The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-27

railway war. 1 deprecate it; not because
1t Furnishes the roads which have been
guilty of breach Of faith and caused II,
but because II Furnishes those which have
not been guilty well.
Railway Justice differs from the ordi-
nary administration of it In the ordinary
administration of justice You catch the
thief, impose penalty and lock him up--or
IL a man violates his contract jury will
impose the damages which he ought to pay.
But until We get legislation in Congress
which will enable US to make contracts
which we can legally enforce, cannot
undertake to punish the guilty parties with
out also Furnishing the innocent. The inno-
cent and guilty are punished in the same
proportion. We do not own these properties,
but are paid to manage them Honor and
interest alike urge us to suffer much and
exhaust everything for peace. do not feel
like confessing to the world that the men
in this ROOM who have most of them been
all their active lives in this business, must
make the declaration to the people OF the
United States that thew are incompetent
that position our stockholders, l think,
would say that we ought to resign and let
others take our places.
ONE CAUSE OF REDUCED PROFITS.
1.-THE real trouble does not come from the
weakness or incomDetency or bad faith of
these presidents, but from the conditions
of ruinous competition. We all Of us en-
ploy multitudinous agencies. The through
passenger receipts from New York to Chi
cago yield about s1.25O.000 annually, and We
spend $4,000 in offices on Broadway. or 20
per cent, fighting for 1t. The way we can
reduce expenses is to get rid of most of our
agencies. 1 was told here of some traffic
which was procured by one of the Western
Hnes-one of the weaker lines-in its tight
with another Teak line last month, and
when they came to make up their expenses
they found that their outside offices, agen-
cieS and extra solicitors had cost them Y
per cent. of the gross they had received;
hot &c nnrat raQid 0IEf LQf a
traffic touched the cars. Almost all Of this
cut-rate business is carried at a loss, and
piles up obligations to be met in future,
There twenty-eight fast freight lines
on our roads, with twenty offices in Chi
cago to fight for tonnage regardless OF
rates What they report to the officers of
their lines of bad faith on other lines is be-
lieved, and then comes the order, Keep
your business at all hazards would be
one in the Central Traffic Association, that
in every place of considerable Importance
in their respective territories there should
be but one agent to give out passenger
rates and one TO give out freight rates for
all our companies, and until we come to
some such arrangement we never will be
in a position where honor and pride will
have the qualification of knowing that our
established rates are maintained. The i'm
mediate sore now is very small matter on
which to have a railroad war. 1t does not
amount to per cent. of the first and sec
ond-class passenger business between Chi
amounts to i per cent. and it seems to me
that the differential lines could settle it
among themselves.
question of pooling, and that the present
disastrous conditions prevailing throughout
the country. the present difticulties of bust
ness everywhere and the greater enlight-
eminent which prevails on railroad traffic
will lead to the passage of a bill which will
enforced. We certainly do not want to feel
that the worst thing that could happen to
US is the passage of such bill. But If you
one.half of what they are, then when the
roads get together again the commission
may insist that war rates shall be pool
rates. That will be the cost of the war to
the railroad companies.
A PROPHECY OF DISASTER.
IF we enter upon this railroad war at
present, we will all be the sickest lot of
men who ever gathered when we finally
come together with chastened hearts and
empty pockets, driven together by our in
dignant stockholders, to see if we cannot
get back where we started from when the
war commenced. 1 do not see why these
five differential lines cannot agree to divide
this disputed business equally and let the
line which has made this secret contract
with Its shippers give Ii up. We, the Cen
trial. will stand our share of an assessment
to meet any damages that the company has
TO pay for breaking it. AS railway law
yer of thirty yeaO practice. would not
give any Lnln& 1OF your contract. Inere Is
no court in which it can be enforced. 1t is
a contract against public policy, and a con-
tract which the court would so declare, If 1t
ever came to a test. The only reason II is
not broken is because ii would hurt the
pockets of those who made 1T. The road is
afraid of damages, not from the courts, but
because IL It breaks this contract its pat
rons will not make another. 1t is the COM
mercial and not the legal side which has
led these gentlemen to make terms which
broken. Now, what is the trouble about
your getting together and settling this?
II am Informed that the the rates on iron
from II cents to cents at Cleveland last
week; the rates on grain to-day are prac-
tically down from q cents to 10 cents, with
no shipper asking it-nobody asking it. We
are doing this i'm the effort to get business
! which does not belong to us. But no mat
| ter where rates go, everybody adopts them,
l and we each get the same tonnage as be-
| fore. The only change is that instead of
| carrying the traffic at fair profit. we take
| il at a loss. We are each of us getting
| Just as much tonnage at 10 cents we
would have got at 20-no more and no less
| and we will take the same at 10 as we are
at Is, and just much at at 20. You
cannot alter this law. What one does the
others meet, and all lines are soon on the
| same basis, and each of US recognizes to
himself, when he communes with himself,
| that he would like to commune with per-
| son who was not forced TO be big an
idiot. We are collectively in serious dam
| ger of being put into that class of the able
| and unwise who are known as damn fools
| that's the plain English of it-and the cir
| cumstances are such that the recording
angel will blot out the epithet Now,
propose TO submit as substitute for these
drastic measures:
"First-That we renew our pledge to
maintain in good faith our contracts.
"Second-That we share pro rata any
| damages which may be assessed for getting
| rid of this secret arrangement of the Of
| Tending line with a shipper
| "Third-That we agree, under legal ad-
vice, to a contract to pay a penalty of $40,
| eco whenever the commissioners adjudge
| anyone OF us guilty of rate cutting or pay
ing commissions