The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-01-19


which adjustment shall hereafter speak.
| The State commission certainly controls
! from Galveston into the interior Of the
! State. New Orleans, Memphis st. Louis
and other points have diferentials with
| Galveston. II the commission should re-
| duce car loads on commodities from Gal
weston 10 the interior OF Texas. New Or
| leans instantly, under the diferential sys-
/ tenn, would take the same, and so would
| Mefnphis. St. Louis, Chicago and all de
| hned territory. Any man can see that
4 New Orleans would not for moment
permit Galveston to have rates In the In
| terror Of Texas lover than from that city
| by more than the established diTerenuais
| and she would at once take the reduction.
/ / am quite persuaded that no traffic man
can or will question this statement II l
am correct in this argument, then II i.
| obviously within the power Of the state
commission to lower rates even upon IN
/ terstate traffic. and fear that the fact
that the commission does not so exercise
I its power and lower rates brings para
( lyzlng feeling OF helplessness over the
| business interests OF North Texas.
Furthermore as / understood IT, the In
! tcrstats commerce act provides that in or
| DEF that railways may reduce rates TO
meet water competition this water COM
petition must be actual and controlling.
/ Who controls the railway from Houston
| to sew Orleansg The Southern Pacific.
Who controls the ships from Galveston 10
! NV Orleans9 The Southern Pacific. Ar.
the astute traffic managers OF the South
! err Pacific 20 lost 10 their own interests,
so forgeif1l Of their monopoly. as TO per
nit the ship to cut against the railway, "
/ the railway against the ship7 Does Judge
Reagan think that there Is any real water
| competition from Omaha, Kansas city. 81.
Louis. Chicago nr Memphis to Galveston
or from any of the vast territory trihu-
tery to these points? DO shippers Of pack
ing h1usa products and other perishable
goods ship without refrigeratin- cars or
rooms? What vessel upon the Mississippi
river or iraversng the gulf from New
or. AIS to Galveston has refrigeratlng
con 1artments?
VIII cry man ship steel goods aEricul
trrai Implements or vehicles by wafer IL
! there is a railroad within fifty miles?
srl ui' that the diaphanous fiction az to
wate- competition at Galveston should be
peusioned of. 1t should be laid upon the
shelf with other discarded ami dlsoredited
| commercial hereses. II but serves as n
pratext for robbery. and that robbery
should now cease.
Judge Reagan takes issue with me when
I say that packcries can not ship from
Dallas over nineteen miles with profit II
is possible that ! could have been moro
r.10t hy using the term packing house
products, or by substituting the worn
'Johh'rs" for packers" but f. Il not
wei known to Judge Reagan that tho
great bulk Of packing house products In
1 loss than carloads are shlpurd 10 Texas
from Kansas City. and not s. Louis? The
carload rate from Kansas CITY to all Texas
common points IS e5 cents the less than
carload rate, SO cents. This leaves the
TeNas tobber is cents 10 distribute tbs
commodity IN less than carload lots. ana
by The general merchandise tafr OF the
commission is cents carries freight Just
nineteen miles
IN" judge refers TO interior concessions
made last spring by the Interstate lines
ana tHe cpntemporaneous Increase on some
commodities 10 Galveston and HoustAn
Iho state may he greatly Indebted to the
commission FOR this interior concession
ana consequent slight reduction. but can
the Judge point TO one single factory in
Texas that they ala not strike In roduc-
Ing tho car load rate into Texas on tho
product that factory manufactured? Tho
representatives. Of the roade which on the
9th day n March pledged the commits
sion to this adjustment then and there
definitely and positively promised a fun
ana complete adjustment such as would
enable the Texas iohber to distribute his
merchandise and meet distributing ra ties
from without the State. and they there
declared that the demand OF the Dallas
merchants was just and that they were
entitled to what they asked Did the rail
ways iulhll thst promise, or attempt to
tulilli II? 1t is in evidence that they did
not, for the traffic manager of the South
ern Pacific. ms chairman Of the committee
10 report to the commission the action of
the association respecting these promises,
said substantially these words mfr.
Chairman, We frankly admit that this is
not ali We promised. We can not claim
that We have done oil we promised, but we
n tFslr To-. 4
rk al every meeting Of our association
until fun ana ample Justice is done" |
respectfully ask the commission IL II knows
of anything the Southwestern association
has done since. and / ask II the commits
sion, after patient wait by the people.
has taken ono step to induce or compel
the roads to execute the solemn ana re-
peated promise? And | ask the commits
sion II Galveston and Houston have not
already gotten rid OF the bulk OF tho very
increases Judge Reagan adverts to. and
has not the commission itself made rates
which dispensed with a number of these
raises?
/ do not mean to be hypercritical, and
tho distinguished chairman OF the COM
mission knows fun well how glady | bear
testimony to the incstimable value OF that
body and of the great work it has done
for Texas. / yield to none in my full APP
probation OF the well known and almost
of the commission in accepting his thank
less and most arduous position: his quit
ting the United States senate and accept
auce of this office evidenced the most ex-
allied patriotism. Yet / am constrained
In the interest of the people among whom
| live and whose interests IT is my pleas
uso TO serve and advance. TO assist as
far as may lay In my power In affording
them relief from what ! esteem the gross
est exactions
As was once said by the great French
minister to his king:
"For Justice, good my liege,
All place Is n temple and all seasons sum-
mer."
So say I now for the people OF North
Texas. The distinguished chairman OF
tho commission md are both democrats
both holding to the great principles of
tho democratic party and earnestly hop
ing that they may obtain in this republic
and be retained I'm Texas. but tho signs
arc omuous of change. The people who
have given great and lucrative offices to
their leaders are asking what relief In all
those years has come 10 them, what
temptation from intolerant and ever in
creasng burdens, and they threaten to
turn ,tnpn the marty and rauj ~ Ifniess