The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-07-14


"And let me say right here, the people
| of the state 10 not begrudge the roads
| their legitimate profit OF profit were
being made), they do not even ask as the
only remedy that the present rates be
lowered, but the shippers do ask and de
mand that the present inequalities and
determinations shall cease. If Kansas
rates are right, then raise rates for Mis-
souri-if Missouri rates are right, then
the Kansas rates must be lowered.
'.The prevailing opinion of the east,
with regard to the hostility of the far
mer toward the railway is as far from
the truth as the prevailing opinion OF the
farmer with regard to the hostility of
the so-called 'gold-bugs' and capitalists
of the east toward himself. When both
the capitalist and the farmer take the
trouble to understand one another, much
! trouble will be averted, and the pockets
of both will have more money in them.
| 1t is true, the farmer often makes mis-
takes in reasoning from cause to effect,
but in this instance he and the
merchants of the state have diagnosed
! the case with precision, the cause IS a
known one, the proper remedies suits in
state and federal courtS) are being APP
| blame his railway director and not the
! farmer. for the consequences. l am con-
WINGED that the general eastern public IS
ignorant of what is going on, and OF the
| storm-cloud that is gathering In this
state. Let me then state few facts
| that will convince the most incredulouS
| that the cause the state IS pleading Is
| just.
Il would remind you. to begin with,
that Kansas extends 400 miles east and
west, and 200 miles north and south,
and contains over SO, 500, 600 acres. 1t is
thus about ten times the size OF MasSa-
chusetts. Its present population is
,423, 4S5 United States census iS9o).
She has railway mileage of 7,l99 miles
Estate report 1889, being second only to
Illinois, which has the largest railway
mileage of any of the United States.
&" The Great American Desert with
Indian trading posts Its most populons
points, no longer describes the Kansas
of today. 1t is filled with cities ana
towns. To illustrate: In 1870, where
Wichita now stands, there were but
80 people; in 1880, 4,911; in 1890, 23,735
Omitted States census) The change
from prairie TO city has been affected
in twenty years. Has not the city out
grown the prairie railway rates!
''Wichita-and | cite her because she
is the natural distributing center OF this
region, being about three times larger
than any of her -Wichila Is
one Of the most fertile regions OF the
west. She is fairly surrounded by pros
porous little cities who want to trade
with her. Her railways radiate III ten
Q0) different directions. She has five (3)
wholesale grocery houses, with nearly
every other wholesale line represented
with one or more establishments. To
the west of her lie 800 miles of Kansas
territory, all of southern Colorado and
New Mexico. To the south lie the In
dian Territory, Oklahoma, and the new
lands recently entered. The Cherokee
strip, soon to be opened for settlement,
with its 6, 000,000 acres is but fifty miles
distant at its nearest point, and the Rock
Island and Atchison system already tap
this tract, Oklahoma and the territory
from here as the natural baSing point,
Texas and her trade lie beyond. Is this
not Wichita's rightful territory? Should
she not be permitted to sell her goods to
these peoole on bBsis determined by the
proximity of her customers? or should
Omaha and ST. Joseph and Kansas City
tie her, hand and foot, by means of dis
criminate rates, and steal her trade from
before her eyes?
Let me illustrate her position. | will
refer TO the rate of but single article
sugar, though it is but one of hundreds
OF like grievances. Sugar is hauled by
the Atchison. Topeka and Santa Fe rail-
way from Galveston on the Gulf of
Mexico, through Wichita, to Kansas
City, Mo. ct will be well to trace this
route on the map) Kansas City is 22S
miles northeast Of Wichita. Kansas
City is charged for the through haul
from Galveston, 30 cents per 100 lbs. in
carload lots. Wichita is charged for
the haul from Galveston, 22S miles
shorter, not less than Kansas City, nor
even equal TO Kansas City, but Just
double Kansas City. Wichita has to pay
60 cents per 100 lbs. in carload lots. Con-
slider for a moment. Wichita's five
wholesale grocers land all other interior
grocers in like proportlon) are charged go
cents for 723-mile haul from Galveston,
while Missouri cities pay but 80 cents
for a 951-mile haul from the same place.
As G. l.. Douglas, dispassionate man,
of sound sober sense and leading Re-
publican, has said, "a railway company
which regularly carries freight from the
Gulf of Mexico through Kansas and into
Missouri at certain price, and as regu-
larly charges just double for dropping a
carload of that same kind of freighs at
Wichita and other points on its line in
Kansas, is doing one of two
things: it is either carrying freight for
ot
that loss by overcharging the people of
Kansas, or. if the charge to the Missouri
man is a fair one, then it is levying ex-
tortionate charges on the Kansas man.
In either event it is an imposition which
no high-spirited people can or will much
longer tolerate.
is it not alarming when there are
points in the very county in which
Wichita Is located (Sedgwickl, where
her merchants cannot sell in competition
with cities in the state of Missouri, go
miles away? At Goddard. IA miles west
of Wichita, Kansas City can lay down
sugar, with 4J6 mile haul TO overcome
q. g. from Wichita to Kansas City and
return, plus IL miles 10 Goddard on
even terms with our grocers. At Furley,
10 miles northeast of Us, with 443 miles
to overcome, Kansas City has l cent per
100 los. advantage: at Sedgwict City,
Il miles north OF Us, with 43J miles to
overcome, Kansas City has 1 cents ad-
vantage What else IS this than railway
slavery: Can the New York lumber
merchants sell Canadian lumber seven
teen miles north of Albany and ship it
from New York cents per 100 cheaper
than the Albany men: Can the Boston
-four merchant sell "PiilsbuTy's Best" in
Newark. ~ j., shipping il from Boston.
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