The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-06-16
RAILROAD MEN HERE
Taking Merchants Testimony
in the Spokane Rate Case.
HILLS RuMoHEo PLANS DENIED.
seatflo,s situation Must Ai~ays Com
masd Low Freight Rates-o. u q y.
20 Be Reorganized Independently.


were General Counsel G. ". Bum, o. ne
Northern Paeirc: General solieitog a. -
rrovey Of the Great Northern Genera
Traff5o Manager ]. u. Hannaforas 0, ,Ae
Northern Pacific: First Assistant Gem
eraI Freight Agent 5. G. Fulton. o. the
Northern Pacific. and View org 1oasls~'
William A. Underwood, OF the NofsnFfh
Pacific. no; unnaturaIly the coming 20
esther OF so mary prominent IailfDaa
,nsn al; az whom uers registered at the
Rainier Grand hotel, gave rise 10 good
6egI OF gossip and set all sorts OF runors
flying.
On. bold spsculator hazarded tha gueas
that they were digging into ire mysteries
of the Lake shDre sale. while SID an
other connected them with Mr.. hiHs re-
cent visit and felt sure that al Signs
r,osnted toward the acquisition ~ the
latter OF the Northern Pacific railroad.
One gentleman. who protested TO know
what he vas talking about, even vent 30
FAR az TO say that Mr. fIiil vas not only
aiming now at acquiring contro' OF tns
Northern Pacific, bat ultimately OF al fhs
railway lines and al the waterway hnsa
ia and conne-tsd Hith The United siates.
This gentleman further stated tbat Af.
HIS sudden Departure from Seattle vas
caused by a conferences with II. ". Nc
NELL with view 10 making the O. u. e
~. q part OF the Great Nortnern system.
ard fxing Portland as the terminus OK
fhs Japanese steamship line
III the statements Of the general officers
OF some OF the roads directly Interested IN
these transastions are worth anythins'
then most OF these suesses and assertions
are wide Of the mark.
The plain fact Ia that Mr.. HannaIord.
Mr.. Bunn. Mr. Fulton. Mr.. Underwood
and Mr.. Grover are here 10 continue the
taking of evidence before Commissioner
Saver In response 30 the complaint OF
spoksue merchants ~ % discgiu1ina ton IN
freight rates. More fhan yeaF ago the
fpokane shippers made complaint 20 Judge
Ifanferi that the Northern Paeifie Was
giving Seattle and Portland lover rates
On sht.anent from the East than Il VAS
giving Spokane: 80 much lower. 10 fact.
that seattle merchants could sell goods
,ist,t AZ Fnokanes aaor. Judge Hanfcrd
sapointed Special Master Sawyer 10 look
into The matter. and he has just given
DAYS sitting at Spokane. whsfe various
merchants appeared ard testified az 10
freight rates. Nothing further was Tealiy
developed By this evidence than i shown
on the face OF the railroad tariffs them
seives
Nr SAWYER ard the other gentlemen ara
now here to hear from Seattle merchants.
eight or ten Of whom win be called tofnoF-
row as witnesses From here the COM
missioner viii 20 70 Portland to take SIM
liar evidence, and he sin then make up
MS report.
.~The enolxane people do not seem TO APP
preclate the fact" said General Council
Bum of The Northern Pacific yesterday.
'that Seattle Ia on deep water, while Spo-
kane Il not. Our defenss before the court
will rest largely on that very fact. we
would gladly charge Seattle merchants
higher rates than We do: bat We cannot
because ve are met by the competition Of
the water hnes Now. II Spokane's COM
paint should compel us 20 reyRee rates 20
that point the logical rsuit souid he that
mo wnat reduce rates all the way hack
along the line. giving every Interior point
the advantage which Seattle simply COM
nlands on account % her location. The
sooner Spokane realizes that All the barge
wholesale ard iohbing business must be
done by Seattle and confines herself 70 her
own legitimate hnes tho better Il VIII he
for all concerned Spokane has many eie-
nents OF strength. and not the least Of
these Ii the possibility OF developing man
ufaefures. for which she has abundant
power Within A very short tsrne she could
he manufaeturlng many % the very ar
tieiea on which sho Il now complaining
about the rates Thea TOO. she Il the cen-
TEE OF A rich mineral region But she can
aever command the same shipping rates
4
mentioned
Nov. | take Il that Seattle dies not
wish 70 lose her railways. The RAILWAYS
can do without Seattle = great deal better
than Seattle can Ia without them Tho
franse0ntlnentai business on cur roaas
amounts 70 less than per cent. az the
entire volume OF business. Neither COM
tnEeney = likely "a occur. but II tho roads
should withdraw from Seattle rates ny wa
ter would at once b. rais,sd. II IS COM
petition between tho two thai keeps both
down as they are new
AS to the rumeyef plan Of Mr. HB "a
gain passess ION az The Northern pariae
there can b. noihnT in Il from tha si,nu'a
Tact that The decision of the sun~ene
court forhIds hts 3oing 81. AZ any rate.
u = iaaEhahie te think that Mr. T1
would have coma cur here fer tbas sne.,ias
purpose. visit "a New York or Rrr1ln
would tn mote 20 such a purpose.
Nor = the gossip ~ Witch veu znask
shent the Northern raclHc having hesn
the real purchaser ~ the rske Shore a~v
better founded Tie Norfhern Paefge a.
You VII remember. fought fBe c8nn~rna-
ton Of The sale IN she ttnlfef Sfata. r,,.,.
W THIS city. aud The Lake Shore IN fbe
tssstern courts. ornased the rr,rsa flr-
of the NetthNra Pacific I 40 n.4t a.,,ns
tha the gentlemen who MA Err "a. 49,
shere would BE- glad - corapei fhn N,~sf,-
ern faeiie 70 take the read 81 thst- h,s.i~
a. an advance"
The repnrtsr had harsiiv termed sv,r,
...Nilas Win Mr hann, vhen be- had t',s
i'easur" ~ ueetins SIR CHARLES Z, n.a-
man. ere az the slsssf gsr,o,r,ir,.,.. ..... -.
SRrfea WITH the reeFs-s rlfxafter af 49,.
ofeEon Railway & Navfestfs, t..,.,,..,.,,.
us fntne here suggested ri. r,s,or $3.50.
NJ. ttHt an1 tise tfrer8n EaUw-nF a. Mi
reF h.rr