Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-08-17
4 Business Move When the
Commodity Tariff Was
Made.
QUESTIONS THEY MUST DECIDE
The Commission Was Patient When Many
Things Tended to Block Them-EIec-
ton Returns are Me2ser. and
Conclusion is Hazardous.
Special to the Gazette.

| not nasty III taking this decisive step, anC
did 1t only after the fullest consideration OF
all the questions involved. The traffic mer
| were given all the time and every opportu
! nifty desired to explain the railroad sltua
| ton from their standpoint and to make the
best showing possible for the existing sys
TEN Of rates. The commission desired the
| fullest statement possible from them, oi
| freight matters, which it is presumed they
| gave These statements, and the arguments
made by them were
| DULY CONSIDERED,
| ana if any wrong or misleading impressions
| were left in the minds OF the commissioners,
| it must be credited to whatever Judging the
| traffic men, or some OF them, may have been
| guilty Of in putting their cases. Whether
| they were at all times entirely frank and
| ingenious in their representations IS 4
| question for the commission 10 decide.
| There were times during the discussions OF
the last month or two when the commission
| showed evident signs of Impotence at some
| OF the things told them by parties prOlcs-
| sing TO be anxious only to aid that body by
| affnrding all the information possessed by
| them on the rate question. From the great
mass OF information given, the facts and
| statistics furnished and the varied and con-
| iiictlng representations made, the commits
| sion has had to select that which is cousid-
| cred
SAFE AND RELIABLE.
| and reject the balance. To some extent it
| was cropping in the dark, or trying to con-
struct building from material no two
| pieces Of which were alike. The great
mass OF heterogeneous material at hand was
more liable TO confuse than to enlighten.
But through 1t all the commission struG-
gied, and with infinite pains and hard work
constructed the first section of its proposed
tariff system How well the Job was done
time will tell. 1t is useless for Us to specu-
late on that matter now. The railroads
will doubtless relieve US OF any supposed
duty on that score. They viii say, without
doubt, that the new rate is unremunera-
tive, and will result in injury to them. But
it should be remembered that their Objec-
ton lies chiefly against Il change OF system;
against a cnange from the common point or
blanket system to
THE MILEAGE SYSTEM.
Under the former they enjoyed 4 freedom
Of the sweepstake sort that enabled them
to control, not only rates, but the course of
commerce. Under the mileage system the
shipper and not the railroad viii enjoy that
prerogative. No shipper will pay a mileage
rate on 4 long haul, when shorter haul is
within reach. Even at competitive points
where two or more roads meet he is equally
master OF the situation. is his through rate
IS the same whether it be over the short OF
long line, that Is if the latter choose to make
it so, which of course it will 90 under the
rulings CT the commission without any refer
ence TO rates to intermediate points It
will be no easy thing for the roads to come
down from the old -yOu-pleaSe system
and conform to the requirements OF the
mileage plan, and they will probably do
good deal of
SQUIRMING AND COMPLAINING.
But that is inevitable. The patient may
kick and grumbl9 at the strict regimen and
penitential self-denial imposed by the stern
h11fi no
endure IL The traffic men, no less than
the public, are perfectly satisfied that the
commission desires only their GOOD ard
that it will consciously do nothing that may
prove injurious to them. Its main purpose
is TO systematic the traffic business as far
as conditions will admit, and to the greatest
extent possible make freight rates uniform
to the cost of service.
Another thing desired, is TO check or aool-
ish the system OF favoritism by rebates,
under billing, and other devices by which
one shipper or class of shippers, one com
munity or town is built up at the expense
of another. The evils of this
PERN!CIoUS PRACTICE
call for amellOratlon. Again, strife be-
tween the roads, rate wars, and the thou
sand and one evils resulting from rivalry
Jealousy or bad blood, breeding instability
and uncertainty of rates, will be removed
and it will no longer be in the power OF one
trunk line or powerful system to break
down a weaker rival to the injury OF the
public. Neither will it be possible for
speculatolS TO wreck road as they have
frequently done in this state, for the puv-
pose of gobbling up the stock for a
mere trife. The adventurer, the
Spectator and railroad wreckCr will
no longer find Texas a congenial
cline for his marauding and destructive ca
reer. But the honest investor will find alb
solute security and safety from such YAM
pires Those desiring to build new lines of
road can be assured beforehand that they
will be
AMPLY PROTECTED
from the big corporations and that the lat
ter will be compelled to deal with them
Justly and fairly in the apportioning OF
freig mt and the division of rates.
These are some of the things that will re-
suit from change of system, to say moth |
ing whatever of q reduction or equalization
of rates. The expulsion of the railroad
wrecker, and the consequent security TO
roads honestly operated, would alone more
than compensate the people for the expense
OF maintaining commission. It would do |
so thousand fold. How much did the |
public lose, ana to what trouble and incon- |
venienCe was it put when the international |
was wrecked II may be easily gathered |
by rejecting on the gain made and con- !
venience enjoyed since the receivership re- |
SlOFSu INC fOou " d
SAFE AND HEALTHY
condition. Il is true that handful of self !
seeking politicians tried-at the states eX- |
pense. not their own-to down the receiver
ship for the benefits conferred on the pub |
lic But that does not deter the public |
from cherishing proper feelings of indigna- |
ton, although the politicians aforesaid do |
not, against those who wantOnly wrecked |
the road and made thousands suffer. 1t can /
now be assured that wholesale rascalities |
of that sort will De no longer possible under |
a commission organized as the present is |
and that the politician and the wrecl1er can
no longer go hand in hand TO damage COM |
merce and harass the people.
The grain rates promulgated are practi-
cally the same as are in force in Georgia.
where no complaints are heard from any |
one. The roads in Texas complain, how
ever, that the Georgia grain rates are too |
low for Texas. where the hauls are larger, |
and the cost of operating more expensive.
THE COMMISSION
holds that in Georgia the rate is determined |
by existing conditions, tO-wit: The scarcity
Of grain, that not being grain-raising
state q circumstance that leaves the rate a
trife higher than if there was heavy
freight in that article. Texas being a grain
raising state, the conditions are altered.
and lower rate may be remunerative, |
when if there was but little grain, il might |
be otherwise. II these rates are rerumerative |
in Georgia where grain is scarce, the COM
mission thinks they ought to be so here |
where it is plentiful. The rate in -four and
meal is advanced l cent on 100 mile hauls.
liz cents on 900 mile hauls and . cepts IN