New-State Tribune. (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 17, No. 40, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 31, 1911 Page: 3 of 17
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New-State Tribune, Thursday, August 31, 1911.
Page Three
U 1
Corporation Commission
Thl* department la a ragular featura of tha Naw State Trlbuna. All tha official acta of tha Commisalon are
reported, tha naw caaea filed and tha docketing given them appear each week, and apaclal artlclea In connection
with tha work of tha commiaalon are given from time to time.
COL. LOVE REPLIES
TO EDITOR’S ATTACK
POINTS OUT NUMEROUS FALLA-
CIES CONTAINED IN REPUB-
LICAN NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
A discussion that has assumed the
proportions of a joint debate has aris-
en between Editor F. E. Purcell, of
the Enid Events, and Chairman Jack
Love of the Corporation commission,
as a result of an editorial that ap-
peared in the Events August 17.
The article referred to stated that
the editor of that paper had been
charged 40 cents express on a two
pound merchandise package from
Oklahoma City to Enid, while he had
sent a similar, shipment of the same
weight from Enid to Manitou, Colo.,
for 35 cents. It lauded the Inter-
state Commerce commission for ben-
efits secured to the public and charged
the Oklahoma commission and com-
missioners with incompetency.
Chairman Love wrote a sharp ac-
knowledgment of the attack, inviting
Editor Purcell to visit the offices of
the commission and offering to pay
his expenses in doing so if he would
look over the work being done and
write as fair a report as he could on
the subject. Incidentally', he told the
editor that an investigation of the
express shipment about which he
complained, showed that the package
sent from Oklahoma City to Enid
weighed five pounds instead of two,
and that if evidence could be offered
that the weight stated in the editorial
was correct a refund for overcharge
would be secured by the commission.
Editor Purcell came back with a
long communication, in which he in-
dulged in considerable sarcasm stat-
ing that he realized that for him to
presume to question the official worth
of the big chairman was like “a toad
baying at the moon.” His letter also
went in considerable detail into a
discussion of prevailing freight rates
in Oklahoma and elsewhere, charg-
ing the Corporation commission with
failing to secure results of benefit
to the public.
Chairman Love replied in detail.
He ignored the editor's sarcastic
thrusts, but handed out a few sizzlers
in the course of the reply. His let-
ter, which also states the proposition
discussed in Editor Purcell’s letter
follows:
Dear Sir:
I am in receipt of letter of August
22 bearing your signature, which I
presume will appear in the columns
of your newspaper, and I make this
acknowledgment assuming that if
yours of the 22 is published, you will
give the public the benefit of our dis-
cussion of the subject as well.
Your letter is two-fold in character,
being partly ridicule and partly ar-
gument. The ridicule is readily cre-
dited to you, as it is the weapon in-
variably resorted to by the man who
lacks argument. The argumentative
portion of your letter is from the pen
of some individual who has the inter-
est of the railroads at heart as against
the interest of the public, and wlio
lias succeeded in making use of your
name to cover his identity.
To your own part of your letter,
I have no answer to make. On the
subject of freight rates I wish to say
several things, and will take them up
in the order in which they appear in
your letter.
Carload Rates. Chewing Gum and
Confections. This rate was establish-
ed to make the tariff complete, and
was immediately adopted by all rail-
roads in the south-west, as all tariffs
were deficient in this particular.
Agricultural Implements.. You at-
tack this rate in behalf of the job-
bers. No jobber has ever attacked
it.
Circus Outfits, etc. You say this
rate is of no concern to the public. If
you had one of the scores of small
shows that use this rate, it would seem
to you more important.
Cotton Factory Products. You say
this rate is not essential, as there is
no cotton goods manufactory in the
state. You are mistaken. The rate
was established at the request of the
Pioneer Cotton Mills Co. of Guthrie,
is important to that industry and may
possibly encourage its development.
Emigrant Outfits, Household Goods,
etc.. You say these are now class A
and B, formerly class 5. You are mis-
taken. Such shipments never were
class 5. The following is a compari-
son of the Commission’s class A rate
now in effect with the Santa Fe class
A rate for various distances. It
speaks
for itself.
Miles.
Com.
Santa Fe
Standard Scale.
Miles.
Com Class A.
Rock Island
10
6.7
7
40
11.5
13
GO
14.3
17
90
18.5
23
125
22.8
26
Comparison of class B rates shows
relative decrease in the commission’s
scale in distances up to 100 miles, and
practical agreement between the two
scales for greater distances. You say
no emigrant or mover has a carload of
goods after he pays his taxes and that,
therefore, the rate is immaterial. The
above comparison shows that he will
have more left than he would, have
had before the commission scale was
established.
Furniture. You say this is now class
A,formerly classified 3rd, 5th, A and B.
You are mistaken. It was not at the
time of our order classified 3rd or 5th,
but 4th only, the railroads themselves
having established such classification
from jobbing centers. The following
comparisons disposes of your com-
plaint as to this commodity:
4th Class
10
6.7
9
40
11.5
15
60
14.3
18
90
18.5
24
125
22.8
30
Junk.
You admit
this saves the
junk man a few pennies. This com-
mission is looking out for the interest
of the junk man as well as that of
the man you consider more important.
