The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1895-12-16
that you arc perpetuatlng, mot rerulatInv

| chosen, influential few" strong under
weak non.owncrs Of Interior compresses
by debating how and where their busi-
ness must be done. In spite OF protest and
| argument" In uirect opposition to your
| views, expressed on page rs of your iirst
report. IN which after saying, but dis
elimination in rates is only one method
| illustrate. among other things, exactly
what frequently happens under your rul-
Ing to cotton consignec TO us, which you
| force to stop at the congresses IN the
Interior belonging to our competitors.
1t would appear that the idea OF the
items have prevented the building up Of
compress monopones at the ports,
The preSyention Of monopSoiy, Il very
one at the ports. which ! believe existed
| only In your imagination. built up another
monopoly, far more haneful in ltS effects
State? l venture to say. that of all tbs
interior comnresses, very large pr,
soieiy in buying and shipping cotton; not
a local institution. either but owned and
controlled by interests outside of Texas.
OF the remaining presses, | also venture
to say that at least rs per cent are con-
| trolled and managed BY other cotton buy
ers, and that not oyer per cent OF the
maintained as independent concerns solely
iOl the business of COMPRISING cotton.
Which gou are are Ppeasea 70
/ slider monopolier, and which you have
| been so successful in killing, are trivial
| IN their influence on the State, compared
! 10 the monopoly which has been built up
under your tos ,ering care and protection
| AS 1t now stands. cotton buyer who has
| no show IN competing with those who
! have their compress profits to aid them,
and ! predict that II your present regu-
lations remain, IN force few seasons
| longer you will be able to count the cot
/ ton buyers of Texas on the fingers of one
hand. Toere viii be a number OF men
4 fanf n In -
| of course. but they vii. virtually be clerks
and employees of large concerns who own
! the presses and VINO dictate alycddy the
price of the article in the localities in
| which they operate, with the natural
I result that the state Will be districted,
! the farmer will have one buyer to bid on
! his cotton, and he will be the man EN-
| ployed by the compress owner who runs
| that district, and competition Will be at
an end. When that time comes. aud it
| Is not tar or, if the Houston and Texas
/ Central railway lose their suit, then if
no, now, the strong; under your orders,
| aud where their business must he done 81"
ana ut what price.
| have before me a circular issued DC
| also controls and operates an interior
compress, from which quote:
AS ~ market now has the appearance
| Of an Upward tendency 81 you Will con-
I sign cotton to us we will
pluce 1t in our metal rooted brick ware
| house adjoining the compress, protecting
| II thoroughly from the weather and pre-
venting country damage, which becomts
most serious at this period Of the year.
/ ana without charge for storage for six
| Hchths' II you y IRE To- hold that long.
After giving the terms, etc,
II continues: And shall only ask You TO
give Us the preference when selling and
IN the event we are unable to pay as
! much as others when you wish 10 sell.
sou are at liberty to dispose of it 10 the
bost advantage, OF course with the under
standing that should you sell to any one
| else besides Ourselves you are to have
lrt atasg. civ
/ the cotton into ---------.----- the outward
shipment in order that we may get back
from the railroad company the concentra-
ton charge from your point to -------.
! BY this you viii understand that no trans
! poriation charge viii be made against you
tor bringing the cotton from your point
This community would like to know If
| YOU consider u a fair Interpretation of
| your ruling that Gotten which IS con-
/ centrated and remains at an interior COM
/ press on storage for six months, on which
/ Glhn pc conslder3d through cotton, ana
I CHARGES should be collected.
Provided your regulations can he con-
/ strued, rs they evidently are, to allow
cotton shipped on through rate TO be
stored in transit six months. with no
/ why, with equal uropripty. may not cot
ton shipped to Galveston be held at this
Same conditions? II not, IS not this rank
discrimination IN favor of the compress
! NNNeiS ana against tft 'rtUH Hnl com
merce Of this port and OF tho state? You
can sec where your rulings lead.
As long ago as October 49, 1891, | wrote
you as chairman OF the commission, from
which letter l beg 10 quote as follows:
Your honorable body was created. as
We believe, for the purpose OF according
aons and places within the State and to !
'hcck discrimination against or m favor !
OF any NJ p9rson or plles, in Texas where
It Is. vel established fact that the
control ana Inapaserent of these COM |
presses are In the hands of cotton ship |
b pcrs vino already control enough of the |
I crop of the state 20 make them masters |
of the situation ana enable them TO die /
| tate how much or how little shall be paid /
Tor cotton al the smaller Texas towns
To own a COMPRESS to which the railroad /
t1i OF the smaller and not so fortunate /
shippers In that territory shall be sent |
Tor compros5ing is 10 be favored TO a de-
gree whlcn inirrcs wealth and power 10
tho stockholders and monopoly of the
business to thc companies.
lucky indeed is that corporation wnich
10 tostored and Whose dividends are guar
'n,I.u uy me faNtrlns and powerful Aegis |
Of the railroad commission Of the Stnte OF
GAS IhluS OF the power you place
mo the hands OF these corporations We /
buy cotton which. according to your rul-
lna. must be- sent 10 a compress in transit
or nay ~ cents per hundred pounds addi-
uonal freight Our cotton on arrival az
ms press must await It's turn TO be com
'irased ana reShpped, subiectiug us to a
"uI tS.utn7 10 the shipper and forcing MS
10 take the risk of the market, and for
NN'aOsg nipnell, certainly not ours or
we parties we represent i'm the interior /
IS II TO he supposed that the cotton sont
~ pu'SluHls 10 these congresses Will be
.tNored when transportation Is scarce or
'ne t9lion of the ON ncrs OF the pressP \ |
MloWleuEc OF the weakness of human ma
,VI' answers theSc questions for us If IL
past would do SO. What guarantee do va
..,,, NE mo- t'hn IA ihc past that our