The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-05-23
IT IS 50 ELASTIC
DOUGLASS KNOCKS THE PROPS
FROM UNDER TIE POOL.
Shows the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion a Few facts-MissOuri River Towns
Claim BENEFITS Because of Water Ship
ments but VIII Not Allow Wichita the
Sandstone Startling Examples of Dis
elimination Against Wichifa--Mr. Lin
coin Makes an Important Admission
such Rates subvert AL Natural Laws.

In the Eagle job office yesterday a
reporter for this paper came across the
brief of Smith & Douglass, attorneys,
to be filed with the United States inter-
state commerce commission in the case
in which Wichita is so largely inter-
ested. 1t is the case brought by the
Johnston-Larimer company for them
selves and other merchants, asking re-
lief from discriminative freight rates
on commodities shipped from Calves
ton. The brief, prepared by SIR. Doug
lass, who presented the case to the
commission at Kansas City, deals at
length with the facts and the law; and
is interpersed with some wholesome
argument on general principles.
1t gives table of rates TO illustrat tie
/ the situation. Take the rates on coffee,
for instance. The rate from Galveston
10 Wichita, 723 miles, is 20 cents per
/ 100 pounds; to st. Joseph, 946 miles, it
IS 20 cents; to Omaha, 1,07t miles, il is
30 cents; to Lincoln, Neb., 1.0S1 miles,
il is 50 cents, and the rates on cotton
piece goods" rice, sugar, molasses and
many other commodities, are almost
/ equally discriminative.
| The brief deals with the various eX-
cuses offered for such discriminat ton.
One of them is that very low rates to
Kansas City are necessary on account
of water competition" up the Missis-
sippi to st. Louis and on the Missouri
; Referring to the MISSISSIPPI argument
Mr.. Douglass contends that the wit
/ neSses on the other side utterly failed
/ to show whether such competition was
sufficient TO account for one cent or ten
Z cents of any rate in question.
! Unless, therefore, the commission is
to take the vaguest guesses of a freight
agent as gospel truth, there is not a
shadow of proof on which to base a
/ finding of water competition justifyine
/ the enormous discrimination complain
ed Of
The fact is that this water compe-
! titiOn' theory is an India rubber cloak
used on all occasions to cover all kinds
! of sins committed by traffic mana gers
! 1t is so elastic as to fit every emerg-
/ ency and so portable as to form a part
/ of the hand baggage of every traffic
/ man when he leaves home TO attend a
hearing before railroad commission
! The water competition theory
touches its maXium of abSudity when
the Missouri river is reached. a Kan
sas City witness called to support this
theory gave the following unique opin-
/ ion: That a boat line on the Missouri
! would pay if every boat could be guar
if the railroads would guarantee not t.
/ cut the rates.
I'VE shall not waste time on this
discussion. All talk of boat lines on
| the Missouri may be dismissed with
| n reference to the admitted fact that
| the last line proved a complete failure
and was forthwith abandoned.
| mo witness vouchsafed any eXplana-
ton whatever as TO why a merchant
in Lincoln, Neb., Gan interior city. 400
| miles more distant than Wichita ]