Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1904-04-28
Mr., Snow and the "Red Book. F"

L -
l4tb to present the railroad side OF
the freight rate question and to de-
fend the showing of the stalwart
/ campaign "Red Book" his articfs
really needs no further reply than
the comment appended 20 1t wheh
published. II admitted, practically,
that the Illinois rates are lower than
those Of Wisconsin, but justifies it on
| the ground OF inequality OF grades;
while the Red Book, which he says
| is flair showing" represents that
| Illinois and Iowa rates are fully as
high as those of Wisconsin. Thus he
| Is at variance with himself.
| His statement that "a good many
| thousand bushels of oats and corn
have been shipped from Mineral
| Point to northern Wisconsin points,
is accepted as true. But it would be
more instructive, and better sup
port for his cause, If he had stated
what portion of those thousands of
bushels" had been shipped from this
station to northern Wisconsin points
within the past ten years. His men
ton of bailed hay as possible ship
ment from here provokes smiles, and
| illumines the weakness of his argu-
ment.
If he had planned to show that
Wisconsin is Disseminated against
| in the matter Of rates, he could not
have done it better than he does in
citing the fact that
"The rates on all classes of
freight from eastern points to
Milwaukee are the same as to
Chicago, and for this reason the
western lines make the same
rates t. NJ waukee as To Chicago.
Should our rates to Milwaukee be
reduced proportionately as to
Chicago, you could ship any
kind of produce cheaper via Mil
waukee, and by all rail"
or course we could, and also we
could ship a carload here from Mill
waukee, and from eastern points,
cheaper than we do now. And that's
what the people of Wisconsin want
the privilege of doing. TO illustrates:
Hard and soft coal are delivered IN
Chicago and Milwaukee from east
ern points at the same cost per ton
for transportation, whether by rail
or water, The freight rate from Mil
waukee to Mineral Point, l52 miles,
is Sl.75 per ton on hard coal, and on
soft coal $l35 per ton. The freight
rate from Chicago to any point of
like distance in Illinois is Sl30 per
ton fer hard coal and 800 per ton
for sofia difference of SO per cent
in favor of the Illinois consumer.
AS Mr.. Snow says "all classes of
freight to and from eastern points
are carried at the same rate to Mil
waukee and Chicago" it follows, of
course that consumers and shippers
in Illinois have the same advantage
of 30 per cent, in railroad freight rates
over Wisconsin figures and sellers on
everything coming or going eastward
of Chicago. 1t was intended to pre-
sent comparative tables of rates on
merchandise in Illinois and Wiscon-
sin, but since Mr.. Snow has so clear
ly stated the general fact, nothing
more is needed to illustrate it than
the figures here given in relation to
the one commodity of coal. In this
connection, please note that "coin-
modify rates are referred TO here
and in former article on this subject,
distance being mentioned only to
make the comparison applicable.
What Mr.. Snow says in relation to
difference in grades in Illinois and
the line running to this city, is
granted, but the same is hot true of
other lines in Wisconsin, the Prairie
| dd CHEN line for instance, where
rates are fully as high rs on this di-
vision. 1t will hardly be claimed that
the average difference of 80 per cent
| between rates of the two states, is
justified by the average difference in
| grades