The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-09-25
Two RAILROADS IN
A BITTER CONTEST
flight Being Waged on the
Rails and Not in Wall
Street, as Usual.
palladium Specially

OMAHA, April 25.-Thc old rivalry
between the Hill and Hartman rail
road systems between the Missouri
rriver and the Pacific coast has broken
'out afresh and Harriman's Southern
Pacific has just dealt Hills Burling-
ton line a staggering blow by cutting
the latter line off from all San Fran
cisco and California traffic. Conditions
are such that neither the Interstate
Commerce Commission for the Fed
eral Courts can interfere in the fight
and from appearances the rival lines
will be permitted to settle the affair
In their own way. And this time the
fight Is being waged on the rails, not
in the stock market. The entire trans
Mississippi country is the battle field
instead of the narrow confines of Wall
and Broad streets.
Despite the fact that this is the
most titantic struggle the western
railroad world has known for % years.
1t Is being waged SO silently that the
public is scarcely aware that the big
rivals are no longer standing together
and working tremendously, as they
have done in the past decade The
cause OF the fight Is the ownership of
q simple $3.50 on each ticket sold by
the eastern lines to the Pacific coast,
but the effect produced is tremendous.
And still greater effects are promised
by the generals in command of the
campaign.
Hill Has An Ally.
The situation is complicated by the
fact that HILL in the fight, has the as
sistance of the big Rock Island rail
road, which Is in a position similar
to Burlington, while Western Pacific,
the new Gould road to the Pacific, is
aiding Southern Pacific. Union Pacific
main trunk of the Hartman system,
is, In the present fracas only look
er on" and bystander, and is taking
no part In the struggle. However, the
latter road is reaping golden harvest
while the other lines scrap" among
themselves.
In fact, because of the big fight,
Union Pacific today is the only rail-
road operating through trains between
Chicago and st. Louis and San Fran
cisco which traverse the central por-
ton of the country
The trouble began brewing year
ago when the Interstate Commerce
Commission ordered Southern Pacific
and other roads to reduce fare from
Ogden to the Pacific coast from $50 to
$25. but did not order reduction of
the through fare from Missouri river
points to the coast. At that time, and
for years previous thereto, through
cars had been operated over the Bur-
lington and Rock Island lines as far
as Denver. thence over Rio Granada to
Ogden, where they were turned over
to Southern Pacific for the haul to
the coast. At that time the roads east
and west Of Ogden simply cut the
safe In two parts, each taking an equal
portion. When the Interstate Com
merce Commissions new rate was or.
dered. Southern Pacific demanded that
the eastern lines continue to accept
the same proportion as formerly &C
cepted, but both Burlington and Rock
Island lines refused and demanded a
higher percentage OF the cost OF the
ticket
Seeking an Adjustment.
For almost twelve months the traf-
NC officials OF the different systems
Involved have been seeking an adjust.
nnent, but last week a crisis was reach.
ed and Southern Pacific notified both
Burlington and Rock Island systems
that the cars formerly operated over
those roads would no longer be accept
ed from them, and that in future all
this traffic would be handed over to
Union Pacific, which had made no de-