Plow Parts. You admit decrease in
the commission’s scale.
Sash. You say now class D was
class C. You are "mistaken. Sash al-
ways was and now is covered by lum-
ber tariffs. The commission's rate
was a material reduction, but was en-
joined by Judge Hook. You say car
shipments are rare. We know of two
sash factories in Oklahoma City and
one in Muskogee which consider them-
selves entitled to consideration. If
your reference was intended to be to
sash weights instead of to sash, you
admit that the commission lowered
the rate. We advise you that the sash
weights rate was requested by the
Southwestern Iron Works at Guthrie,
which does an extensive business and
has been benelitted by this rate.
Store Fixtures and Stocks of Mer-
chandise. You say now Class A was
class 5. You are mistaken again.
They are not now class A and never
were class 5. Store fixtures alone
can move with immigrant outfit, or
they can move 3rd class with stocks
of goods. Before the commission rate
was established, store fixtures and
stocks of merchandise moved only at
less than carload rates, each article
shipped taking its own rate. Our files
show record of such a shipment from
Cleveland to Fairfax, on which the
shipper paid $325 freight charges on
his car. The same shipment would
move today under the commission
rate 3rd class, 60 miles, two line,
30,000 pound weight, for $84.
Roofing Material, etc. You concede
reduction in commission’s scale.
Wire and Wire Fence Material.
Your discussion is indefinite and of
no force for that reason
You give no reason for failing to
discuss the commission's rate on
hides. You may be interested in
learning that the commission estab-
lished a rate on hides, carload and less
thas carload, which was sustained by
the State Supreme court after being
appealed by the railroads and in liti-
gation for a year. The commission
protected shippers during this litiga-
tion by requiring an indemnity bond
from the railroads, and as a result of
the decision sustaining the commis-
sion, cash refunds to hide shippers in
the state aggregating about $12,000 ex-
cess freight collections have been
paid. The firm of A. B. Stephens &
Co. of your own city received a large
number of refunds for excess hide
payments aggregating several hun-
dred dollars. The largest single re-
fund paid to this firm through this
office was $274.74, for which we mailed
draft on May 1st, 1911. You say the
consumer can figure up the benefit he
receives from the commission carload
rates. We refer you to Stephens &
Co. for an expression as to the liide
rate.
You say 1 will reply that the Hook
injunction stands in the way as to
lower rates on coal, grain and grain
products, cotton seed and products,
lumber, brick, stone, lime, cement, oil
and oil products, fruits, vegetables,
etc. 1 do charge that the Hook in-
junction is now costing the shippers
of this state more than a quarter of
a million dollars monthly; but I am
not hopeless as to the future. The
commission has promulgated new
rates somewhat higher than the rates
Judge Hook arbitrarily annulled.
The railroads are fighting these new
rates in the higher courts, but under
existing laws, adopted largely on ac-
count of the Hook injunction, it would
take three Judge Hooks to again an-
nul a state government, and we are
quite sure that three Judge Hooks
cannot be found.
You say you understand the com-
mission has promulgated a live stock
order, but that it is not yet in force,
and that you need to study it. As to
the latter proposition, we agree with
you fully; and you might with profit
extend your research to cover the
whole subject. That this is true, we
conclude largely from the fact that
the commission's order No. 437, the
Cream Ridge
The Ideal Home Place
Mr. Renter, we call your particular attention to Cream Ridge as the last
close-in addition that will ever be offered at the low prices we are quoting.
Also to the fact that if you ever intend to own your home, now is the proper
time to act—and Cream Ridge is the place to buy your building site.
OUR SPECIAL HOME-BUILDERS OFFETt
will assist you in getting started on the road to independence. To all pur-
chasers who will begin construction within a given time, we make a special
discount on the price of the lots.
Don’t wait, but investigate our proposition at once. Call on, telephone
or write our office for full particulars. 1
LOCATION
Cream Ridge is beautifully located between Tenth and Twelfth streets,
facing east on Ames avenue and One-half block east of the Linwood car line.
This addition is covered with many beautiful homes of elegance and refinement.
IMPROVEMENTS
Tenth street is paved and intersecting, as it does, with Western avenue,
gives a paved thoroughfare right into the heart of the city.
Cream Ridge is supplied with gas, electric light, telephone, city water and
sewer. Sidewalks have been laid, streets graded and neither time nor expense
spared to make this property highly desirable as residence lots.
Prices and terms right. When you compare Cream Ridge lots with other
property of same proximity to the center of the city, improvements and other
advantages, you’ll see what a big bargain we are offering you.
THE CLASSEN CO.
Telephone PBX 1 Electric Terminal Building
OKLAHOMA CITY
SUCCESS AND SENSE
No tuition or fees to be paid before or after you
secure a position. Oklahoma’s big free-as-the-
air-you-breathe COMMERCIAL SCHOOL
opens September 12, 1911. Write for bulletin.
LYNN GLOVER, Pres., Tonkawa, Okla.
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Haskell, Charles N. New-State Tribune. (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 17, No. 40, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 31, 1911, newspaper, August 31, 1911; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc937097/m1/3/: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.