The record-union., 1896-02-24

Railroads should form one continuous
connected line, to be operated without
being permitted to make connections or
arrangements for interchange of traffic
with any other company or companies
which should compete for a common
traffic.
WRONGLY CONSTRUED.
THE claim is in itself preposterous,
as think l can show you. Neither of
these Acts can be fairly construed into
such strained signifieation, and if they
had the meaning imputed to them by
Senator Thurston, why does the Inter
state Commerce Act provide. as in Sec
ton 3, that it shall be unlawful for any
common carrier to make or give any un-
due or unreasonable preference or ad-
vantage to any particular person, COM
pany, firm, corporation or locality. or
any particular description of traffic. in
any respect whatsoever, etc, and that
every common carrier subject to the
provisions of this Act shall, according
to their respective powers, afford all
reasonable, proper and equal facilities
for the interchange of traffic between
their respective lines, and for the re-
ceiving, forwarding and delivering of
their several lines and those connecting
Herewith, and shall not discriminate in
their rates and charges between such
connecting lines.
referring again to the map, let me
say that 1t is to the agency of these
powerful competing railroads and their
contributions TO the traffic of the Cen
tral Pacific quite as much as, perhaps
more than, to the Union Pacific that
the Central Pacific has enjoyed so large
share of the traffic to and from Cali
fornia. Once close the Ogden gateway.
or attempt to place them at a disad-
vantage as compared with the Union
Pacific, and does any member of this
committee doubt that they will find
some other outlet or connection. and.
when that is done, the value of the Cen
trail and Union Pacific as earning prom
critics will at once, and permanently. be
damaged. What then will happen to
the Governments lien? VIII there be
any recompense to the Union Pacific
division of the connected continuous
line by additions to its traffic and rev
enues! Certainly not, because these
competitors are not going out of the
through business for that would not be
TO their own interest, or to that of the
Government or the public. They will
fnd new path, and the Central and
Union Pacific will not only lose bust
ness, but suffer material loss in the
average rate obtainable for what is left
These are facts, which it will be well
Tor you, gentlemen of the committee. as
men of intelligence and business experi-
ence, to carefully consider.
BECAME COMPETITORS
''It is well to note that the Roclk
Island and the Burlington could as well
have connected with the Union Pacific
at Denver as with the Rio Grande and
Colorado Midland Roads; but the Union
Pacific closed its line and forced them
10 an adverse connection. What has
been the result? Instead of these two
powerful systems being feeders to the
Union Pacific line for about one-half of
It's length, they have become gigantic
competitors, and this competition has
been the most powerful factor in the di-
version Of traffic from the Union Pacific
line, while at the same time they have
been equally potent in collecting and
bringing to the Central Pacific traffic
which, without their aid, would have
gone by the Southern gateway, and
been lost not only TO the Union but to
the Central Pacific also.
Again, the Union Pacific owning
and operating the Utah and Northern.
running from Ogden to Butte and Hell
ena, and connecting with the Oregon
Short Line at Pocatello for Portland
and Puget Sound, also shut out the Rio
Grande Western and all it's connections
from any participation in that busi-
ness upon fair or living terms; so that
it may be assumed that the policy of
the Union Pacific has been to cut off all
connection and interchange of traffic
with roads physically connected with it,
but which were NOT under its control.
have already given you an example of
this. You must remember that the
Chicago Burlington and Quincy, the
Rock Island, ETC., could all make con-
nections at Denver with the Santa Fe
system, and could divert their traffic
and send it into California via Mojave,
without much sacrifice of their revenue.
To the Rock Island it would be matter
of indifference whether it carried the
traffic to Fort Worth and gave it to the
Texas and Pacific, or to Denver and de-
livered 1t to its connections for the Og-
den route. The Chicago Burlington
and Quincy and the Missouri Pacific
could in like manner connect with the
Santa Fe, which would no doubt be very
glad to open. its lines to such powerful
feeders. In fact, l see no possible adj
vantage which could accrue to the
Union Pacific by any such arrangement
as is proposed by Senator Thurston;
but l do see the great harm and detri-
ment that would result to both of these
bond aided roads, and one thing l be-
lieve to be certain-that it would per-
luanently decrease the value of the
Government lien.
PLEA FOR FAIRNESS.
'It does seem to me that it would be
better for all interested-of course, in
Guiding the greater interest of the Gov
ernment-that the Central Pacific re-
main, as it were, an open highway to
treat all who meet it at Ogden fairly
and alike, as it has the physical and
financial ability to do, if the Gov
ernment will make a fair settle
ment, as have said, many
times the business that would reach
it there The Central Pacific will con-
t1nue TO do as 1t has dOne-pay all It's
debts and endeavor to create harmony
among the lines reaching it at Ogden, so
as to make not only all the companies,
but the patrons of each and every COM
pany satisfied. If there should be one
continued line from Chicago to San
Francisco, as it is now from Chicago
over the Northwestern Railroad to Og-
den. these other great companies could
hardly expect fair usage from such a
line, reaching, as it would, something