El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-18
OF Ell PASO SHIPPERS
WITH MIR. SHEPARD,
General Freight Agent of the Southern
Pacific, Which Resulted in Moth
ing But Talk and Noncommittal
Observations.


il tary Russell, W. S. McCutcheon, ].
t Smith. Messrs Brown, Cary, Small, an
t Moye, of the chamber of commerce
e and Shepard, Hunt, and Mccarthy @
A the railroad company.
t President Prudential explaine
f that the meeting was called that thos
interested might hear Mr.. Shepard ex
plain why the railrad company had no
, given a better rate from Ell Paso ives
and to discuss that matter in all it!
phases with the view of better under
standing each other. He cited severa
cases where the rates from FL Paso tC
points in Arizona and New Mexico
were higher than the rates on the same
products from Albuquerque and Las
Vegas and wanted to know why this
was the case
Mr.. Shepard said that he was glao
that the meeting was called and glad
that all were in good humor. He
said however that he had no promise
now to make the shippers of Ell Paso
| but wanted to know what their griev-
ances were and if reasonable some
thing might be done in the future.
Mr.. Shepard said in part:
Il would like to see some arrange
ments made whereby Ell Paso could
profit and not hurt the company which
| represent. Our tariffs have bene ar
ranged with great care and We have al
ways thought that we have done the
best We could with justice to the COM
pany. We cannot do business for
nothing and if we were to concede all
the demands of towns along our line
We would have no profit at all. For
many years Ell Paso has had cheaper
rates coming in than any other city
in this section of the country and still
has those rates. While the rates out
of here are some higher than that of
other places they are based on the
combination of local rates and if
changed it would not affect Ell Paso
as the rates to the smaller towns
would be correspondingly lowered.
We have nothing to do with the AL
buquerque or Santa Fee tariffs and can
only give rates on our own line. We
might make some minor changes if
your secretary will prepare a sched-
ule showing the rates on all kinds
of goods and pointing out the unjust
things but we cannot give Ell Paso an
over other cities. We can
treat you justly and want to do that.
If the present rates are unjust to Ell
Paso shippers and give other jobbers
an advantage over you we will gladly |
terminal rates which only water COM |
petition can secure.
Il have noticed that you threaten to |
throw all your business to one road. |
Now that is not right. 1t is unfair |
and unjust and we will have nothing
to do with it, The Southern Pacific |
company wants to see Ell Paso grow
and does not want to see you go into |
a boycott scheme that will certainly |
revert to your injury. 1t will demora-
lie all the transcontinental rates and |
injure everybody connected with it. If
you can make us fair, square propo-
sition we will do all we can to settle |
the matter
Mr.. Shepard went on to say that Ell
Paso was under no disadvantage as
matters now stand for the rates in
here will more than make up the diff
ference in the rates out. The geo
graphical position of Ell Paso gave the
city an advantage and it now en-
joying it.
Mr.. Browne of the Browne ManZa-
mares company explained to Mr. Shep-
ard that Las Vegas could sell goods |
farther west of here than Ell Paso
could and could even sell right in the |
door of this city. He wanted to know |
why this was the case.
MIR. Shepard said he did not know
but If anything was actually wrong it |
could be settled if the committee here |
would point out to him just what ar
ticles Las Vegas could sell cheaper.
Mr.. Moye said that Ell Paso could |
once look to Mexico for patronage
but that had ended on account of the
through rates and now the merchants
here have practically no territory at
all.
Mr.. Shepard said that Ell Paso had
grown from a village of 5000 people
% one of $4,000 in fifteen years and it
seemed to him that there was nothing
wrong in the face of that fact. Mr..
Shepard promised to take up any mat
.ers of alleged discrimination if the