The herald., 1898-02-19
A NEW RAILROAD TRUST
SOUTHERN PACIFIC AND SANTA
FE COMBINE
A HUNTINGT0NIAN STROKE
The Citrus Fruit and Local Passenger
Business Pooled by the Two
Roads in Defiance Of Law

| President Ripley of the Santa Fe and
President c. p. Huntington of the South
ern Pacific are doing the lion and the lamb
act. They are lying down together In har-
mony, but Mr.. Ripley may be sure that
when the lamb gets up 1t will find itself
inside the lion-and he will be the lamb.
In plain words. the Santa Fe and the
Southern Pacific have made combination,
a trust" of the railway business in
Southern California, and there is no longer
any competition in the slightest respect.
Railroad men are laughing at the Santa
Fe, for no company was ever known to
form a combination with Mr.. Huntington
without getting the worst of it, and this is
now proving to be the case in the combina-
tion spoken of.
There never has been any great amount
of rate cutting between the two lines since
the advent of the Santa Fe, when for a
couple of hours Charley White sold tickets
from this city to Kansas City for dollar
apiece, but while the rates have been well
maintained under the able conduct of j. M.
Crawley for the Southern Pacific and of
the talented K. HI. Wade for the Santa Fe,
there was competition as regards the
standing of the two lines before the people,
in the granting of accommodations of one
kind or another to shippers and in the fos-
tering of spirit of amity and earnestness
in public matters by both of the gentlemen
named.
With the election of Mr.. Ripley and the
appointment of the present general man.
ager of the Santa Fe system, Mr.. Nevin,
all this has been changed. The Santa Fe
in place of being active in promoting the
interests of Southern California, suddenly
ceased to do anything more than take the
freight that was offered to it, and all of its
old warm friends here have becorae
estranged 1t makes no difference to the
officials whether you ship on one line or the
other. as they know there is to be sharing
of profits in any event.
Mr.. Nevin declined to subscribe to La
Fiesta, and so did Mr. Shepard. 1t is
doubtful IL Mr.. Nevin has been more than
once to the chamber of commerce, and
neither he OF Mr.. Shepard have afforded
that institution one tithe of the considera-
tion that their predecessors did. They
have assumed the position of looking at
Southern California as nothing more than
a field for business, to be worked to the
fullest extent.
The fact of a com mbination has been
known from circumstances for some time,
but no proof has been get-at-able. Now
however, the San Diego Union comes out
with the fiat statement that 1t knows on
the best of authority that such trust"
exists; that the documents forming the
agreement were drawn up when President
Ripley was in San Francisco a year ago
and were agreed to for the Southern Pa
cific by Vice President Stubbs. President
Ripley and Mr.. Stubbs. not fancying the
idea of answering to the law for their IL
legal act in this matter simply drew up an
agreement, had copy made for each and
agreed to its provisions verbally refrain
ing from signing it. Why? .-ecause the
federal laws on such matters make such
an act felony and the penitentiary the pen
atty. The Union gives these statements as
facts which can be proved and of which it
Is certain on the very best of authority.
For some time the matter has been
known here. and already steps have been
taken to collect evidence and bring the
matter to the attention of both the inter-
state commission and state railway COM
mission. The feeling is strongly against
the Santa Fe in the matter, for to that
road was due the temporary relief from
the "all the traffic will bear' policy that
formerly characterized all railroad busi-
ness in this part of the state when there
was but the Southern Pacific to do bust
ness with. The idea is held that the union
of the Santa Fe with It's old competitor Is
in the nature of betrayal of the people,
and that the best thing to do is to go back
again to the Southern Pacific, which, what
ever other sins can be charged to it, Is not
guilty of hypocrisy and has never pretend
ed to be aught but what 1t is So shippers
say that they might as well deal with peo-
pie who have always been consistent, faith
er than with those who have in q measure
betrayed the trust that was placed in them.
That this is no idle talk the following
figures which are eloquent, bear witness:
1.-TWO or three years ago the Santa Fe car
RI aitrh fv nor Of Ha,
anges from hereabouts. The line has GER
tain advantages in this respect, having the
only direct road to Chicago and
much better terminals. 1t Is the
natural highway for fruit. Yet last
year. under the pooling arrangement, the
road failed to reach fifty per cent Of the
shipments. and the Southern Pacific paid
for the overplus 1t carried This year mat
ters are still worse, owing to the poorer
service. The Santa Fe is 900 cars behind
the Southern Pacific already. There have
been shipped from Southern California this
season $500 carloads of citrus fruit, of
which the Southern Pacitlc got 270O in
round numbers ond the Santa Fe 1S00."
And Mr.. Huntington smiles nowadays
when he thinks of smart Mr.. Ripley. Uncle,
it Is true, has to divide, but his road gains
business at the expense of the other and
makes a good showing.
How does Uncle" work 1t? Why, the
easiest way in the world, only the Santa
Fe did not know of the possibility in time.
1t knows now. 1.-THE roads connecting with
the Southern Pacific east of Ogden or Ell
Paso give liberal rebate, which naturally
draws the business. The Southern Pa
cific, SO far as can be learned, has kept
faith with the Santa Fe in the pool, but
its connections have given rebates and
thus secured the business. There are ten
agents for the eastern lines. the Southern
Pacific's connections, now at work in this
state. offering rebates for business over
the Southern Pacific. All these men nat
urally work against the Santa Fe, and
thus aid the Southern Pacific"
The deal extends to passenger business in
local territory, and as shown in The Her.
aid yesterday so close are the relations
of the two lines that the Santa Fe per-
mits Southern Pacific spoilers to work its
trains and bring 1t damage suits.
Any railroad man If asked about the