The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-19
Awful Threat of the California
Traffic Association
THE COMING CONFERENCE.
INDICATIONS THAT THE s. p. IN.
TENDS TO RUN THINGS.
But it VIII BE Promptly Called
DOwn-The Utah Company Build
Coal AIines-Latest BY Wire-L ocal
Railway Notes.

Indications now are that the differ
TRANSIT Missouri lines will be adjusted in
conference when the duly accredited
representatives of the roads assemble
in this city on the 18th of this month.
1t will be notable gathering in every
way, both because of the great and
perplexing interests involved, as well
as the geographical location selected
for settlement And yet this city is the
proper place for the argument to be
made, and the men who are schooled
in that particular vein are capable of
talking rates, through rates, local
rates, commodity rates, commodity
added to the through rates. differential
rates, percentage, long and short haul,
classification and other things, in a
way that would mistify all not CONVEX
SAINT with such measures But from
such a. tangle they will emerge with a
new and satisfactory slate.
There is one thing that must be
borne in mind, and that is, neither
Utah nor her roads will tamely submit
to the conditions laid down by the
California Traffic association. working
In conjunction with the Southern Pa
cific as the straWs but too plainly indi-
cate-it won't work.
Press dispatches tell us that Traffic
Manager w. B. Curtis will present a
schedule of rates for acceptance by the
Southern Pacific eastern connections.
based on the theory that California
should reach out and annex Utah bust
ness in bulk to her own local business;
that Utah must come into the Califor-
MIA fold and virtually cease doing bust
ness with the eastern people; that if the
people and the roads don't "get in and
drill to California music. something
will happen; that something will be
that California merchants will refuse
to do business over any of these roads
In short. a boycott will be inaugurated
and the Union Pacific, Rio Grande
Western. Denver & Rio Grande, Colo
RADIO Midland Rock Island and Burling-
ton will be the sufferers.
Utah people and the lines above
quoted need take on but little uneasi-
ness from such threatened action in
asmuch as the scheme cannot be. car
ried out. 1t isn't based on anything
It's not in the slightest feasible on it's
face. It's not polite. There's nothing
to it.
Furthermore it is not believed that
California merchants will ever ask that
the things be done which the dis
patches credit them with, as in the
event of any boycott being waged on
eastern territory. they would be more
largely the sufferers than those Of any
other section. Such radical measures
would be made to work both ways, and
the work would start just so soon as
all those other roads could get their
little crank to turning. Our Utah mer-
chants would send up a mighty protest
against being segregated from the
populous east, and their protest would
go, too.
What would those threatened roads
do? They would simply rise up in
their might and say: Mr.. Southern
Pacific you are in a. pickle. You come
to Ogden and there you stop. You
don't come any further. We can cali
you, but you can't CALI us. We will
go right into the golden gate on the
north by way of Portland. We will
give our coast business on the south to
the Santa Fe at Denver. We will
! block you at Ell Paso as we'll as at
Ogden-now what are you going to do
about it?"
This is the railroad checker-boar
laid out in brief.
In conclusion, it is safe to assume
that Mr.. Curtis will in no way succeed
in laying an embargo upon roads and
people that desire to do business on
/ the broad plane of competition, and
with a view to subscribing all iuta -es: !
ON a just and equitable basis so far
as obtainable. The traffic meeting here
will settle the California assumption il
then found to exist.