The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-29
Nearly Three Hours of CONVEX
Sation That Ended About
Where 1t Began.
FRESNO SENDS a DELEGATION.
A Further Meeting VIII Be Held
To-Day to Discuss a Fore
doomed Resolution.

meeting of the Railroad COMMISSION yes
terday-that neither the Southern Pacific,
Dr. Stanton nor Mr. Clark are in favor of
a horizontal reduction of 10 per cent in the
existing freight rates on wheat
OF course everybody is in favor of some
reduction of the Southern Pacific's profits.
Even Attorney J. C. Martin, representing
the Kentucky corporation at the meeting
yesterday, did not argue that there should
be no reduction whatever in the rates of
his company. Mr.. Martin is quite
too bland a gentleman to make any such
q claim when addressing so pre-eminently
a reform body as the Railroad Commission
proved itself TO be yesterday afternoon.
Everybody talked reduction. First MIR.
La Rue spoke to his resolution de-
manding a Is per cent reduction and 20
per cent horizontal reduction on the wheat
rate. He wanted it right away, so that
the farmers might derive some benefit be-
fore the wheat crop of this year was all
shipped.
And Commissioner Stanton wanted
reduction. He pleaded and argued for a
reduction. He wanted reduction or death,
it might almost be said-only-only-he
did not want that kind Of reduction, and
he was not in quite such hurry to get
the reduction. 1t was not horizontal re-
duction that he wanted, but a reduction
here and there.
Commissioner Clark did not at any time
grow eloquent in favor of reduction, yet
it was apparent that he wanted a reduc-
tion-but he did not want horizontal re-
duction. 1t would not be fair to the rail-
road, be thought, and he wanted to be
fair almost as badly as he wanted a re-
duction.
And Attorney Martin, for the railroad,
spoke in a vague way about reduction
but not the horizontal reduction on wheat
rates. And Mr. Martin, in his frank and
disingenuous way, limited that it would be
an embarrassing position for the Southern
Pacific Company to find itself in should
all the reduction be made on the wheat
rate, and no margin left for reduction on
other commodities. And might not the
loss on the wheat rate have to be made up
on the rates Of other commodities? Mr.
Martin only suggested this.
Here were four strong men assem- bled in
one small room for the qualification of one
particular desire-the reduction of freight
rates-yet SO strong were these united de-
sires that they defeated their own object.
The reduction was not accomplished.
True, there is to be another meeting to-
day. 1t will begin at 10 o'clock in the
morning. 1t will be devoted very largely
to an exposition of Attorney Martins
views concerning the kind of reduction
the Southern Pacific does and does not
desire.
But this meeting can hardly change the
status of affairs much, for Commissioners
Stanton and Clark have openly and can
didly recorded their eternal objections to
the reduction proposed by Comm issioner
La Rue. 1t is not to be expected that Mr..
Martins argument to-day-an argument
taking about the same view of the matter
as that already expressed by Stanton and
Clark will have any great influence
toward changing the declared purpose of
the two Commissioners to vote down the
La Rue resolution.
There were some others present at the
meeting yesterday afternoon who ex-
pressed their desire for reduction-three
gentlemen from Fresno, W. W. Phillips.
E. W. Briggs and T. c. White. These
men not only wanted reduction, but an
immediate one, and not alone that, but
they wanted exactly the horizontal reduc-
ton on wheat rates proposed by Mr.. La
Rue. But these gentlemen had no votes.
There was no reduction gained by yester-
days meeting.
There was one man who opened his
mouth at the meeting and did not urge a
reduction-not even the kind of reduction
wanted by Messrs- Martin, Stanton and
Clark.
This was Denis Kearney. Mr.. Kearney
was frank on the point of reduction, at all
events He alleged himself to represent
some workmen at Sacramento who had
sent him down 10 the commission to warn
the body that it could not reduce the
profits of the Southern Pacific without re-
ducing the wages of the employees of the
Southern Pacific.
He pointed his finger at Mr.. La Rue and
told the Commissioner that those working
men had voted for him at the last election.
Mr. La Rue therefore remarked that the
railroad company should be made to share
some of its profits with the workingmen-
which showed that Mr.. La Rue was losing
no points.
Mr.. Kearney announced his desire to
speak against the reduction at to-day's
meeting. Mr.. Kearney's voice, being
against reduction of any kind, was the
one discordant note in what was otherwise,
upon the whole, rather harmonious and
pleasant three hours conversation.
Aside from the weighty matters already
the only other specially note
worthy event of the afternoon was DR..
Stanton's expression of utter indifference
to newspaper criticism. And Mr.. Martin
smiled approvingly when DR.. Stanton
made the declaration. In rather milder
form Mr.. Clark deserved the same APPROX
ing smile by echoing the sentiments ex-
pressed by DR.. Stanton.
Then the meeting adjourned until this
morning, with the definite understanding
that the La Rue resolution is the one thing |
before the commission and that both STAN |
ton and Clark are pledged to vote againstit. |