The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-04-17
9ai1Y II eagle
H. NJ. MURDOCH, Editor
ON TO THE GULF.

ON TO THE GULF.
The great productive area of the
North American continent lies walled in
by range of mountains TO The east, by
a range of mountains to the west and by
the boundary line of a sparsely settled for
eign country on the north. This area
produces not only all the grains and the
meats that feed the great majority OF
the people of the United States, but lis
harvest fixes the prices of these pro-
ducts in every central market OF the
world. All of the waters of this vast
domain comprising dozen states, flow
TO the Gulf OF Mexico, and the incline OF
all the country, thus embraced, Is to the
ports of these southern waters. Not
withstanding these physical conditions
the export tonnage of this field OF the
world has been by combination
of developments and interests
forced over the eastern wall
of obstruction, at an unwarranted ex-
pense. and on to Atlantic ports. Owing
to a stringency of economical conditions
the burthen of this extra expense OF
transportation has come to be felt by the
producer and by every industrial enter
prise of the west. but especially by those
IL fanInn hrQnInp
Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas and Col
orado. The freight rates of the all rail
haul of from fifteen hundred TO two
thousand miles, across great rivers and
over high mountains, has been consum-
ing the small margin of profits left to the
producer in such grievous proportions
that the sufferers have come to seek
a remedy. The first proposition which
confronted them, as it was the most OBJ
vious one, was why should their pro-
ducts be forced to seek such distant ports
over such expensive routes, with existing
ports at less than half the distance: The
answer was withheld for long time.
1t involved the dividends of all the great
east and west trunk lines of the CONT
nent. whose management had combined
with the capital at their terminals to
render impossible any freight schedule
which looked to the same rate per ton
Der mile over any north and south road
to any Gulf port. The same through
rate must be maintained from any point
in the trans-missouri to the Gulf that was
charged from the same initial points to
the Chesapeake or the upper Atlantic
ports. : A partial lake rate favored the
maintenance of this mandate, aud every
north and south line which attempted to
give anything like the same rate per ton
mile, for several classes Of freight, in
GLIDING -four, grain and meats, was inn
boycotted and otherwise pun
ished.
But the exigencies brought about by
collapses and receiverships
have cleared the atmosphere in the par
tial destruction of traffic combines and
freigbt-line trusts, and the producer and
dealer of the west, and the buyer and
exporter of the south, are getting to-
gether for a. definition of their rights
which, when ascertained, will be en-
forced. South Kansas wheat cannot
much longer be forced to the Missouri
river for inspection and toll and then
forwarded 10 Alabama, Georgia and
louisiana by way of Chicago. Wichita
flour consigned to Savannah is not
much longer going to be shipped
north and east via New York
City and back in coastwise vessels.
meats are not going much
longer to Mobile and New Orleans and
to other southern markets by way of the
lakes, or which is the same thing, under
a system of freight charges which would
take them by such q roundabout haul.
Wichita is no further from the Gulf than
from the Lake and South Kansas wheat
and flour and meats bought and con-
signed to Galveston or other Gulf points
for export should DO worth about as
much at Wichita TO the producer as the
exporter would have to pay at Chicago.
The same rate per ton per mile from
Kansas and the transmissouri region to
the Gulf as is only charged to Chicago
would mean millions of dollars annually
to the farmers. to the packers and to tn
millers of this region.
The EAGLE wishes the convention of
grain dealers of the west and of the
buyers and exporters and board of trade
men of the south, in convention in this
city today. present success and final VIC
tory.
WELL, DESERVED.