The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-01-29

in the interest of Kansas City. under the
plea of eoualizing the rates for dis
lance of seventy-fiye to eighty miles
out of Kansas City, amounting to
raise of about 50 car, mot cents
Der 100 pounds as stated in the teie-
gram. The order of the commits
sioners, naming like rate for the same
distance out of Wichita as Kansas City,
was then used as a pretext for raising
the rates out of Wichita for seventy-tive
or eighty miles, but did not disturb the
| through rate on live stock from same
points to Kansas City. thereby restoring
the discrimination, which had been
wiped out by the Kansas commissioners
order: The raising of the rates into
Wichita, necesSitated by the equaliza-
ton of rates, as claimed by the compa-
MES, was simply subterfuge for the
restoration of the discrimination against
Wichita.
The rates raised out of Kansas City
have been in effect for 4 number OF
years before they were applied by the
commissioners to the Wichita market,
and were deemed remunerative. as they
, were put in by the voluntary act of the
companies, but when they were applied
" DullN up IL OtAlId IAatIcu0 iuOdoNA
the companies suddenly discovered
them to be too low, and at once proceed
ed to equalize them by raise within
the seventy-five mile limit. They failed,
however, to conceal the true animus of
the raise by the thin vail of ''equalIza-
ton" and the commissioners decided
that the rate must be restored to comply
with their original order, based on Rates,
| as stated and originally put in by the
companies themselves. which they now
deem hardship and proceed to "grum-
ble."
In the matter of the Kansas commits
SionerS overruling the interstate COM
merce commissioners decision, such a
statement is as false as it is absurd. The
commissioners simply pointed out the
injustice done Kansas by the hauling of
sugar right by our door TO the Missouri
river for 50 cents per 100 pounds, at the
same time charging the central Kansas
jobber S1.01 per 100 pounds fol- 700
mile shorter haul, or in other words,
charging the through rate to the Mis-
souri, river of 90 cents and the local rate
of 36 cents back, when as matter OF
fact the haul had never been made, thus
charging for services never rendered.
No order was made that directly et-
fected these rates, but the commissioners
showed the wrong done, advising cor
rection, and pointing out way III which
it could be done by the commission in
case the railways refused.
1t was stated by one of the officials of
a company concerned, that rate Of %
cents from the Pacific coast 10 Kansas
points, would mean the ruination of the
railway companies, but when asked why
they did not raise the rate TO the Mis-
souri, river to $1.01 and wipe out the dis
elimination in that manner, replied that
it was impossible on account of compe-
tition. Hence the theory of the railway
companies is that they are forced to
make their rates low by competition,
(the Trasmissouri association notwith-
standing) that they are ruinous, and
they cruelty the interior of Kansas to
make up the deficit.
All the railroad commissioners are de-
handing OF the Kansas railway COM
panIes is justice TO Kansas interests, no
more, no less, and in this they should
have the support of every true, loyal
Kansan.