The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-11-12
FIGHT FOR THE
COAST TRADE is
ABOUT TO BEGIN
Proceedings to Open
Tomorrow.
EXPLANATION OF SITUATION
LARGE INTERESTS DEPEND ON
THE ISSUE.
Attempt to Deprive Seaboard Cities
of the Only American Trade Ter
ritory on the Mainland
They Now Occupy.
EXPLANATION OF SITUATION
LARGE INTERESTS DEPEND ON
THE ISSUE.

The opening session Of the Interstate
Commerce Commission to consider the
suit of the st. Louis jobbers against the
transcontinental railroads for the purpose
of compelling the practical abandonment
OF carload differentialS and the estapllsA-
ment of what are known as graded rates
from the Atlantic seaboard as far west
as ST. Louis on Pacific Coast traffic Will
be held Tomorrow What the issue means
to San Francisco, and also to all the otn-
er seaboard points on the Pacific Coast,
was neatly voiced in the words of lead
ing business man:
please remember that the Pacific Coast
is our all, If not all ours; that we can
not retaliate and invade the vast terri
the Rocky Mountains. We have no terri
tory west of us to compensate lot q loss
of territory east, and II deprived Oh our
geographical rights we VIII be drlVen, II
not to the wall, at any rate into the sea
We do not believe that you Will take
from US even the little that we nave, CIV
ing 1t to them who have already much.
These are the concluding words OF the
argument made by w r. Wheeler before
the traffic officials Of the Great Northern
and Northern Pacific railways at ST PauI
last May. They are equally applisc airI'
now, for the present situation is 1alrly
described by them.
The extreme Importance OF the issue 10
the Pacific Coast and the nearness or the
proceedings may MAKE SOLlS PAOScAAI ca
PLANTATION acceptable. The men who nave
gone to St Louis in defense of the trade
Of the coast are: Traffic Manager Love
land, Attorney +. S. Pillsbury, Charles r.
Tay, President Wakefield Baker and ia
cob Baruch of Los Angeles, all represent
ing the Pacific Coast Jobbers and Manu-
facturers' Association me transconu-
mental roads are defendants to the COM
plant. The interest of the southern Pa
cifc Company is to have the suit adverse
ly decided, for the reason that II the rates
4 lTT FyFNr
st. Louis and Chicago than they are from
the Atlantic seaboard the Sunset route
will be at a disadvantage.
At present what is known as L g post
age stamp rates" are in vogue by which
New York, Chicago and St. Louis are
equal rivals for the traffic of the Pacific
Coast. It is argued by the. coast 5obbers
that the principle of graded rates on
transcontinental traffic, being once estab-
lished, will in time, and in a very short
time, destroy or neutraliZe the adVan-
tages now enjoyed by reason of geo
graphical position. II rates are. graded
Westbound there must be grades east
bound That would imply that any point
east Of San Francisco, Portland, Tacoma
or Seattle, Los Angeles or San Diego,
would have lower rates than the coast
towns which now have such rates be-
cause they are on the seaboard; also 1t
would mean that any point east of the
bound than the seaboard for products
and for manufactured goods. This is In
line with The persistent effort OF the Md
die West, which is trying to kill sea com
petition upon both the Pacific and the
Atlantic coasts.
AS to the abolition Of the existing diff
ferentials IL Is held by coast jobbers that
the Middle West jobbers entered this ter
ritory under the war tariffs of 1894. '95
and '96, and that now the Westerners are
claiming as a right what was forced
formerly as a measure Of expediency.
Marysville, Sacramento and Stockton
have an interest in graded rates because
they are terminals on account of their
water frontage. Probably the hearing,
after the testimony is in for the Middle
West jobbers, will be continued upon the
Pacific Coast in San Francisco or else
where