The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-03-27
KiNDELL HANDS F. b.
CHOATE 4 PACKAGE

To The Liberty Press:
Following is my reply to Mr..
Choate's letter of recent date on
freight rates:
Mr.. F.. B. Choate,
Asst. General Freight Agt.,
Union Pacific Railroad,
Denver, Colo.
Thank you for your assumed expla-
nation of why DENVER LOST ITS
MILLION DOLLAR COTTON MILL.
Again l must charge you with omis-
sion of facts. l would remind you
that Denver and the entire 1O5th Me-
ridian section were made to pay
strictly first class rates on cotton
piece goods while those east of the
Mississippi river enjoy special rate
of twenty-five per cent less than sec
ond class and the Transcontinental
tariff to the Pacific coast was one
third of first class rate, over the
same rails in the same direction.
l never did assert that freight
rates alone were responsible for the
defeat of this and other enterprises.
Judge Lindsey's Child Labor Agitation
and the labor unions contributed
much to the defeat of the above men
toned enterprise.
Preaching and Squeezing
Lemons and Domes
The million dollar paper mill, like
wise the Grant smelter were subject
ed to all kinds of encouragement
and final dismantling for the same
reason-labor troubles and boycots
1t would not be amiss here to state
that the then Denver newspapers, in
stead of patrcnizing home industry
boycotted the same, and played into
the, hands of the eastern paper trust.
Since then they have been preaching
and squeezing lemons and domes.
"Patronlze Home Industry"
Nor do l maintain that discrimD
nate freight and express rates are the
only bane to Denver and Colorado de-
velopment. For instance, the loss of
the Pullman shops-I would rather
that the Real Estate Exchange ex-
plain how we lost it.
Who was it that finally succeeded
in procuring a commodity rate on
cotton piece goods for this section?
The dry goods stores must admit it
was George Kindel
Ask our Denver bankers of that
time how much they lost by the cot
ton mill and the paper mill and how
it was that the managers of these re-
spective plants committed suicide
no wonder the banks have since re-
fused to advance money on warehouse
receipts and why they steer clear of
manufacturing credits generally.
On the Still remaining $4,000
Grant Smelter smokestack, would
suggest large sign like that former
ly on the Tabor Opera house curtain,
viz:
$50 fleet the works of man,
Back to the earth again:
Ancient and holy things,
Fade like dream"
The lack of space makes the full
discussion of this subject prohibitive.
Therefore, 1 would suggest and invite
you to public debate. Let Mayor
Stapleton furnish us with the audi
torium-you to name the time and
two judges. l will nominate Presi-
dent Rosenwald of Sears & Roebuck
Company to act as judge for me- The
subject to be: Resolved, That Den
ver pays from to 300 per cent
higher freight and express rates per
mill ton mile than any city of its
size in the United States" l to take
the affirmative.
With the Parcel Post rate GA per
cent of the Express Rate in this sec
tion, would not the increase in weight
and size Of package, as established.
be an advantage to mail order
house? Further, l would state that
east Of the Mississippi river, express
rates are 64 per cent of the parcel
post rate-which do you consider cor
rect?
In reference to jobbing, how can
Denver jobbers hope TO compete with
Mississippi and Missouri river points,
with handicap of from 20 to 300
per cent in freight charges?
Ask Daniels G Fisher why they re-
tired from wholesaling. Why did
Marshall Field and j. V. Farwell
close up their show rooms and since
shrunk into eight by ten lofts with
resident ''sample card agents?
How can the alert inter-inountain
merchant be expected to trade in
Denver or any other Colorado com
mon noint while the hanIicnn of from