The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-02-22
COMMISSION Law
MEANS DEATH
Concluded from page II


You must believe It, You must
believe the facts and figures. some
of which are given by men who at
first supported the commission bill
and who now-realizing the deadly
effect--are desperately opposing it's
passage.
You must believe these figures.
which, until now. have been purposely
withheld for fear of shaping a wea-
pom to be used by the manufacturers
and jobbers of Seattle and Portland.
who are now supporting that cam
paign for a commission bill.
When Senator Sam Piles visited
Spokane he told the business men
and politicians he met at luncheon
that they would not want the COM
mission bill after they got it.
And Spokane business men agreed
with him, but declared it was too
late to stem the tide of mistaken
public opinion famed to frenzy by
Nelson W. Durham.
Senator Piles is from Seattle He
knew what he was talking about.
HE KNEW THAT THE COMMITS
SION BILL WOULD DESTROY THE
SPOKANE TRADE AND DIVERT IT
TO SEATTLE AND PORTLAND!
In this first story / shall not bur-
den you with figures, rates, or tech
meal classifications through which
the railroad commission will be able
20 !, nd nd !, a
business now being done by Spokane
jobbers and manufacturers.
Better is it to show assertively
the danger that is threatened and
the generalization of the means
whereby Spokane wholesale business
will be curtailed to the point of ruin.
At the present time Spokane job
bers are working within less than
that 100-mile radius asked for. In
a few instances goods of light ight
are shipped beyond that limit. but
heavy goods such as groceries, hard
ware. etc, can not be sent the longer
haul at rates which will meet the
Seattle and Portland prices.
At the recent meeting of railroad
men and shippers in Portland the
shippers asked the railroads for dis
tributing rates to pass through Spo-
kane and Spokane territory and to
extend as far east as Havre, Mont,
or half way 10 st. Paul. The rates
asked for, if given, would permit the
tidewater jobbers to compete with
and. in many instances, undersell
Spokane wholesalers in the very CEN
ter of Spokane territory.
At this time Spokane is working
under a rate system which. in some
instances is sufficient to enable them
to compete in territory claimed by
Seattle and Portland. 1t is fairly
the life of Spokane jobbing business
this rate allowance.
If railway commission is estab-
lished, two of the commissioners will
be taken from the west side of the
state and one from Spokane.
What will be the result?
II is no time to mince matters
Spokane, in instances, has been ia
vored with rates. These rates, sub
jected to a commission, would be
changed. Two against one would be
the vote and all obstacles placed in
the way of coast business into east
ern Washington would be removed.
The commissioners for the coast
would say: These rates are illegal.
They must be readjusted."
And they would be readjusted by
cutting off the favors to the Spo-
kane tobber and levelling the dis
tributing rates to such a point that,
favored as the tidewater cities are
by the terminal rates, they would
be enabled to Hndersell the Spokane
johber and manufacturer.
If the Spokane jObber is undersold,
he loses the business. 1t doesn't take
any close calculations to figure out
how much business any Spokane
house can lose before being forced to
close, or to remove to some place
where the cheaper rates can be OBJ
tanned.
That is what is going to happen
under a railroad commission.
Take the lumber business in Spo-
kane. 1t is a we'll known fact that
Spokane lumber cannot compete with
coast lumber except through the
medium of lower prices.
There is to be a coast lumberman
on the railroad commission accord
ing to the present plans.
VIII the coast, or the Spokane.
lumber interests, suffer when it
comes to a question of competition