St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-27
THE BIG RATE WAR.
Atchison's Cut Will Likely Result
in Bad Decentralization.

in Bad Generalization.
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 90 1t is likely
that the action of the Atchison, Topeka
& Santa Fe in cutting the overland pas
senger rates will result in thorough
decentralization. The point in dispute
between that company and the South
ern Pacific has already been explained.
The Atchison now gives notice of a cut
March in the rates from the Missouri
70 MoIave, Los Angeles and San Diego
from $50 one way and $3.50 round trip
to $50 and $3.50 respectively. Vice
PRESIDENT Stubbs, of the Sou them Pa
clfic. has notified Eastern connections
of similar cut to Sacramento, Marys-
vile, Stockton, San Jose and San Fran
cisco. In an interview with repre-
sentative of the Associated Press this
evening, President c. p. Huntington, of
the Southern Pacifi C company, said
there was not even the shadow of reason
ableness in the demand of the Atchison
that the Southern Pacific should not
ticket passengers at the straight rate
from the East to Los Angeles via San
francisco; while at the same time it
\tiS 0lSlIioOlJ lliOlStCu OH Tie IlSuU IO
ticket its westbound passengers TO San
francisco via Los Angeles. Mr.. Hunt
lngton further stated that he had as
sured the managers of the Atchison
system that ii they could convince him
that they believed the proposition to be
lair. that If they entertained the opinion
III their own minds that it was fair, he
would make a concession. He stated
that they declined the challenge. MI
Huntington added that the Southern
Pacific does not propose to 90 out OF the
overland business because of the pres
ent or prospective cuts of the Atchison,
put would continue to carry passengers
and freight from the Missouri river to
Pacific coast through points.
Vice President and General Traffic
Manager Subbs said that. while the
Southern Pacific did not bring on this
war, yet he Joined the old officers of the
company in the belief that California
needed reinforcement of its industrial
population, and that those who are at
tracted simply out of idle curiosity to
travel, because it is cheap, would visit
California to see the mid-winter fair,
and they would necessarily want to see
the remainder of the state. The South
ern Pacific company believed that it
was fully equipped for a continuation
VI A.NoeiiittSo iOI iCuSt vi IliuG DIS
against its rival. because OF the support
its local system of railroads would af.
ford it. The land officers of the South
ern Pacific company state that
they have had more inquiries from
Eastern home-seekerS within the last
twenty days than in the entire year of
1898. The belief appears to be general
that whatever the effect on railroads
may De. that the strikingly low rates to
be lnaugurated on the first day ofMarch
will usher in the dawn of a prosperous
era in California.
The Atkinson company's representa-
tive i'll this city says the cut does not
apply to San Francisco or any point
north OF Mojave. and asserts that
the Southern Pacific folks have
not correctly stated the cause
OF the trouble. lie argues, in
opposition to the contention of the
Southern Pacific, that the side trip from
Lathrop to San Francisco is not parallel
to that of the side trip from MOiave to
Los Angeles, there being two indepen-
dent lines to Los Angeles and only one
way of getting into San Fraucsco-that
over the Southern Pacific.