The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-08-07

by Chairman Reagan, and ne said II was
Not his Intention TO mlsicuusSent the cpm
mission, and he believed IN treating thc
railroads With farpess aud justness lie
believed the maximum rate over TWO lines
should be the same as over ono line me
commission asked him what rate he want
cd, aud he said he wanted the present rate
reduced.
Mr.. colqultt had fifteen minutes to make
his argument but the commission allowed
him nearly an hour
The question was taken under al, isement
by the commission, Chairman helgln say,
hing that the question would be decided
20 the best Interest of all parties and tue
state OF Texas.
Mr.. Crane in his argument before the
commission, called attention to the 10
lowing points;
l. That the uncontradicted evidence
showed, first, that coal In Indian Terri
tory was worth S1.sj per ton at the mines
aud the railroads ..auled Il from the mtlleS
to Austin, Texas. a distance Of 4iO lni'.s
beaumont was worth S1.60 per ton, and
the railroads charged the people. ~ TEXAS
$500 per ton for hauling i distance, of
the railroads sought to justify this on three
grounds; tal that II costs more TO equip
the road for hauling oil than i does Tor
hauling coal; lbl that the risk Of transpOr
tation OF oil Is greater than for coal b.
cause Il was easier TO burn tcl besausa
me ste, steam prodnsfing power Of "a, ton OF oil
! Mr.. Crane answered that, although the
coal might produce more steam, that the
| railroads could not urge tn0i as an EXCUSE,
because they insisted that the freight rate
sht uld he based upon the market value OF
tue commodity aud inaspuch as the mar
ket value of a ton of oil was only Sl.oo
and that OF ton Of coal S1s5, according
to the railroads reason, the oil must tax
the lower rate, nnles II COSTS more 10
! transport II than 1t does to transport coal,
or unless the risk of Its transportation ls
greater than that of coal.
! On these points he again adyeried 10 the
tuncontradicted evidence, which shows;
| !. That the railroad men you'd not po.7t
| to a single Instance whe,e a claim for
damages had ever been made for IRE
caused by oil which 1t was transporting.
! .. That the uncontradicted evid ~ q
showed that the oil companies shipped
the coal companies ship their coal IN. their
own cars; and that the railroads paid he
same mileage for an oil car that u Id
for n coal car. and that II, theref pre. m
CURED no extra expense for equpnie ",
and inasmuch as It had been shown hat
the cost of hauling q, car of oil Is, practl-
car OF coal. and that the danger OF Gre
! from a car of oil is no greater than thai
! from n ear OF coal, that no valid reason
existed why a ton OF coal, worth mo e
/ than a ton of OIL should carry less Ate
for the same distance, than ton OF coal
lie insisted that the question was he
tween the coal fields of the Indian Terri
tory and other States, as against me oil
fields of Texas, The Texas coal mines
were utterly unable TO furnish the ueces
sary fuel to the manufactures Of Texas w
this that the evidence showed, without
contradiction. that under he most ihy-
ornbe circumstances the outuut Of the
coal mines of Texas, excluding that used
by the Texas and Pacific railroad. vas
only 100000 tons, or only slopt one y ~
Of the amount of coal consumed ~ The
Texas cotton seed oil mills alone. 20 say
nothing of the various ether euternrlses,
including cotton factories, wa'eh needed
fuel, now being developed.
He Insisted that any thlrt 80 Geprlve
the people of Texas Of the BENEFITS while -
the discovery OF oil afford III Ihlu. iu order
Ia Ms
species Of class legislation. ahd The worst
species OF a protective sarif, because il
resulted In the protection of ;he PEOPLE
OF the indian Territory and az o;her
states against the people OF Texas.
He pointed out that all hat Tex $
needed to become the greatest nanufao Z
uring State In the Amerl an Union was
cheap fuel that Providence mad put that
within our easy reach aud 'haS the iai
road commission ought not TO so adjust
its rates for the protection of few, ms
would deprive the people of this cheaI
fuel, which Providence had abundantly
lie pointed out the fact that leva,
, raised about Que third of the cotton croI
OF the entire Union; that its iron Cr.
those OF PENNSYLVANIA, aud that Il g.
railroad commission would compel th'
! railroads of Texas TO haul this Texas com
, modify at the same rates that u nau e
/ commodities OF greater value, produtc los
, other States, that they would put Texai
in the forefront Of manufacturing states
, and bring 10 her people a greater pros
perity than had ever been dreamed of 10y
even her most hopeful citizens.
He reminded the railroad commission
, that In order TO accomplish this purpose
l Ii was not necessary to tnture the raj
! reads, that by requiring the railroads e
: perform service for the people uf rtNn
: To- the same price that it served toe PEG
: pie outside of Texas was all that was ncc
: essary; that thar was the plain duty q
= the railroads, could not be successfully
!. ccrtrOvcrted.
I He Insisted that there would he no les
Z To the railroads In their reve lres, teco IS
= the development Of faet ". which mus
= necessarily result from 5he rate skrl 10
: would Increase the tonnage OF the rail
: roHds and enable them 10 Increase mel
= earnings correspondingiy.
: lie reminded the commission that Will
: the oil mills. which he represented la
= been said TO be prosperous during IN
g last year. that they must not forget tina
I the railroads themselves had ais had a
! era of uneXampIed prosperity Tor the SAM
7 lie further suggested that by The pres
s perity OF the oil mills, they nad brougi
! home 10 every farmer q. share q profits q
2 that they had furnished market for b.
r cotton seed that had been hcretpf D.
e wasted. which enabled the farmer 10 Tea
i lie SO for the cotton seed that came ga
u of bale In short, he had Increased "a
a value OF every hale Of cotton. including IA
r seed to the amount uf SO; or, In oths
T. words for the 100000 bales OF coao
z raised IN Texas. he had enabled the farme
Z 70 realize slsoheo eaGh 3elr mr.
e without the cotton seed OH mills.
$ lie told the commission thai ne court
70 the power which they now had. b. on
ir single stroke OF the pen 10 hNing the
n m rht rates. which you'd act ininrc ~
a. railroads n9r materially decrease tue
~ revenues even temporarily. taey had
10 Ia their power 10 bring 20 ihr peopie
II the Lone Star State tic greatest neaspi
M Of prosperity: that they would ehnh
them Is manufacture their cotton nj
B. shin II directly 10 The Oriental marke
* and thus become the greatest cotton mani
IS Featuring State In The American Union.
10 He earnestly, hnt> respectfully nrgt
NJ them not TO prevent the people OF Tex
~ from realizing the hope 70 lon2 detefif
,s ~ developing her natorni advantages ar
~ putfine her In the position OF wealth IN
M nnwer 10 which she was iegliimareiy 81
III lifted Particularly 80, when, ~ I'M
hs making her prosperous, we injured
II wroLged nobody,
~ /. g. G. MS Right Of Way into Nasasot
Navasota, Texas. August Sat an Il
aag poftant meeting Of the city council
"a crdr snce passed in the past granting q
50 International and Great Northern kailw'
4; company right-cf-wsy franchise was
81 peaisd and another ordinance passed ane'