Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-12
ONLY SAWDUST.
The Ants Looked for Dynamite
But Miss 1t.
NO POLITICAL CAPITAL IN 1T.
An Array of Facts and Figures That Speak
for Themselves and Need no
Defense Whatever-The
Commissions Work.
Special to the Gazette.

Special to the Gazette
AUSTIN, TEX, Feb. lit is probably
hoped blythe ants that the railroad com
mission will furnish them material. dyna-
mite. to hurl against Hogg and his friends.
Never were they more mistaken, never so
greatly deceiSed Before many days the
commission will be able to make a showing
that will utterly and completely confound
its critics and defamers, that will prove in
the most Unmistakable manner and beyond
any peradventure that it was wisely or
dained and is, without exception, the most
benefcent and most useful arm of the gov
eminent. The data will be forthcoming
that will decide whether or not the commits
sion is the marauding, cohfiscatory body 1t
has been called, whether it has wrought
damage to the railroads or any particular
railroad in the state, and whether the gem
tlemen who compose 1t are the ignorant,
incapable and incompetent officials they
have been represented to be. II would be
anticipating to go further at present than,
to say that during the last five months of
the year 1891 no case has been found by the
commissions expert now examining the
books of the various railroads in
the state, where a loss of revenue has been
incurred in consequence of the commits
sion'S tariffs on any road On the contrary
so far as the examination has gone, every
road has not only increased its tonnage, but
its revenue also to corresponding degree.
The commission has not made tariff that
was not considerable reduction-the gen.
eral freight agents said ruinous, in many IL
stanceS-below the old rates. The columns
of the newspapers have bristled for the
past month or two with the most violent
outbursts against the commissions tariffs,
and with lengthy statements and tables
showing the fearful loss of revenue accru-
ing to this or that road on this or that par
ticular commodity. Several roads or their
traffic men told US how many thousand dol
lars they would lose on cotton, on grain, on
salt, on coal, ETC., and how it was going to
be difficult for them to get revenue to pay
operating expenses, to say nothing of inter
est on bonds. We shall soon see how much
of this sort of talk was fable and how much
truth We shall see also how well the COM
mission mas done its work, with what intel
igent comprehension OF the situation, and
Of those almighty scientific principles
said recently to underlie the old system Of
freight rates in vogue before the commits
sion came.
If there is one business or calling that less
than all others is, or seems to be, governed
by scientific principles, it is that of rate
making on railroads. If there be any such
principles back of the old rates except the
one getting as much as the tariff will bear.
the commission, have no doubt, would be
glad to have them pointed out AS was
said, the compilation now being made, will
show for the period mentioned on the roads
in Texas increased tonnage, increased reve>
nue. and decreased expenses. As there has
been no reduction of salaries or wages of
employees in that time, the reduced expenses
result from the stoppage OF rebates and
special rates to favored customers or locali-
ties This is big item, that being saved
to the roads, goes. to swell their income.
Before the commission came they were out
that much. and the public got none of the
benefit of it. 1t went into the pockets of
the favored ones, who are now numbered
among those that consider the commission
''blUe ribbon fraud It hurts to be COM
PEELED to eat at the public table after sea-
son of high living on ''pie."
The following comparative statements
procured from the commission show the,
differences between the old rates on numbers
-four and grain shipped to and from Fort
Worth, and on cotton hauled by the Hous-
ton and Texas Central and the Inter
national These tables fairly illustrate the
reductions made by the commission against
which such an cutlery was made, and in
spite of which, the roads have maintained
their relative income.
Rates to and from Fort Worth:
LUMBER.