Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-05

duce it on tie other four-ffths, Under the
condition established by the commission
the salt works at Colorado City and Grand
Saline were pros pering. Preparations were
being made at one OF them to increase
the output to 500 barrels per day, and in
the course of time additional plants would
have been put in at both places, and the de-
mand for salt supplied at home hot only
this, our people might have become export
ers Of salt as well as cotton, and the process
OF stopping the annual outflow of money
from Texas to Northern and Eastern mar
kets for articles that can and would, under
favorable conditions, be produced at home
would have begun. / shall not here under
take to explain the reason for the action of
the railroads in reducing interstate rates on
salt in view Of all the surrounding circum-
stances. The reader can do that for him
self. have presented the facts in the case
somewhat at length, because it is typical of
the condition of every manufacturing and
business enterprise in the state. They are
all asking for rates that will enable them to
reach the consumer here in Texas on terms
of equality with foreign competitors: but
when the commission grants these very
reasonable requests, il, as in case of the
salt manufacturers, it is met with a state
ment that the railroads are not able to
forego the loss of revenue necessary to
grant them, and afterwards with cut in
interstate rates, which voluntarily gives to
foreign interests more than Texas mer-
chants and manufacturers ask for them
selves, will not such action on the part of
the railroads justify the conclusion that
they were either insiucere in their express
sions OF friendship towards Texas interests,
or else their rates have heretofore been ex-
cessivel L. L. FOSTER
Can if be wondered that 80 per cent of the
people of the state and United States, in
Guiding the gentlemen composing the Aus
tin club and GAZETTE, would consider Com
missioner Fosters letter an honest and con-
scientious statement and form their con-
clusions accordingly, that the commission
is blessing bestowed by heaven through
the agency of Governor Hogg to control the
rapacity of Texas roads in their efforts to
promote foreign at the expense of home in
dustuesg and yet this very statement of
Commissioner Foster is without exception
the most complete confession OF unadulter-
ated ignorance that it was ever public
mans misfortune TO give out to the people
over his signature. As was to be expected,
he treats of every feature with which under
his oath of Office he has nothing whatever
to do, and omits every traffic feature, which
under his oath of Office he is obligated to con-
slider. and deliberately creates false i'm
pressions in his statements, in order to i'm
pose upon the credulity of the people. He
only saves himself from the charge that
the statements are deliberately false
as well as the impression they
create by the use of the word ''inter-
state instead of estate lines.n Now I
will prove what have stated beyond perad-
venture of a doubt to the most skeptical or
ignorant of my readers In the first place
the commission was formed for the control
of the roads within the state of Texas, to
prevent unjust determinations within the
state and to insure TO the state railroads
just and equitable rates, as well as to pro-
tect the people from eXorbitant rates I'm
Just discrimination means that railroad
company shall not give to any locality, cor
poration, firm or person doing business
within the state less rate to the same
destination on the same Gloss of freight,
under like conditions, than it would give to
any other location, corporation, firm or per-
son doing business within the state to the
same destination for the same or greater
distance, the class of freight and conditions
always being alike, Now the commission
of Texas in conformity with its oath of
Office in establishing rate on salt in Texas
is bound first to know and be able to swear
that the rates they have established for
certain prescribed haulS are alike just and
equitable to the public as well as the rail
roads for the service performed. This fact
established, the PRONUNCIATION of these
rates puts them in effect on every
road in the state, and neces-
because in no case under like conditions is
the rate greater for a shorter haul than for
a longer haul, the rates for corresponding
haulS being necessarily alike. as one tariff
covers the entire state. Now what may be
just and equitable rates on salt when any
one line derives the gross revenue from the
rate | have shown with the reasons in
another part of this letter would not be
just and equitable rate for the same haul
when the revenue derived would have to be
divided between two or more roads, and
conditions here being different the commits
sion in conformity with its oath must estab-
lish just and equitable rates under condi-
tions as they exist, and the PRONUNCIATION of
their tariff would apply over all roads
within the state, and in consequence pre-
vent unjust Determinations, as the two'pro-
positions that what is just and equitable to
the railroads could be exorbitant or unjust
to the people will not cohabit together.
Now the fact that the interstate lines, hav-
ing salt works located on their rails in
Kansas or elsewhere outside of the state of
Texas, deprecate the loss of this traffic
into Texas and find it necessary TO re-
duce their revenue in order to COM
plete with the Texas salt works, cut
absolutely no figure of merit in the queS-
ton. This is commercial condition be-
tween the interstate lines aud foreign salt
works over which the Texas lines, by
Fort Worth and Denver, Fort Worth and
Rio Grande, San Antonio and Arkansas
Pass, Houston and Texas Central and other
roads whose mileage is wholly within this
state, have absolutely no control, and when
Foster conveys the impress
sion that these home lines participate in
these reduced interstate rates so as to re-
duce their revenue on foreign salt to less or
the same revenue as they derive for cor
hauls over their lines on salt |
in Texas he knows such an i'm |
preston IS absolutely false, and he dare not |
deny it. He further knows that instead of |
the Texas lines reducing their revenue, on |
exactly the same service, from to cents |
per 100 pounds on interstate salt shipped |
from foreign works, exactly the reverse is |
the case, and that their revenue on salt in |
their divisions with interstate lines on /
these reduced rates is from TO 10 cents |
more per 100 pounds than the home lines |
receive in divisions with each other |
under the commissions rates on home |
production of salt originating in |
Tex as for the same identical service, |
and neither Commissioner Foster nor any |
other one Of the commissioners dare deny |
this knowledge, and yet they dare use such
TO impose upon the people for
their own political and personal ambition.
With the through rates and division sheets /
IN my hands before the full commission. and
Ia the presence of the Texas salt producers
md the general freight agents, l showed
he commission that the Fort Worth and
Denver railway received out of division
If through rate on salt with interstate lines
from 10 IL cents per 100 pounds, equal to
from $50 to $50 per car more average reYe-
Tue than il did IN the division with home |