Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-08-08
ROCK ISLAND GETS MEGNER
Strengthens Discrimination Against Omaha
in Favor Of Kansas City.
LOCAL MEN WAGE MORE BITTER FIGHT
Commercial Club and Grain Exchange,
Representing Business Interests,
Lead in Boycott Against
This Railroad

discrimination against Omaha in favor Of
Kansas City, but that IL contemplated a
further cut in the minimum Kansas city
Memphis proportional on Nebraska grain,
the commercial interests of Omaha have
taken steps to wage even more bitter war
than formerly against that railroad.
A joint meeting OF the board OF directors
of the Grain exchange and the executive
committee Of the Commercial club. to.
gether with the transportation commit
tees of the two bodies, was held Tuesday
noon. After a report on the situation
from Commissioner Guild and Secretary
Mcvann, a resolution was passed in
structing these two officials to use every
effort to keep the public and the shippers
thoroughly informed on every detail of
the situation as it is and as it develops.
Mr.. McVann was instructed to have
printed and distributed among the ship
pers copies of a colored map which he
has prepared, naming the grain rates
both to Omaha and Kansas City from
every town in the South Platte territory,
and showing plainly the discrimination
made by the Rock Island against the
former.
Statement of Conditions.
This statement was submitted as
| Joint report by Messrs. McVann and Guild.
In response to the suggestion OF Vice
President w. B. Biddle Of the Rock Island,
Mr.. McVann went to Chicago for a con-
| ference with Mr.. Biddle, at which confer
ence Freight Traffic Manager Cover Of
! the Rock Island lines and j. A. Middleton,
freight traffic manager Of the Frisco lines,
| were both present. This conference deVel-
oped that Mr.. Biddle was thoroughly COM
| mitted to the continuation OF the Memphis
| equalization plan and he not only refused
| to withdraw Il, but stated that. owing to
| the difference in the situation produced by
/ the cutting of the IL cent elevation IL
| might be necessary to make a still further
| reduction in his minimum proportional
| from Kansas City from cents TO IA cents.
Mr.. Bidde justifies his action by the old
| specious argument about through rates
being equal by way Of Kansas City and
| sounds so fair on the face of It that It
| seems unreasonable to contend against It.
PnbG the sssT Of
| position about through rates II is necessary
! that the basic principle be understood upon
| which all OF the rates 10 and from Omaha
| are made. The railroads have made the
| Missouri river an arbitrary line, Kansas
| east of the river have been equalized as
| nearly as possible and the rates from the
river to the west. and from the west to
| the river have also been eduslized In
| carrying out this scheme Of equalization
! Nebraska has always been considered as
being Omaha territory and Kansas a. being
| are hard-and-fast conditions imposed upon
! Omaha by the railroads for many years.
4
| Kansas City has been able TO encroach
| upon Omaha's share of the territory grad
ually' until now there is wide zone in
southern Nebraska, nearer TO Omaha than
! to Kansas City on an average. wherein
the rates TO and from Kansas City on ali
bsn TO aTe sS good or better
been made so gradually and so quietly that
the extent of it has never been fully real
dies scheme of equalization more than
doubled the territory in Nebraska into
which Kansas City was admitted upon
was brought home to the Omaha people
and that they felt II necessary to take the
most strenuous measures to protect their
/ II Mr.. Biddie's plan had been applied to
all the territory west Of the Missouri river
by all the roads, involving n reimbursement
Of all the Kansas and Nebraska rates, SO
that In return for the surrender of our
terIritogy TO- 10 Kansas city Omaha would re-
before belonged exclusively to Kansas CITY.
we could have no objection &c the plan.
| The point is, however, that no one has pro-
posed to give Omaha any entrance into
Kansas City territory upon any terms what
that Kansas City retains her exclusive ad-
vantages In all of Kansas and a large por-
ton of southern Nebraska and obtains an
| equal footing with Omaha in practically
the entire South Platte country TO and in
Guiding Plattsmouth. Louisville, Crete, Au-
| Ali of this was shown clearly 10 Mr. Rid
die, but he refused to acknowledge that
Omaha had any exclusive right to any ter
ritory in which II was possible to put Kan
sas City upon an equality with her distance
and feasibility of routes being the only
things he would consider. The position
taken by Mr.. Biddle made It impossible Ia
consider any peaceful measures He was
informed that the business public of Omaha
was an absolute unit in opposition to his
invasion Of Onaha's territory and he re-
piled that, while he regretted that fact he
believed his position was right and would
not recede from II.
The last analysis of the situation amounts
to this: That the Frisco lines are not sa
isfed with the amount OF grain business
they are doing from Kansas City to Mem
phls and the southeast and. that in order
to increase that business, Mr. Biddle delhi.
erately cut the rate from Kansas CITY 10
Memphis on Nebr2 ska corn in order 10 in
1uence II TO Kansas City so that the
Frisco lines might be able TO secure IL
In fact. so thorough is this anxiety that
Mr.. Biddle proposes to make a further re-
duction in the minimum proportional of &c
Kansas City to Memphis in order to widen
the Nebraska territory from which the
Frisco may steal business. The original
cut was cents per hundred and the sub.
sequent reduction OF IL cents In the Omaha
and Kansas City rate to Memphis reduced
this difference to Ia cents Mr. Biddle nov
proposes to make "a cents minimum as
against the normal rate OF ll% cents from
Omaha TO Memphis. which practically
means the maintenance OF a Accent differen,
tial against Omaha instead Of cent, Kan.
sas City to Memphis.
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