The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-12-18
ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF RAIL-
ROAD SOPHISTRY

An instance of the sophistical rea
soning of the transcontinental rail
roads was an address made by the
general freight agent of the Union
Pacific railway to a group Of Moscow
business men at the University OF
Idaho Tuesday evening.
This Portland railroad agent as
serted that the Spokane Merchants
association wants the railroads of the
northwest to move the Pacific ocean
TO Spokane"
Here was deceptive intimation
that Spokane, and Spokane alone, is
before the interstate commerce COM
mission with a ridiculous contention,
The truth is that Spokane business
interests have joined with scores of
other communities III the broad inter
mountain region between the Cana
dian and Mexican boundaries to
oppose an unjust attempt by the
railroads to return to their discrimi-
nation against the interior
These defending interests have
Joined in the intermediate Rate asso-
citation, the organization that sue
ccessfully combated previous at
tempts by the transcontinental rail-
roads to discriminate against the in
terror.
These same railroads were before
the Interstate commerce commission
with a similar application only a
little more than year ago, and the
commission denied it. They are now
in the position that a litigant would
be in who had lost case before the
supreme court a year ago and was
now seeking reopening of the case.
The truth is that the railroads and
the Coast jobbing interests are try
ing to deprive the interior of it's nat
ural geographic advantage of the
short haul on commodities carried
westward from the Mississippi valley
and the Atlantic seaboard. They want
to charge interior communities high
er freight rates for shorter hauIs, |
ranging all the way from 200 to 1000
miles.
The interior communities are not |
objectfDg to the railroads reducing
~,-1Hi iCiSul ldtSS dl the teIIu1DdlS |
to meet water competition, provided |
always-and it is just proviso-that |
when reductions are made on the |
longer hauls corresponding reduc-
tions shall also be made on the short
er hauls
The Union Pacific's Portland agent
can not pull the wool over the eyes
Of ir,fo I
interior They know that the inter
ests of Moscow, of Lewiston, of Boise
of WalIa Walla, of Pasco, of Yakima.
of Pendleton, of Baker and every
other commercial and industrial CEN
ter of the interior are identical with |
the interests of Spokane-Spokes-
man Review.
- - - S
III William Jennings Bryan re- c
aims his health until after the next
democratic national convention he is
going to have something to say about n
he nomination of a candidate to lead fl
he party. He has announced that he /;
will have a candidate to offer to the II
onvention who is both dry and pro- ,
ress1ve. Whether or not the demo- ',
rats viii accept his candidate re-
laIns to be seen. Woodrow Wilson, {
he only candidate for president the
emocrats have been able to elect in
considerable period, was forced =.
pom the Baltimore convention by Mr.. h,
ryan, lone handed. Also, the party Us
oesnt dare place before the people gI
candidate who is avowedIy in OBJ Pc
,sition to prohibition, or who is Ii
lown to be of positive type of re- &c
tionary. t,,
- - "a
James Hamilton Lewis. who first tin
came prominent along about 1896, off
len he was elected to congress from 20
e state of Washington, and who u"
er represented Illinois in the Unit -"
States senate, is again talked of ~,
candidate for the senate, after DO,
wing been out of public life for a wi;
mber of years. Lewis is demo- pro
It, it will be remembered, and has, =
did have pink whiskers, which -
ped shove him along toward fame :.