The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-03-03
ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL.

The following article from the
Springfield (Mass) Republican should
open the eyes of the farmers of east
ern Washington to the imposition
practiced upon them by Jim Hill, the
merger magnate, who last year told
| the Palouse and the Big Bend farmers
| now dearly he loved them and how
1esirous he was of promoting their
| to the charge that he was RESTRAIN
ing trade by his merger and thus vi
olating the Sherman antitrust raw,
Hill called the attention Of a meeting
Of Minnesota farmers to what his
| roads are doing to advance the price
! Of their wheat, by developing for it a
| market in the Orient. He said that
| ne had added from to cents "a
bushel to the price, and this Is what
the government would call acting in
restraint of trade. The Republican
says in commenting upon Hills
speech:
Representative of wheat growers
and -four millers in the state of WASH
ington are now coming forward to give
| their side of the case, and they make
! it appear in quite a different light.
| This is their statement, in substances:
That Mr.. Hills northern transcOnti-
mental roads, with their Pacific steam
ship connections. charge the equiva-
lent of "a cents a bushel for hauling
| wheat (Which goes in the form of
flour) from Minneapolis to the China
market, distant 5000 miles. The charge
| for taking the wheat or flour of the
eastern Washington farmer to the
same market-distance 400 miles by
alent of 2312 cents a bushel, or sub
stantially the same charge made for
the Minnesota farmers wheat, which
is hauled 1900 miles further by rail.
Mr. Hills roads further charge the
eastern Washington farmer 1112 cents
a bushel for hauling his wheat 400
miles by rail to Pacific tidewater. while
the charge to the Minnesota farmer for
carrying wheat 2000 miles by raj, to
the same point is not over II cents.
Mr.. Hills roads again, do this, as stat
ed by John T. Bibb, manager of one
Of the large exporting firms of Taco
ma. If a Washington farmer wishes
to bring a car of corn from MinneSO-
charge him $40 per ton for 1900 mile
haul, while in the same train will be
flour for the Orient. made of Mime
sofa wheat, which they transport 5000
miles for IS per ton.
Under such circumstances it is
manifestly impossible for the Washing
ton farmers and Touring mills to OBJ
tain that share in the Oriental trade
which their superior location entities
them to. Mr.. Hills roads are turning
the trade over to the upper MISSISSIPPI
ri valley farmers and -four mills for
the purpose of securing the much
longer haul, and this is done by means
of the rankeSt kind of rate discrimin-
alton
The Republican concludes:
There can be no justification OF
such practices under the interstate
commerce law, and to the commission
appointed to enforce the law the af-
fected interests of the state of Wash
ington should be able to appeal sue
cesswully. Railroad charges are prop
erly to be proportioned closely to dis
lance. and this is the requirement of
the interstate law except under cir
cumstanceS which do not arise in the
present case. 1t is also a require
ment dictated by just and fair deal
ing and ought to be enforced"