The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-06
WHEN WICHITA WILL WIN
MORE FACTS TOUCHING OUTRAGE
GUS DETERMINATIONS.
What the Dawn of the New Day Will
Witness, and Why, and the New
Opportunities 1t Will Afford.

"A,
trous results which the Missouri river
basing line rule has occasIoned the COM
mercial and manufacturing interests OF
| Wichita, in which connection we have
quoted the findings of the interstate COM
mission as embodied in their late COM
plant filed by Mr.. Ady in the United
States circuit court, as we have also cited
some figures found in the brief Of George
l.. Douglass. Esq. and City Attorney
| Wyatt, in a still later case being brought
| by this city before the state railway COM
mission.
| In this article we shall cite some addi-
tional outrages, but before doing so we
will state fact touching the attitude
of the arrangements of the Kansas rail-
ways towards Wichita, not generally
understood. While it is undoubtedly true
that it is primarily against the interests of
the trunk lines to encourage or help de-
velope any new commercial centers, for
obvious reasons and too numerous to
mention here it is but just to say that the
1
| Wichita have uniformly acknowledged
that many of the determinations COM
| planned of by the EAGLE and by the mer.
chants and manufacturers of this city con-
stitute indefensible outrages, wrongs
which would have never been permitted
hut for the power of the eastern roads in
omDination with roads terminating at
different points on the Missouri river,
which combination has evaded and
overridden the interstate law ever
since its enactment, as it has
| forced western roads to do its
bidding under threats which if carried out
would have thrown such western roads
into bankruptcy.
! But all this is no reasonywhy Wichita
shouldn't keep up the fights commenced
four years ago for her rights, the most
in the u. S courts, and a favorable de-
csion to either of which will bring the
relief to which the people of interior Kan
sas are entitled, and render Wichita n
| to Kansas City in Importance.
Reference was made in these columns on
| Thursday morning to the discrepancies
and determinations made and maintained
against Wichita as disclosed in the brief
of Mr.. Douglass. which is to be
submitted to the state railway
commission. By the tables of sched-
ule rates therein given and which
we quoted, Wichita the greatest agricul-
tural implement point in the state, aud
situated in the midst of the greatest farm
ing region, pays from one hundred and
fifty per cent to three hundred per cent
higher freight rate per ton per mile, than is
charged FortScott and the mining towns of
eastern Kansas. Now while the state
commission cannot reach the interstate
haul they can at least give Wichita pro
ate from Fort SEQ Tt, Baxter Springs. ct.
al, which they will be asked to do. 1t is
said that no implements are shipped to
| Wichita by way of Fort Scott; bat if the
| commission will order in a reasonable rate
the goods would readily come shat way,
even if they had to be reshipped. and it
would force like rate through Kansas
City. But as Mr.. Douglas sets out, the
shortest line to Wichita from any low rate
point is Fort Scott; and, pnrsuing the
railroad argument that the short line
makes the rate, we respectfully suggest
| that the commission should make Wichita
an implement rate based upon the mileage
| from Fort Scott, which no one can have
any right to complain of, and then adjust
/ the rate from Kansas City on that basis.
| Another point in the brief referred to,
| that of coal Wichita ships about S0,0 900
tons year. The great bulk of this coal
comes from Cherokee and Crawford
counties and points in that vicinity just
across the Missouri line, but from which
| the freight rates are the same. The rates
from points in Cherokee and Crawford
/ counties TO Wichita, an average, distanceof
about 100 miles. is SLIGO perton. To Kansas
City and Argentine the rate is 20 cents per
| ton. Upon shipments westward the rate
| is nearly, if not quite, double the rate per
ton per mile what is charged on shipments
northward.
| Now As to lumber. and without which
nothing can be done on the prairies, from
palace to pig pen it is everywhere essen
tial. The rate on lumber from the Mis-
souri, river to Wichita is 10 cents hun
1 l,,Ia Fnr Inv, t,ar L.
! that the railroads take carload of lum-
! Der in Louisiana, haul il northward
through Arkansas. the Indian Territory
| and Kansas, to Lincoln, Omaha, Crete
! of LOCO miles, for - cents hundred
| They take carload of lumber
/ in Louisiana, haul it through Ar
/ kansas, the Indian Territory, Kansas
distance of /, 400 miles, for % cents hum
/ bred. They haul this lumber on its way
/ to Nebraska points, through Yates Cen
/ ter within ninety-eight miles OF Wichita
/ cents a hundred to leave 1t at Wichita,
while they carry it nearly 300 miles fur
| Their into Nebraska and charge the Ne
/ braska man but % cents hundred for the
entire haul. This lumber is hauled from
| Louisiana to Nebraska at approximately
4-lo mills per ton per mile. Ii is hauled
! from Louisiana To Denver at the rate lilo
mills per ton per mile. When the COM
panies come to fix rate from the Mis-
| souri, river 10 Wichita. they fix IL at -