The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-05-26

Sunday Morning the Railroads Were
Forbidden to Discriminate Against the
City on the Short Haul as in Favor OF
the People of Kansas City-What the
Merchants and Others Think of 1t.
The decision of the interstate com
merce commission which was published
In Sunday mornings Eagle, and which
was the subject Of general discussion
on every hand was received yesterday
in Wichita and is here published in full:
A little over year ago the case was
fled before the interstate commerce
commission by Johnston-Larimer Dry
Goods company of this city, alleging
discrimination made by the Santa Fe
railroad against the city of Wichita,
and Immediately charges were also
made against the Rock Island, Frisco
and Missouri Pacific railroads, alleging
that rates for the transportation of cot
ton pieces, mOiasses, sugar, rice, or cof-
Fee from Galveston, Houston or other
Gulf shipping points in Texas TO Wich-
tia are higher via. defendants line than
rates on the same commodities from
the same points of shipment to Kansas
City, No, and other Missouri river
points.
The commission held the allegation
was well founded and was in violation
Of the interstate commerce act. 1t
ordered the Atchison and Rock Island
Railway companies, the latter being al
so q partyto the proceedings, to correct
their rates and also to make rate sched-
uies that would be readily intelIigible to
shippers.
The wholesale grocers also Joined
with the Johnston-Larimer Dry Goods
company and while the title of the suit
was in the name of the dry goods firm
every business firm In Wichita including
the millers, shippers of grain, etc. were
interested in the case.
The case was filed April 10. 1885,.
against the A T. & s. r the
Frisco, the Rock Island, and the Mis-
souri, Pacific. The case was set for
hearing on the third day of Nav. 1895
When the case came up for hearing
each of the roads named was represent
cd by their ablest attorneys, and the
old agreement about water transporta-
ton on the Missouri river. regulating
rates, was introduced, by the Wichita
attorneys, showed that the last boat
put on the Missouri river some years
purevtous went to the bottom and no
effort was ever made to raise il.
The Wichita attorneys showed the
commissioners that the Santa Fe from
Galveston TO Wichita charged on 100
pounds a rate of 20 cents on coffee and
rice; 80 cents on sugar; 6S cents on mo-
iasses, and 81 cents on cotton piece
goods, and while the distance from
Galveston TO Wichita was 1872 miles the
same road shipped the same class of
goods from Galveston to Kansas City |
a distance Of GAL miles, as follows: COT
zee and rice, % cents; sugar and molas- |
ses, 80 cents, and cotton piece goods. |
So cents. They showed that all other |
Missouri river towns were given a like |
rate.
1t was argued before the commission
that the IFople of Wichita had voted |
bonds to aid in the construction of these |
railroads, and that If they had been |
built 10 Galveston as a private specuia- |
ton by the jobbers of Kansas CITY.
Atchison, st. Joseph, Leavenworth, |
Omaha, and Lincoln, TO do business in
their interests alone and to squeeze out
every intermediate jobbing point in /
any better to that end than it
now is.
When the case was before the inter-
state commerce commission for a hear
ng Mr.. Johnston of the Johnston-I,ari-
ner Dry Goods company, Mr.. Hess of
the Wichita Wholesale Grocery COM
oany, and Mr.. Lehman of the Lehman
Higginson Grocery company all 1esti-
led that the present adjustment Of
rates were not only unjust TO Wichita
put almost prohibitive, shutting Wichi-
"a wholesalers out of the Galveston
market and compelling them to buy in
'ther and higher markets and to shin
oy other routes.
In other words. it was made Main 10
he commission that after the govern
nent had made deep water harbor at
TaiVeston and southern Kansas had !
ilded in the construction of railroads
o Galveston the people of this section
we're deprived of any benefits of \ deem
water on the Gulf coast by the iiscrjry9-
nations Of the very roads they had helm
ID to build.
The decision as given by the inter
'tate commerce commission is as fol-
ows:
Business competition, which. as +ba
'rior findings show, is so greatly pro-
noted by relatively low rates al Mis-
ourl river points and other places n,sn-
Toned, is hampered and restrained nv
'elatiVefy higher rates in force from ali
ne various points OF supply TO Wichita
where large jobbing interests are Incs+.
d and in active competition with whoIA
ale dealers at Kansas City and other
avored points for the trade of a com
siderable portion of Kansas and OkIa-
iona territory, The Wichita Johbars
hough much nearer than the Kansas
1ty dealers TO Galveston ana other
Texas points Of supply, by some Of the
defendant lines, are unable under ex-
sung raiinoad rates, 10 compete on
ven terms with their competitors. ex-
ept at points where the rates 10 and
Jack from Kansas City equal the "a ties
Iirect 10 Wichita. and such points are
lear TO or westerly OF Wichita. This
inability OF Wichita dealers. through re
atively unfavorable railroad rates. 10
ompefe in intervening territory with
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