The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-04-04

Following is A. w. Dolands re-
ply to B. l.. Gordon, whose letter
was published yesterday:
B. l.. Gordon. Esq. Spokane. " ash.
Dear sir: Your open letter to me
published in Sunday mornings
Spokesman-R Review and The Press
"a copy of which you probably ne
elected to mail mel, has been
brought to my attention.
Your questions impute to me mo-
tives and the possession of knowl-
edge of which | am innocent and
ignorant. | have read your letter
more in sorrow than in anger, feel
ing sure that if the party who
wrote it for your signature had al
lowed YOU sufficient time for delib-
Grafton. you would not have per-
mitted yourself to become sponsor
for this unworthy attack upon me.
The publication of this attack saw
ors too much of the mud-sllnging
methods of partisan political
campaign. My business or person
atty has nothing to do with the
issue involved, and when your prin-
cipals, through you, attack my bust
ness and me, they and you are
seeking to divert attention from
the main question. | am but one
of fifteen thousand citizens, over
ten thousand of them voters, who
are urging the city council to
change its position on the fran
chise question, and even if it were
possible for you to discredit me,
you would be unable to discredit
the other thousands who stand
where | stand. To succeed you
will have to discredit the whole
community. Now as to your Ques-
tions.
One answer will suffice for the
first four. The business that | rep
resent has no rate other than that
possessed by the drug trade gen
orally in the Inland Empire, includ-
ing western Montana, Idaho, Utah
and eastern Oregon, The rate is
open and is published in the COM
modify tariffs applying to Spokane
and this entire section of the coun-
try, and is approved by the Inter
state Commerce Commission. This
raIe can be used by any one ship
ping goods in the quantities pre-
scribed by this tariff. Whether or
not this rate is a favorable one.
you are wrong in your statement
that it was given entirely by the
o. r. & n. company. Up to six or
seven years ago the drug trade in
this section had no mixed carload
rate at all. At that time l was CIV
ing the Great Northern I.ailrOad
company a considerable share of
my shipments, and on urging them
for a carload rate with the privi-
lege of assortment as given the Pa
cific coast jobbers, they assured me
that if | could get the consent of
the o. R. & n. and other roads,
they would give their consent. 1t
took several months to secure the
consent of all the roads doing Dusl-
ness in this section, and the rate
was not put on until all three of
the transcontinental lines at that
time doing business gave their con-
sent The o. R. G. n, did not put
tn rate into effect itself; in fact,
would not until the other roads had
given their consent. This instance
established the fact so often urged
that no one of these roads would
independently put into effect any
change in carload freight rates.
This occurred prior to the date
which you mention in your letter.
Now, as the rate per hundred
which you alleged | obtained from
the Hartman lines. Prior to the
so-called boycott instituted by the
Spokane merchants against the Hill
lines, the Spokane Drug Co. was
paying a rate of $3.50 to Spokane
on carload lots on drugs. Our COM
petitors on the coast were paying
s140, a difference against us of
nearly 40 per cent. AS the result of
that boycott our rate was advanced
to $212. Against this we protested,
urging that we should not be penal
lied for our efforts in standing with
the Spokane jobbers, and after a
great deal of negotiation the rail
roads consented to restore the old
rate of $190. Soon after the rate