The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-07-24
Discrimination Against
This State in Rates.
BY SOUTHERN ROAD
Hy ANDREW JOY<ER.D
Virginia Cities.

N''''N +N ''0
tion Of Mr.. i. J.. Justice Tor the House
Of Representatives by the Democrats
of Guilford over the strong opposition
Of Southern Railway employees and
sympathizers, who banked their shots
on another man, would result in i
fight by the Republican Organization
of the county on his election by nonti-
mating an Independent Democrat, who
would get the whole Republican vote
ana hoping by Il bid for the support oI
the ~disgruntIcd railroad clement OF the
Democratic party to get their votes.
Iiut aside from the fac that tins ell
ement of the party is composed large
Iy Of the best and most fire tried
Democrats of Greensboro and High
Point, the effort would have fallen st1l
born. Another reason, however. f"F
its failure is the fact that the Republi-
can State Convention, inadvertently
"sIappcd the Southern Railway in the
face by nominating for Corporation
Commissioner Hon. II. Nj. Douglas,
whose record as Il citizen and as Il
supreme court judge has been uni
fOrmly in sympathy with the Demo
cratic doctrine tina special privileges
should not be given to public service
corporations and denied to individuals.
Demand Fair Rates.
l''tI'NS 1lo - 'opIIIObIiihC NAICI MO-
been going on in High Point and i'll
Greensboro Il systematic effort on the
part Of shippers and receivers Of
freight, merchants and manufacturers
to crurc fair rates for freights, going
II coming.
Nearly a year ago Mr.. George J..
Newman, secretary Of the Greenboro
Chamber of Commerce, after a long
and careful tabulatiOn Of freight rates
and ClaSsificatiOns. showed where the
most eXOrbitant determinations Were
made in rates. all to the disadvantages
of Greensboro and High Point mer-
chants receiving freight on the one
hand and manufacturers of the two
cities shipping goods to outside points
on the other. \ month before the
demand was made upon Mr.. Justice
that he become Il candidate for the
Legislature, he printed Il review Of
these unjust determinations in the
local papers, which was copied i'll
other papers all over the state. In
spite of theS apparent difficulties the
manufacturers were arOuscd to fur
Their concern and apprehension by the
filing before the State Corporation
commission by the railroad traffic
managers of an application for the
adoption by the commission of what is
known as the 'SOuthern classification
as against the present north Caro-
lima classification" Protest against this
Clltll2G was l1llltlcGildttiN lIlcd Dc1Of =
the Corporation Commission by the
manufacturers and merchants of both
High Point and Greensboro, and this
matter alone constitutes q burning
issue in Guilford county business and
political circles day. The railway
managers assert thas the Southern
classification Is not against the inteT-
eSts of North Carolina shippers because
1,739 of these items are as low as or
lower han the North Carolina classi-
ficatiOns: that "NOrth Carolina classl-
6catiOns' were lower than southern
cIassifcatiOns" on 500 items and that
the adoption of "Southern cIasSifica-
ton would not materially change the
rates."
Points BY Secretary Brown.
Desiring to get at the truth of the
matter, q Wcll-informcd and Suppos-
eddy impartial judge. in the person Of
Secretary Brown, of the State Cor
pOration Commission, Who was in
Greensboro this week, was asked by
this correspondent if he had any OBJ
jcctiOns to giving the straight of the
contention. Without hesitation the
secretary expressed himself by premiS-
ing that while he had not as yet made
Il full comparison. from Il casual eX-
animation of the items he was salts
fed that the traffic managers were in
error in the statement that the pro
l'oStu cIdSSllICdltoD d1Q not ulStIIlIll-
nate still more against North CarOlint.
Continuing, he explained:
h statement of comparisons
does not go far enough and is mis-
leading. In the first place they say
that 1879 items are as low as or lower
than North Carolin classification
they do not say how many items are
lower, if any. They do not say Of
what the $50 items in North CarOliu
considerations that are lower, consist
which no doubt are the principle com
modities moving in the state: again
the comparison is made with Southern
ClaSSiticatiOnS, released rates, with
North 'CaroIina's carriers rates: whea
as q matter Of fact, the Carriers risk
rate of Southern classification are %
per cent. higher than their released
rates"
AS to the outcome of the applica-
ton, Secretary Brown While not speak.
ing for the commission, declared tha
he felt satisfied that shippers may res
assured that the Corporation Commits.
sion would not adopt any classification
that Woul ave the effect of raisins
freight rates, and that shippers anC
boards of trade Would have due notice
of any hearing, 50 hat they could bt
represented.
Struck the keynote.
Secretary Brown pursuing the sub
jet ol IItlSIJ rates, utCIdfed IN VI II
his communication sometime ago. M
+. j. Justice struck the keynote of ti,
greatest aus for complaint the Nortl
Carolina merchant has. THAT key
note, he said, "is the Discrimination
against North Carolina towns by tn
Southern RAILWAY in favor of Virgini;
cities on all shipments of freight
from points outside the State, especial
ly from the West.'
Il want to give you IN illustration
of this said the secretary, who sal,
he quoted from memory because tn
figures We're SO Outrageously discrim
mating they had burned in "Fron
Cincinnati. this being the gateway TO
all shipments from Chicago, and al
principal Western points, the rate o
freight on frst-class. to Greensboro
Durham, Raleigh, Winston and othe