many formerly
prominent citizens" are at present sequest-
cred beyond the purview of the police