The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-02-05
RAILROAD FREIGHT RATES.
Mai. Rogers Reviews the Situa-
ton, and Presents Plain
Facts.

Maj. Rogers Reviews tnS Sltua-
ton, and Presents Plain
Facts.
The Railroad Invited to Join Issue
Before the Interstate Commerce
Commission.
EDITOR >;r rha HERALD:--In- your
issue of last week appears report Of a
committee, who visited Louisville, and
in said report there are serious charges
against the HERALD for publishing
Estate ments erroneous in some respects
and in the main not in accordance with
the rates that prevail Now as the
first four articles that appeared in the
HERALD editorially were from my pen,
and the child of the HERALD only by
adoption, and as the Editor OF the
HERALD has stated before public
meeting of the business men OF Column
bia, his obligation to the writer for the
editorials that appeared-it affords me
pleasure to come to the front, and as
sumo all the responsibility for the
erroneous statements" as charged by
said Louisville IL Nashville Railroad
Committee.
And in the very beginning of this dis
cussion l beg to say l recognize in the
third Vice President and in the Traffic
Manager of the l.. & n. r. r., gentle
men of extraordinary ability-as evil
denced by their successful management
of this committee. 1t was a stroke of
diplomacy that would have done credit
10 Major Stahlman, or the dead and
IaTnented Tom O'Conner. The l.. ~ y.
General freight agent was here IN Column
ola, and could lave met the business
men of Columbia in a body; but!nstead
of that they furnished passes, to anu
from Louisville, to a half dozen OF our
prominent. business men and the only
tangible good accomplished, that L have
so far found out, is that one of the COM
mitJee, since his return, has shipped
car load of potatoes from Columbia to
Charleston, 5. c. at exactly Nashville
rate. If there is any error in this state
.nent it is not mine, but that oL-!f5
shipper himself, who told me of it.
The astute ,Giiicers, of the railroads
we're careful to furnish "nO lawyers or
editors" with passes to the Louisville
Conference. They might, perhaps, be
familiar with the Interstate Laws ana
the decisions of the Interstate Commls-
sion and the Courts thereon. The
committee reached the following con-
clusion, "that the freight rates from
and into Columbia are in the most
cases equitably adjusted, with due re-
gard to the interest of our town and sur
rounding country, as compared with
other towns similarly situated" The
conclusi IN of the committee may be
correct, from their stand point of COM
parison; that is, if the officials OF the
railroads induced them to make the
comparison as to rates prevailing at
Columbia, Pulaski and Franklin and
other Tennessee towns similarly SIT
uated."
The intelligent reader, 'and the com
mittee themselves, must see that the
railroad officers were leading them from
the tissue as stated in every article of
mine that appeared in the HERALD.
The tissue" is that the railroads are
unLGtCf fully discriminating against the
merchants of Columbia, and are receiv-
ing excessive rates from said merchants
in violation of the laws of Congress.
The writer has never instituted q
comparison between clowns similarly
situated" but has by facts and figures =
in every instance taken from the tariff
of railrOad-except as below stated,
shown the unjust discrimination
against Columbia as compared with
| Nashville, Louis vile, and other Ohio
river cities; and cities South OF us,
such as Florence, Huntsville, Birming-
ham, Montgomery, etc; and published
decisions of the Interstate Commll-
sions, covering and sustaining the
| noints that l made. Does the railroad
| officials, or the committee, cate single
| fact that was erroneous" or 90 they
charge that the law is "erroneous?"
No; but they rest their hopes on: ave
are assured that the matter OF freight
rates on the product of the farm, and
the conditions bearing on it, will be
closely looked into and adjusted in
line with what might prove to be
necessary to still further develop this
already important business; and of this
we are to be advised at an early date"
Gentlemen of the committee, you con-
tradict yourselves. In the first part OF
your report you say rates are "equitably
adjusted" so far as Columbia is con
cerned. In the conclusion of your re-
port you eN pecb SGlll lul IuSA 0luAI"DAS
rates. that will develop trade anC
commerce. Either thing is equitable
or it is inequitable. Which is it?
Mr.. Editor, when L commenced thu
sci les of articles in your valuable paper
it was with the single thought to bench
every man in the city of Columbia an'
: county of Maury; but when 1 rea'
: the report of the committee, L NIGH
= have exclaimed "save me from IN.
D friends, mine enemies l will care TO
D myself" And here 1 state withou
q anv fear, that every statement that
. made as a fact, l am prepared to shoN
chapter and page from which 1t wa
taken; except some information L OF
tanned from merchants around town
: some of whom are on this COMMITTEES
I stated that Columbia paid $50 pc
b car on oranges and Nashville $l6O froI
t same point in Florida. Nat Holma
y will vouch for that fact.
I. l stated that Columbia was charge
% from New Orleans on sugar, syrul
n rice, etc., 47c per 1OOlbs, and Nashvil
Is to &c per IOOlbs, and that Columb
WASH miles nearer to New Orleans. !
l. w. Gamble was my authority for th
statement.
Ie I stated, that salt, from Louisville
d. Columbia, paid q freight of lie, an
D, Nashville only So per l0olbs. DR.. Hol'
81 ing was my authority.
1 stated that Columbia was charge