Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-07-20
seaboard officials Say They Intend
to Stay iathe Fight.
TIE LATEST CUT MAY Be MET
Postmaster General Wilson's Order
About Railroad Mails.
VARIOUS ENTERPRISES

The Southern States Freight Association,
of which the Southern railway and all other
railroad lines in the south. except the Sea-
board are members. having, within the
past day or so given permission to it's MEM
bers to meet the cut Of the Seaboard in pas
senger rates. the association having charge
Of passenger matters we'll as freight,
the rate war may be said to have COM
menced in earnest. Some idea of the re-
duction may be formed from the fact that
a passenger can now go from New York to
Atlanta for $15. between which points
week ago the fare was s24. The Seaboard
people. most Of whose general officers have
gone to New York for the purpose of direct
ing the fight. are making almost super
human efforts to induce the steamer lines
from Boston. Providence. New York and
Philadelphia to southern points to rescind
their reputation of the Seaboard's new
freight tariff. and their refusal to handle
any freight under the same.
In the Fight to Stay.
Before leaving for New York Traffic Man.
ager Glover said: I'VE are In this fight to
stay until the end. We were forced into this
position by the action Of the Southern rail-
way and If we find that our rates are met
we will still further reduce them. We do
not underrate the strength Of our adver-
sary. but we oppose to the millions of their
bankers the sturdy. unwavering loyalty of
the merchants. shippers, farmers manu-
facturers. the producers and the plain peo-
pie Of Virginia. the Carolinas, Georgia,
Louisiana Kentucky. Tennessee, Alabama
Florida and all territory tributary to our
lne all of whom are as much Interested
and will be as vitality affected by the out
come of this struggle. as ourselves The
battles we are fighting are theirs as we'll
as our own. and thrfce-favored we consider
ourselves
We hope to secure the boon of free scope
and action In our dealings with a public we
are striving for. and in so doing to defeat
the schemes of a corporation DESTROYS q.
bringing the entire south under its exclusive.
control. With popular sentiment and SYM
pathy in our favor. we must win 1t will be
sad day for the south If by any possible
chance it should ever find itself at the mercy
or one corporation and subject to it's undis-
puted sway. We anticipate no such re-
suits for truth is mighty and will prevail
Under no circumstances will we abandon
the ship. and should the result be different
than that anticipated, which seems limos
sible. we will go down with drums beating
and colors flying
The Southern to Meet the Cut.
Regarding the action of the Seaboard
Vice President Baldwin Of the Southern
who Saturday went to North Carolina to
spend Sunday with his family said the cut
would be taken care Of.
Commissioner Haines of the Southern
States Freight Association has called a
meeting of the executive board of the as
Sociatlon Tor Tuesday. in Atlanta. and 1t
is supposed the standard tariff will be main
tanned until after that date.
The Railroad Mail Question.
A meeting of generai'managers. at which
nearly all the big railroads of he country
were represented. was held in Chicago Fri
day. and after fall discussion of the re-
cent order Of Postmaster General Wilson
in reference to the carrying Of railway
mail. 1T was agreed to submit the following
proposition to that official as compro-
mise:
First-Each OF the railroad comma mics
will agree that they will not handle The
mail OF any other railroad company unless
such mail is being transported under the
auspices OF the Post Office Department. the
same as any private mall
Second-That any mail they have that is
intended for points on the line of other
railroads they will gladly forward through
the Post Office Department.
Third-That all they ask Is to be allowed
to transport mail free Of charge between
the officers and employees of each individual
company that pertains to the business of
that company.
A railroad official. in speaking of this
matter. said: The railroad companies
think that there is nothing but plain justice
In allowing them this privilege. 1t will en-
Il
daily IN the aggregate upon all the rail-
roads il the order of the Post Office De-
partment Is carried out to the letter, and
they feel that they have had enough trouble
or their own already without the addition
OF this new menace TO their net earnings
1T does seem that their proposition is
reasonable enough. but to how 1t will
be received by the post office authorities no
one as yet knows. The indications are
however that the order of the Postmaster
General Will. for the present, at least, be
enforced. What has aroused the govern
ment particularly is the system of railr Dad
exchanges or post offices established by
the railroad companies in the more impor-
tant cities. by which thorough system of
mail service has grown up. IN virtual COM
petition with the Post Office Department"
To Make the Post once Pay.
A post office official. In referring to the
matter. said: while the railroad compa-
MES have made no secret whatever of the
manner in which they were handling rail-
road mail generally, the government, never
theless. wished to make full investiga-
ton of the matter in order to arrive at
some oennite understanding of the loss In
postal revenue that was entailed by the
practice In vogue in the railway service.
The post office branch of the government
mas been laboring under many difficulties.
deficit every year of 81. 900. 900 and upward.
While Mr.. Wilson has had charge of the
department he has given much of his time
10 devising means by which the postal
branch of the service could be made self
sustaining. and his recent order relative
to railroad mail is one of the results of the
canvass OF the situation instituted by him.
~ is understood in government circles that
II the order of the Postmaster General is
put into effect there will be 10 more de-
ncitS IN the departments annual budget.
mere has been no desire on the part of
the government to take snap Judgment on
the railroad companies. and for that reason
government inspectors and other subordi-
mates throughout the country were allowed
to understand tacitly that the railroads
were to be given ample time to put them
selves In shape for the new order of things.
and until they had sufficient time to do so
no cases were to be made against their
officers or employees"
The Chicago Exchange Closed.
One Of the effects already produced by
the order Of the Postmaster General has
been the closing OF the Chicago Railroad
Exchange, which for fifteen years past has
acted as distributing agent for railroad
mail sent without being stamped and with
out passing through the, post office.
1t Is expected that under the Postmaster
Generals ruling. which also has the in
dorsement of thefs Attorney General an
enormous amount Of mail will be diverted