The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1904-12-03
EQUAL JUSTICE TO ALL
Let the Railroad Commission Do Its
Duty or Go Out Of Business

IF a PAPER like TIL Metropolis Of Jack !
srHville. and representing the great city |
DI It's home to refer to- merchants Of
Gainesville and Ocala as 'kick-rS.' be !
! oa,. commission ana asked that equity
and Justice b. met-i out - those com
nunities in thu matter of freight rates
AMI that the discrimination in the mat
ter against them should cease. The
l,eople of thes.. towns DO not envy
JacksDnvilIe's expansion. They ara
pleased 10 note its growth and pros
perity. but do protest against the con-
dition Of things which THU railroad
commission was elected 70 correct. The
spirit shown by the Metropolis toward
the protests Of Gainesville and Ocala
in the matter of unjust freight discrim-
inatiOn. is of the most sOrdid and hog
gish kind. II says in SO many words.
that the present railroad srate status
suits them: that if it discriminates
against interior points, why, just let
EN- whine, so long as these injustices
bring grist to the Jacksonville mill.
The points named do not ask for spe-
cial privileges. but for justice at the
hands of the railroad commission. If
a railroad commission was not insti-
4
the larger portion of the people Of the
state, as against favored few, why
! should it exist? Its purpose is to cor
| rect inequalities. 1t was not created
| to build up one or two cities at the
expense of the remainder Of the state.
| The principle is well recognized over
the land by the interstate commission
! that a solid-car shipment is entitled to
| lower rates than Il parcel shipment. for
| reasons so self evident that no argu-
ment is needed. yet when Il car with
| this lesser rate given il from any point
| in the country to jacksonville reaches
| that baSiHS point. il is Disseminated
against. for then and there is the local
rate added. This is why tho Ocala and
Gainesville merchants. whose business
| demands many solid carloads of goods
protest. We all know how this affects
Jacksonville. The history Of merchants
in Gainesville atteSts this fact. When
Gainesville was a basing point. that
city enjoyed Il number of jobbing h"us-
cs. When this WIS withdrawn they lost
had To move To Jacksonville. Now. how
did this withdrawal affect Gainesville
Why. it took that much active capital
and that much business out of that
town and the support its business gave
to various persons in that city to Jack
sOnville What Gainesville lost Jack
sonville acquired, and by an unjust dis
elimination.
| w. Il. Taylor. the able secretary and
interchangeable worker for the Baird
Hardware Company of Gainesville. in
speaking Of this discrimination and in
justice that now prevails against in
terror towns. and in favor of Jackson
vile. on the commodity rate question
of freight. said his company had been
struggling for years against this in
justice and inequality of rates. and I'M
i
It. they too. out of consideration of self
preservation. would have to pull up
i'm Jacksonville. notably the Stringfel-
lows. Porters and Millers. He said their
count of $4,000 Il year, and every dol
lar of which went to the support of his
town. Withdraw this expense account
and you know how it will affect the city
of Gainesville. Continue this process.
and what will become of the distribute
ing trade in the interior of the state
1t will cease To exist at those points.
and Jacksonville in turn will become
the pOSSeSSOr of the pound of flesh
Again the Metropolis Sneeringly says
that this kick comes from a few mer-
irhantS in Ocala and Gainesville. and
they alone would be benefited. True.
the protest comes from the merchants
Who have their all invested. but that
l;hey alone will receive the benefit in
lease "f Il change IF rate aS asked for
* thu VileSt b"Sh, and the argument
is unworthy "f a school boys brain
Mr.. Taylor'S statement r-futeS II. The
circulation by one firm in = Year "t
S."."ao in 4 community is a myth. * il :
This protest is not III" -manati"n
nR. R. D. FULLER.