San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-12
KEEP POUNDING

In deciding to make fight against
the purchase OF the International and
Great Northern Railroad by the Gulf
Coast lines. San Antonio must not over
look the fact that it has something of
struggle on its hands. Already, ar
IrangementS have been made for financ-
ing the deal and its advocates will be
prepared with many arguments in favor
OF permission to put through the deal.
In one sense, it matters nothing to
San Antonio who owns the International
and Great Northern. but the question
becomes vital issue when the prospect
i've purchaser is a corporation which.
in the past, has not only been willing
to sacrifice the interests of this CITY but
has made constant and persistent eft
fort to do so.
The Gull Coast lines have. in the past.
delayed shipments from this city when.
at the same time. they were eXpediting
freight from other cities. notably Hous-
ton, with the deliberate intention OF dis
couraging buyers from patronizinp
Wholesale merchants in this city. They
desi' ed that all goods be bought in
Houston simply because they could get
a longer haul and larger freight charge
on goods from Houston. 1t was a pin
headed policy, but the Gull Coast lines
adopted it and chung to it.
For some reason some of the larger
railroads OF Texas have never been de
sirous OF aiding San Antonio They
have always been against it as COM
pared to other cities and have. always
appeared anxious to throttle it-and de-
spite the treatment itNhas so constantly
received it is today the largest city in
the state
For years the Southern Pacific made
not the slightest effort to give San An
tonic even decent treatment in passenger
transportation between its terminals re-
gardlcss OF the fact that San Antonio
is the largest city on its entire main
line between New Orleans and Los An
gelcS. 1t ran its best trains on schedules
that brought them into this city at I'M
earthly hours in the morning-it still
does tlat-and it would make no accom-
modI ton Tor San Antonio on those
trains. People desiring to visit this ci,y
were invited to use slower trains or turn
out Uf their berths At 1 or o'clock in
the morning. Now. those trains carry
j San Antonio sleeperS, but the great
tranScontinental trains on the Southern
Pacific are still rushed through this city
at an hour when nobody can see the
city OF cares to see it. Other roads
have shown the city but slightly greater
consideration. The Katy is probably the
only large railroad system in Texas
which has steadily been the friend Of
, Sar Antonio and has consistently given
! it square deal.
The recent attitude OF the Gull Coast
! lines toward this city has been insoicnt
: in the oxtreme An official of that sys-
tenn FAMED Pycatt has told the business
men OF San Antonio that his railroad
will dc all it can to prevent San Antonio
from getting adequate transportation &c
the Rio Grande VALLEY unless it is pre-
par eG to ACCEPT THAI transportation OF
the terms he laid down.
Alcr have been ridden out OF towns or
4 rail Tor smaller impcrtnenceS thar
that
Nj the same time. San Antonio mus
remcirber that any kind OF a fight IS
light and no fight is ever won by letting
tI,c ctl,e- fallO,y Do tbe noundino