Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1895-04-29
A MONOPOLY RIDDEN STATE.


/. Hsrper's Weekly. shibboIetl
that acts as watch-word 10 bringipi
. all the people together is the phrase
9 Charge all that the trsfiic will bear.
{ 1t 10 an expression that is variousl,
credited TO Mr.. Huntington, th,
= original Mr. Crncker and to variou
subordinate officials Of the compsny
> It's taken TO indicate the consistapt
J uDvarying policy Of the Southern
= Pacific company in respect to its char
ges fOr transportation. But the sir il
full OF stories Illustrative of the same
policy. II dees not matter whether
they are all true; they are believed TO
be true. or those that can be proved
two or three can be told here. On
one OF the days when the Sand Lots
movements were strong the late Mr..
Charles CrOct er met a wealthy mer-
chant down town and said to him that
he hoped the people of San Francisco
would allow him to live among them,
but the talk of the Sand Lotters sug.
geste1 that they would not, The
merchant replied that If Mr.. Crocker
would do as he advised, he, Mr.. Crock.
er, would be the most popular man in
town. His advise was that Croaker
should write to the Chamber of Cur
merce asking that committee be sp-
pointed TO meet him and confer upaD
the question what the Southern
Pacific company ould do to meet the
approval of the community.Mr Crock
er listened for AN hour, and then sad
II will do nothing of the sort. 1 will
get all eau out of the road and when
railroading plays out will be such a
rich man that won't care"
The same merchant who repoIts
this, once had an eDOr n Gus shipment,
to make to the east. he was Informed
by an officer of the Southern Pacific
that 1t had 'got him between the door
and was going to squeeze him" 1t
proposed that he pay such rate as it
higher one than he had ever
paid before, He hired a steamshi
md sent his goods around the Horn {
ooner than pay 1t, and the next year
ne company made rate of slightly /
more than half what it had asked him
IuriHg the previous year.
A hop raiser who shipped his harvest
ach year called for empty cars on one v
ccassion, and the. local freight agent
sked him If he knew what freisht he
'as going to pay. "Tbe same as did
efore, L suppose" said the rancher. s.
On no, " said the agent. "Hops have p
one up, have they not?" The crop o.
ad failed in Germany and was a poor 81
lein New York, 80 that the commodity 81
nd risen in value from l5 or 20 cents
nearly dollar a pound. In the ~
reVious year the hop men had lost
eavily. Therefore the rancher asked.
mat has the price to do with you?' cf
II has this much to do with u.s." said ~
Ie agent, II will have to raise your
to from to cents a pound. Those de
my orde RS aud think you are get
of very easily" o,
The shipper sent his hops by wagon l6t
ANS TO the nearest waterway and by
at TO San Francisco, and paid only &c
out cnets pound for that mode of
Insportating them. Then the rail-
" agent came again to him and said do1
WY did you not tell me what you %,
re going to dc? l would haye got N
g OF cent a pound for you" Dire
I IL because Of such relations be \
zen the people aud the railroad that eW'
public believes the story that one ios
at ranch owner has sworn that, un. 10.
another railroad Is built, he will not V
'e upon his land another pound of Sic
thing for market except what can
TX to the place Of sale upon It's own "a, "
= 80 he raises mules, horses, hogs iSo 10
sheep, and drives to the coast or ii
nearest station Of the Santa Fe P'
Le. sach
The transcontinental business Of "
Southern Pacific. company does not
A1 the rates the company has been
ed to make" said still another
chant They have been forced 10 N
g up for their transcOntinental II
- by excessive heavy local rates IN II
loTnla. That 10 why We see that. III
the case Of wheat, they cannot
II at all on the transeontlnenlal IL
,, yet they chrge d rate Of u a ton II
200 mile haul 20 the seaboard u
gh the same commodity has besn N
% at profit Tor o. ton over
miles be ween ~ Louis and the
ute,