The morning call., 1893-02-11
LOCAL RATES.
What California Needs
Most Now.
FETTERED COMMERCE.
It Broke the Overland
Freight Pool.
pTHE CALLS" GREAT WORK.
Now the Local Freight-Rate Robbery
Must Be Stopped by the Gem
eral Assembly.
.THE CALLS" GREAT WORK.

Rate-cutting on overland freight is the
order Of things.
THE CALLS overland fight has practically
been won.
Overland shippers have found relief and
they praise The CALL unstintedly.
Now there is another battle 10 fight and
win.
Local commerce is fettered, almost pro
hiblted, by the stand-and-deiiYer policy OF
the Southern Pacific system
Often i, costs more than the value OF the
goods to ship a ton CT freight 100 miles IN
this State.
Il never costs less than from one and a
half to three times as much 10 ship ton OF
freight 100 miles in this State as il does IN
any one Of the great Eastern States.
And this Is true where the California
roads are more practicable and can be run
even cheaper OF as cheap.
Tie Southern Pacific system is crushing
out local freight traffic.
What is the remedy?
Abolish the Railroad Commission and
enact the law proposed by the Traffic Asso-
citation fixing a fair classification Of freight
and establishing & more equitable and less
burdensome distaCce traffic.
geiher downtown yesterday. and when the
conversation had Yeered around TO railroad
matters one Of them voiced these sent-
ments:
These are the days that trouble the souls
Of such men as Coils 2. Huntington. They
sleep badly o. nights and spend their days
in counting their ducats. Just to think Of
Il, California Legislature actually con-
siderng seriously the retirement Of the
Railroad Commission! And a California
Legislature solemnly discussing the estab-
Hshment of local distance tariff and class
ifcaiion sheetv'
And these sentiments interested the other
two merchants at once. one Of whom was
a member OF tie executive committee Of
the Traffic Association.
"What has caused this state of affairs?'
asked the merchant who spoke first.
Il think I could give q good guess" said
the Traffic Association man.
Both tie others invited him 10 guess
well, it's the work Of the Traffic Ass0-
citation mainly, l think. backed up and made
possible through the support Of such uapPrs
as TIE CALL and the Bulletin. l don't
know what we could have done without
them. With them We have accomplished
much. l believe.
i J. UdllIulek
on 'Fettered Commerce did more than
any other single agency 10 open the eyes Of
the people OF this State on the railroad Ques-
ton.
THE Calls work was vigorous and
fetching ! think you can see lis result at
the recent election, when nearly every sue
cessiul candidate OF whatever political party
was an av0Wed anti-Tailr0ad man.
But few men who wore the collar of Mr..
Huntington were successful at the polls last
fall, ard many were showed under very
deeply who did wear it.
eli you trace the relations OF cause and
effect here think you VIII see tile hand OF
TIE CALL throughout ali this educational
work and its splendid results.
And all that has been accomplished does
not appear on tie surface. What do | con-
slider The most important work of ali?
The education Of the people; beyond
any doubt.
''In this country it only needs that the
people themselves shall be wide-awake to
the necessities Of the hour. They have the
power, and can, If they viii, enforce their
demands
IN this work Of popular education upon
the railroad situation l consider THE CALL
has done ye0man'S service, and has done it
well
1T had the ear Of the public. could com
mand the eve Of the public, and at the
critical time used its vantage ground for the
enlightenment of the people.
And YOU have only to look to Sacramento
TO-DAY to realize the Yass amount Of educa-
tiOnal work that has been done in a sur
pTisingly short time.
"In the Assembly you find the large
majority Of It's members, fresh from the
people and instructed by them, voting TO
dismiss the Railroad Commission That is a
pretty strong indication Of the sentiment of
the public on the railroad question.
1t may be possible that the Senate will
not concur in the measure but that will
only prove that the Southern Pacific looks
away from the people for its support. In
the Senate are many hOldOvers. men who
do not come fresh from the people and con-
seQueDtiy do not express the viii Of their
constituents as clearly and accurately as do
the mem ers OF the Leg Stature, or their
own colleagues who were elected last fall.
In the past year the people have been
educated particularly On the question of
local rates as compared with rates in other
localities; they have come to know, through
the publications made in TIE CALI. aud
similar papers, the iniQuities Of the
Southern Pacifc's Determinations.
They have Weakened up to the want OF
proper classification Of freight and the
Traffic Association has shown them the
utter ineficiency Of the Railroad CT J.
mission"
By this time coffee had been reached and
cigars were lighted. The Traffic AssOcia-
ton man was thoroughly aroused on the
subject, and as the interest Of the liz lners
was keen be continued.
II consider" said he, "that the traffic
Association has been the direct means Of
breaking up the TTanscontinental Assacia-
tion, by which arbitrary rates were fixed
and all competition on oYeIlaI'9 freight
shut Of"
'How?"
"The clipper lines did It. The Merchants
Dispatch line, carrying freight via Cape
Horn from New York to San Francisco
and return. has knocked the Iransconti
mental Association sky high.
The railroads had 10 get INT and bid for
their patronage when the Clippers began
to run.
Another good result Of the formation Of
the clipper line was tho breaking of the
pool between the Pacific Mail and the
TranseOntinental Associ lion.
''The clippers made 1t Improbable for
them 10 continue their stand-and-deiver
policy toward the shippers and merchants.
Particularly, on tb point. / hink THE
CALL did excellent work by showing up the
enormous sums paid by the Tran sconii-
mental Association eneh month 10 the Pacific
Mail. 1t was someu ing like $4,000 month,
wasn'tit?
'And this sum was paid BY the railroads
to enable the steamship company to keep M
its water rates. Z meant an actual prohibi.
ton Of freight-c Trying by sea-
ii the ITafhc Association had done moth
ing else since It's organization, the breaking
up of this poo' alone ought t. rebound to its
everlasting or dit and be excuse enough for
its formation.
But the Traffic Association has done
more. 1t 10 directly responsible for the es-
tabiishmeLt OF the North American Naylga-
ton Company.
''This las been incorporated and sufi.
Client subscriptions obtained within the
past few months, and soon we will have an
indepe ident line Of freight steamers run
ming between here and New York, via the
isthmas.
ALREADY the steamers have been char
terrell to run between San Francisco and
Pauama and between New York and Colon.
the two lines TO connect By the 10Th OF
this month the new line will be in opera
+ ~ and The first steamer will sail from this
I0Tt
ALREADY the formation Of this line has
borne fruit The present cut in rates be-
fxaen San Francisco and New York via