, 1922-08-03
PROTEST
AGAINST ESPEE
Rawiins CIVIC Organizations Oppos-
ed to Continued Control
of Central Pacific

All OF the inter-mountain country
traversed by the Union Pacific sys-
TEN. including, OF course. the state
OF Wyoming. which Is as vitality in
terested as any other, is protesting
Southern Pacific company to over
throw a decision Of the United States
supreme court rendered on May 20
Of this year compelling the last
mentioned company to relinQuish
ownership. management and control
of the Central Pacific railroad.
A glance at the map will make
clear the contention Of the inter-
mountain states and civic bodies rep
~resenting every section and interest
in that rich and fertile region the
products of which are denied the
benefit of direct water t~ransporta-
ton as such is enjoyed by the states
bordering on the Atlantic and Pa
cific oceans. The lines of railroad
over which most of the t~ran3contin-
entail routes carry their traffic run
almost due east and west on the
principle that a straight line is the
shortest distance between two
points" This is especially true of
the great Union Pacific system from
SllISdSo " cSuth, lIC "ColVlh SotV-
a to San Francisco, this latter
stretch over the rails of the Centarl
Pacific.
The supreme court has held in the
decision referred to, hat there shall
be a separation of the Southern and
Central Pacific lines, on the ground
that the Central is Il competitor
of the southern route, the latter en-
iirely owned and controlled by the
Southern Pacific company. This
route. runs from San Francisco to
Galveston and New Orlans by rail,
thence bv steamer to New York city,
and the Southern Pacific, which gets
100 per cent of all freight
on business routed between coasts
via New Orleans, has recently put
into effect a Chicago rate between
San Francisco n New York. thus
furnishing ample proof that it the
intention Of this company to discrim-
mate against the Contra and Union
Pacific rail routes and debar them
from any participation in this rich
trans-continenta! business.
All that the Union Pacific COM
pany asks or desires is thai the de-
cision of the supreme court be up
held and hat the Central Pacific
road. forming part of a great trans
continental rail highway, shall be
freed from Southern Pacific domina-
ton and allowed to compete with the
southern route and which will thus
assist the Union Pacific and its
competitors the Denver & Rio Grande
to participate in the transcontinental
freight haul on equal terms with the
wholly-owned Southern Pacific route
via New Orleans.
This matter has been taken up
vigorously by public spirited organ
iZations in all states which would be
adversely affected by continued o n
troll of the Central Pacific trans
continental link by the Southern
Pacific company. by which corpora
ton it would be used as a means to
throttle competition and maintain
ruinous rates in the inter-mountain
territory now served in whole or in
part by the Union Pacific system.
Rawlins Lions Club at its meeting
last Thursday noon, passed the fol-
lowing resolutions which are of the
same general phraseology and our
port as others which have been
passed by the Rotary Club, the
Board of Trade. the Rawlins Board
of Trustees and the Carbon County
q VI SouHIy
Whereas. the Sherman Antitrust
Act was enacted to prevent monop-
olies and to prevent a carrier from
interfering with commerce by &C.
curing and controlling its COM
petitor; and,
Whereas, the Central Pacific Is n
necessary connecting link in that
general system OF transcontinental
transportation which handles San
Francisco traffic through the Ogden
gateway and forms no part of the
San Francisco-New Orleans-New York
route: and,
Whereas. the Supreme Court has
held that the control. Of the Central
Pacific by the Southern Pacific Com
pany constitutes a violation of the
Sherman Antitrust law and that 1t
is harmful to the public interest;
and,
Whereas. 1t is unthinkable that
an unlawful monopoly ordered by
the Supreme Court to desist from its
unlawful conduct shall by legislation
be declared to be lawful and be
granted permission to continue its
unlawful conduct; and,
Whereas, the continued holding Of
the Central Pacific Company will
place in the hands Of the Southern
Pacific Company both the power and
the desire to hinder and impede
transcontinental traffic moving to or
from San Francisco through the o.
den Gateway. and enable 1t thereby
to increase the cost Of transportation
and supplies to the people OF the
great central communities of the
United States,
Therefore be 1t resolved. that the
Rawlins Lions Club is opposed to any
and all attempts to permit the
Southern Pacific Company to retain
control Of the Central Pacific, and
that 1t believes that the public in
terest requires the dissolution of the
Southern Pacific-Central Pacific