The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-23

/ rates They contend that il is G violation
+ Of the interstate commerce law-that it is
! in effect pool, which IS prohibited
/ It is doubtful if the combination can be
4 properly. elassed as pool The earnings
are not put into "a common fund and di-
vided upon an agreed basis. All that
Ihe combination proposes TO do is to main
tain such rates as the interstate com
merce commission and the railroad com
missions of The various states permit.
in other words. they have agreed not TO
''cut each others Threats"
II the roads abide strictly 10y their agree
meut We do not see that the masses of
the people would be injured in the least
The great majority of the people DO not
set any benefit now from the kind of
competition that has been going on among
the railroads. They have TO pay the reg
ular rates. which are admitted to be fair
rates. They are rates that are fixed by
the representatives of the people.
As matter of fact since there are
commissions to look out for the interests
or the public there ought 10 be commits
sions OF some sort to look
out for the interests Of the stock
holders Of the railroads. All the pro-
lection should not be on one side The
public ought not to expect nor desire such
/ competition between railroads as would
rum them. The roads are the greatest
/ factors in building up communities and
I states, and upon the taxes they pay
J sci
/ largely dependent for necessary revenues.
/ But what is the kind of competition
against which the railroads have com
bined for self-protecuon? 1t is mainly
competition for such business as that
of the great packing houses of Chicago,
the sugar trust and other large shippers.
/ These great shippers, having several
routes by which they can ship their pro-
ducts. go first to one road and then to
| another, getting the lowest possible bid
from each and finally they make con-
tract with the road that accepts their
shipments for about the actual cost of
carriage.
There would not be so much opposition
to this sort of competition, however, if
consumers got the benefit of the reduced
railroad rates. Consumers, however. are
not benefited. The sugar trust, for in
stance, sells sugar at so much per barrel
delivered. BY that means it gets all the
benefit of the reduced railroad rates.
What it makes out Of the railroads goes
into the pockets of millionaires. The
competition. which Senator Chandler and
certain newspapers regard as of such vast
Importance to the public, is, in fact, only
helpful to the great shippers who, as a
general thing, are miIlionaires who have
! made most of their money by playing
the railroads one against the other. Com
missions should fix fair rates and then
railroads should be allowed to protect
themselves against ruinous competition.
Dunravcn Talks Too Much.
Lord Dunraven seems to feel that it is
necessary to rciterate his charge that the
syndicate that built and sailed the Defen-
der in the international cup race with
/ the Vall1yrie acted dishonest part in
that contest. In his speech at the ban
quet rendered him by a number of gentle
men at Cardiff. an account of which was
published in our dispatches yesterday, he
repeated the charge and attempted to de-
fend himself for making it. He seemed
to realize, however, that he has not the
/ unanimous support of the people Of his
own country in the course he has seen
fit to pursue. In the beginning of his
/ little speech he said that at least those
/ who rendered him the banquet had re-
| spect for him That statement indicates
| that he is aware of the fact that there
are many who have very little, if any,
respect for him.
The impression left by his speech is
! that he does not intend to attempt to
substandate the charge he made against
the Defender syndicate. He said that the
only possible chance for determining
whether or not he was right in assert
/ ing that ballast of the Defender was
changed after she had been measured was
gone forever.
1t does not occur to him apparently that
he ought not have made the charge un-
less ne was able to substanuate it, ana
that he does not put himself in a favora-
bic light when he practically admits tina.
he made the charge knowing he could
not prove it.
He says ne called the attention Of the
cup committee to his dissatisfaction with
the measurement Of the Defender, but
he makes that statement in such way
as to leave the impression that he made
/ practically the same charge before the
/ contest was over as he makes now. But
did he do any such thing? Did he hint
that he suspected that there had been
a change made in the Defenders bal
last, a change that would be to her adj
vantage? lie knows he gave no such hint.
He simply expressed his dissatisfaction
with the measurement of the Defender
and a commencement was ordered. The
/ reimbursement showed that no mistake
had been made in the first measurement.
The New York Yacht Club has acted
with good Judgment in the matter Of the
! Dunraven charge. 1t has appointed a