The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-14
TO SEE ABOUT IT.
Commercial Club Takes Hold of
Freight Rate Question.
Committee Will Be Sent to
Chicago to Present Matter.
CANVASS SITUATION.
Those Who Suffer Directly from
Discrimination to Be Heard.
Facts viii Then Be COmpiIed
for Use.

Instead Of the mountain coming to
Mohammed. it was last night planned
to have Mohammed go to the noun
tain in order to secure better freight
rates for Topeka. Vice President Paul
Morton of the Santa Fe railroad. who
promised that he would be in Topeka
about the middle of April to confer
with local shippers on the subject.
PASSED through Kansas City several
days ago on his way to Chicago from
California This information has not
been confirmed, but is doubtlessIy
true To prevent further delay in this
matter, SO vital to the interests Of To-
peka, it was decided TO have the
transportation committee Of the Com
merciaI club meet on Friday niaht TO
formulate a report as to what this city
wants remedied- The data are to be
supplied by jobbers and shippers OF
TINS city. who have today been notified
10 De present at the meeting. A sub
committee will then be appointed to
go TO Chicago at an early date and
lay 1Opekas wants in the way of
II eight reduction before Mr.. Morton
The ma5GT portion of the evening
was devoted TO a discussion of the
conditions 1t is not a peculiar thing
70 say, and not a detraction in any
sense, but not more than one-haIf Of
the mem bers present last night have
anything like clear conception of
the intricate completely of freight
rates reporter for the State Jour
nal personally accosted about twenty
OF the men present last night. and of
tnaI number about fifteen declared
without hesitation that the problem
was too deep for them. While all had
a general idea of the matter, but four
or five were able TO put their fingers
on the salient points and feel thor
oughly at home on the subject While
naturally cry would arise Let US
have popular education on the sub
Ject, II VIII always remain true that
only shippers Will have a genuine ac-
Quaintance with the matter And for
that reason, the Commercial club
made an excellent move in having
these Interested parties, who deal
every day with railroad rates, come
before the transportation committee
and state what they want. and how 1t
IS TO be accomplished This action
was a long step towards getting onto
solid ground, and finding out whether
the railroads Will make good their an
nounced intentions to unload from To-
peka the discrepancy against IL in the
way of freight rates.
Smaller Towns Favored.
Those who are acquainted with the
subject made an exhaustive review of
its features. Major Anderson, the ser
retary Of the Commercial club, wh3
spent many years of his life in rail-
road business, gave a lucid review of
the conditions. For the purpose OF ex-
PLANTATION he had a map prepared,
showing the much smaller freight rates
of towns in Missouri valley over To-
peka- Even Holton and Horton. close
by have the advantage of this city 10
the extent of Is and 20 cents These
were '.eye-Openers" and real instruc-
tion. Jonathan Thomas, proprietor Of
the Thomas Lumber company. gave a
long list of figures and much data re-
garding the discrimination against
I ~
towns in the Missouri valley in freight
rates on lumber. Thomas Page spoke
! for the miIlers- He declared it abso-
lutely necessary to revise the schedule
on shipping coal, but made an empha--
ic statement that he believed the rail-
roads would do nothing. Mr. Webster.
of the Webster-Tulloch Coal company
made paramount his assertion that re-
duced rates on transporting coal would
/ mean a benefit TO the consumer.
All OF these men gave figures and
facts which We're revelation But
/ the majority of the members were IN
/ the dark as to their cause and as to d
method of appeal. This is the problem
for the transportation committee to
/ solve on Friday night at its meeting At
/ the Commercial club rooms, and for
which the Topeka shippers will furnish
i both the hypothesis and conclusion, 80
/ that an official O. E D. may soon be
! placed upon the whole matter The
members OF the transportation COM
/ William Green. chairman: Thos.
4 Page. vice chairmans J. S Parks, Joh1l
Sargent. jonathan Thomas, J S War
ner. Y. 3. Kistler. J. B. Belts. Z. 2.
! H Remley, 7. F. Doran, Geo. D. HoSs-
/ field. J G. Bauer. J r. AIuivane, II.
/ c. Holman A. H. Bennett
/ During the course Of the discussion
I q number of times the idea was ad-
/ vanced that the best way 10 get relief
/ would be to urge the passage OF an in
terstate law. Jonathan Thomas spoke
to some considerable length in support
of the view. He said That is I be-
/ Heve the way to best get at the mat
/ ter. Kansas is getting the worst OF Il
I in freight rates Just notice. Fnr
/ lumber from the north, Topeka pays
three and one-haIf cents more than
Holt Why is that2 It appears to re
Z that the only way to really get at the
/ matter is to get II before the legisla-
ture or the interstate commerce COM
/ mission and get redress in that way.
Anderson COunseIs Discretion
Contrary to the idea Of fighting Mr.
/ jor Anderson made this statement II
/ F7rrF- ha