The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-03-03
A BATTLE OF GIANTS.
BRIEF REVIEW OF THE GREAT
RATE WAR.
The Strife VIII Not BE Prolonged
for Obvious Rcasons-Why it Was
Observation-Disclosures Notes.

Upon careful and impartial sum-
ming up of matters past and present
in disturbed railway circles, The Herald
Idnclines to the belief that the rate war
will not long continue Aside from the
expressed views of this or that roads
officers or the views of passenger asso-
citation officials, there are certain I'M
alterable facts and conditions standing
out that go far towards this naturally
logical conclusion.
This is war of the giants" and by
virtue of their great strength and broad
sweep of territory, it must needs work
quickly to the end. The Southern Pa
cific is a great property, skirting the
west and southeast and eastward to the
backbone of the continent. The Santa
re is great, its rails stretch direct from
Chicago to Los Angeles, it's side lines
are great roads in themselves. AT the
very outset, the latter favored a low
rate to the Midwinter fair. That roads
attitude in the past has been for low
rate when there was an unusual or I'M
precedented volume of traffic. Denver
owed It's encampment successes to the
Santa Fe's stand, and all the roads
made money, though they fought the
low rate proposition at first. The
Worlds fair low rate was another evil
dence of that roads favoring low rate
and they carried it. Public sympathy
goes with the public purse strings, and
TO that end the people who travel will
be in hearty sympathy with the line
offering them the most for their money.
If the Western Passenger association,
in its ruling, stands by the Santa F'e,
lt will be simply because they know
that line will withdraw and go it
nc
war would go east Of the river. To go
east of the river means that eastern
lines will be in it. The Santa F'e don't
depend upon that traffic between Kan
sas City and Chicago, but there are
numerous other lines that do. Take it
away from those lines. and they would
become bankrupt. The loss of it would
not materially affect the Santa Fe
There is where the latter road can
stand pat and withdraw from the West
ern Passenger association, all the while
maintaining calm and lofty serenity.
The Southern Pacific, on the other
hand, has a neat thing of 1t on Cali
fornia business, to certain extent.
And yet the Santa F'e can ticket pas
sengers there and give them a side
ride over to Los Angeles. The distance
over from Barstow is only al miles.
Returning they can come back to Bar
stow and then on to the fair via Mo-
jaye. The Southern Pacific gave pas
sengers a side ride from Sacramento to
San Francisco, the Santa F'e from Los
Angeles to San Diego, and the public
will ask If that wasn't breaking it
about even" Without questioning the
motives or justice of either roads ac-
ton in the premises, it must appear
that when the war is over the Santa
Fe will come up smiling. 1t will be
earning operating expenses all through,
and that is all required under receivers.
Not so the other road.
But when dove-eyed peace again
comes to passenger circles, it does not
necessarily follow that freight rates
will be all serene They won't be. The
water and rail rates are going to cut a
swath that will open the eyes of some
people, and it means lower rates to a
certainty F