The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-03-09
IT LOOKS MUCH BETTER.
| The Kansas BOARD of Commissioners issue
| Their ultim1Ium 10 the Railroads.

Yesterday Secretary Elliott of the state
board OF railroad commissioners notified
Secretary George, Of the shippers, VINO
lives Mt Hutchinson, that the board met
and decided TO put the compromise rate,
referred to so often in these columns, into
effect and ordered the railways to obey It,
Upon the arrival of the message at Hntch-
inson, Secretary George notified the
wholesalers of Wichita. and when the
EAGLE reporter called on some OF them
yesterday they were in irst-class humor
over the news. They did not know the
details, but nevertheless they felt that the
result of the meeting of the
commissioners, in whom they have
great faith, was in the line
of Justice to them. In considering the
case the commission gave a brief review OF
the case, beginning with the first hearing
and touching upon the outcome OF it, and
also of the rehearing and upon the last
agreement between grocers and the rail
roads. The commission begins its COM
ment as follows:
The respondent companies entered in
apparent good faith upon compliance
with the terms of this agreement Rate
SneeUS were FHluldJeu anu Hleu, WIN
advance notice to this and the Interstate
commerce commission, of the date they
were to become effective.
Pending this action, the interests oil
Kansas City, Mo-, which was to lose some
of its advantages and power over Kansas,
invoked the aid of the ralroiad companies
east and outside of the state. The Western
Railroad association, of which the Kansas
companies have lines east of the Missouri
1.ivar az IN Orpo6 and which
has always dictated terms to the trans
Missouri lines, interposed with an order
that none of the companies having mem
bership in that organization should re-
spect the compact and contract entered
into, and made part Of the action Of this
commission, as above set forth.
This order was Immediately recognized
by the Rock Island company, but resisted
by the others. some of which gave formal
assurance to the commissioners and COM
plainants in this case that the agreement
would be respected and its terms complied
with to the letter. regardless of outside
persons or dictations.
The final result has proven that the
Kansas railway companies are subject to
An association power which can, ut VIII,
force them to deny admitted obligations to
the citizens of Kansas, and humiliate them
| in falsified pledges, broken faith and re-
pudiated contracts. They have all sub
mitted to this foreign dictation in the
formal notice of the cancellation of rates
made in obedience to their contract, some
before they became effective, aud the
o hers effective on March 18th inst.
1t now remains for the commission to
assert the authority of the state. in re-
duction of the local rate on Sugar and
other commodities involved in the com
plant. to degree and in such manner as
to make them non-discriminative, reason
| able and just. In doing this the commits
! sion is not bound by tine original order re-
| ducing rates on fifth class, which WAS sus-
| pended in respect to the agreed commodity
rates on portion of that class 1t holds
to the same rule of action which governed
in consenting to the substitution of che
agreement of Feb. 8, between the com
plainants and respondents. for its order o.
! Jan. 6.
In the hearing which preceded the adop
| ton and approval of the agreement, 1t was
made plain that the end sought by com
plainRnts could be attained more certalnly
for them, and with less embarrassment tc
the respondent companies, by taking from
the fifth class 8 limited number of articles
and making commodity rate
on them, leaving that class other
wise undisturbed as to rates
The demands of the grocers and the
! concessions of the companies, having
| oil dkrccultut III a ulhGtcutidi "
IS cents per hundred pounds on sugar
from all points on the Missouri river re
rating line to Salina. HUTCHINSON, WITCH
tia aud Arkansas City; and on canned
! goods, coffee and beans of % cents to Sa
lima, p cents to Hutchinson and Wichita
| aud % cents to Arkansas City, over rate
to such Missouri re-rating line, the com
mission deems it wise and just 10 make .
local rate corresponding TO this agreed
differential and limited to the articles thu
named and agreed upon.
This action on the part of the respond
ent companies in naming 10 cent add
ton to the Missouri river rate on sugar i
in perfect agreement with the Judgmen
of the commission, which asked for a
cent through rate on that commodity iron
the south and east to the several lobblni
points named i'll this controversy. lt
voluntary concession, in the agree
ment, would seem To conclude the argu
ment in support of l5-cent rate frou
Missouri river points rs at once REASONABLE
and just. But the commission need no
rest upon this recognition alone for II
justification, inasmuch as these same com
panies have voluntarily adopted, with tn
official sanction of both the Western an
Transmisiouri associations, both OF whlc
now appear as protestants, much lowe
rate than this on sugar moved IN all q
rections and everywhere except III Kansas
In veritication of this, references is mad
to existing tariffs on sugar, as compares
with the one proposed, as presented IN tn
following exhibit: