, 1874-04-27
THE WISCONSIN RAILROAD LAW.
An Interview with Officers Of tho Hill.
Waukoo 6 st. Paul Road.
The Course That Company Intends
to Pursue.
It Promnlgatcs New Tariff, ignoring
tho Legislative Requirements.

Frotn the Aft{,rautec Sentinel, AprH 2s.
Tho near approach OF tho deto flxod for tho
coming into operation Of the now Nailroad Ia"
vendors 1t desirable that tho public Should DO
fully informed on tho aspect tho question mas
assumed, owing to the declaration on behalf Of
Tho railroads that they will ceaso to run IT the
lhw III enforced.
Our reporter visited tho offices Of the MIL
1aukoe l. st. Paul Railroad Company, and found
there Mr. 8. 8. Merrill, Mr. John G. Gsult, and
Other of1loials. Addressing himsolf to tho re-
teponsblo managers, aud receiving roplios from
bo tb, with an occasional remark from Bome of
tho other gentlemen, tho reporter oontrived be-
4neen thom all to got some information.
WHEN WILL THE TRAINS DE TAKEN OFF
! In answer to question as to whom the Com
pany intended to take OF Its traina 1t was stated
that 1t ia not desired to do anything until COM
pollod to. The Company will NOT willingly tako
of single train; but close calculations OF tho
lowest possible. working expenses, compatible
with safety md efficiency and OF the re!onne
under the new law, have been made, and 1t LAS
been found that under tho most liberal estimate
{baaod upon q calculation Of tho Company "a busi-
hess, made prior to the New York mooting) tho
years workings would lonve The Company short
$780, 900 In tho payment Of interests on bonds
alone. Tho Company could not operate single
week undor tho new rasoR. Interests could mol
would hold = worthless property. It would
amount to confiacation.
Tho officers Of the Company havo no feolings
OF hostility They DO not believe the people Cpl
Legislature has imposed certain rates, maybe
under the Impression that they we're sufficiently
high to permit the Companies fair working
'Eeyenuo. But they had mado miacaloulation,
and this would be demonstrated. Tho Company
would run It's trainB under its own tariffs from
hnd after tho passage OF the now law, and,
they are to bo prosecuted for violation, they
the supromo Court. Should tho Supreme Court
decide against them, md no othor way Of set
,tlement could bo arranged, traffic to which tho
hew law applies must cease.
ALL TRAINS WILL NOT DE WITHDRAWN.
Out tho law doos not affect all tue business Of
the Company. Il relatoa only to local traffic
upon tsot to logis1ate The traffic Of other statss
;nut OF existence; and all through business will
DO carried on as usual. Take tho case Of grain.
6By far. tho greater quantity OF shipments nre
from points outside tho State. in Minnesota,
a9"s a9wsI Dakota" et0' and this will go through as
TEE QUANTITY OF GRAIN IN STORE.
! The figures are not accessible, as they havo
boon sont on to Now York and no returns Of
tho quantity Of wlent on hand in this State havo
stations outside the State are made tile subject
of weekly reports by tho station agents.
Last weok'a reports show m accumulation OF
1,l41 600 bushels on the River, Iowa & Dakota,
Divisions. ' Of this, not not loss t6sn 1,aoo, ,ooo
Bushels aro on the River Division, and are access
eible to water-tran8poatation, 80 that, to that
proportion, tho Railroad laws even surprising
the Legislature undertook to regulate interstate
commerce, would not apply.
WHAT THE FRE1aurEns BAY.
Not single business man having dealings
with the Company has complained Of tho exist
have nothing to do with tho payment OF freight.
They arc interested, Of cour4o but, when 1t
comes to question Of paying tho difference be.
Tween tho Compauys thrill and the new tariff
farmers will make hastc slowly to confaoate the
roads. If tho Company we're allowed to canvass
the yotoe OF the persons Interested 10 tho pay
,ment Of freight, instead Of intermeddlers who
-Eeek to gain notorioty mud cheap political cRnftR1
and arc not otherwise interested. there would DO
none of this trouble. The Company owns 800
f1niles OF road in this State and to Tits the now
Saw applies. Tho Companye tariff is not felt to
.be hardship by those who have to pay 1t and
tho fight ia betWeen tuo Company and the politi-
ciAnR.
Merchants arc another class of freightera who
neither complain nor suffer. The ratios on gon-
pral merchandise are 10 equitable TINT tile new
law does not make any considerable changes in
them.
THE NORTHWESTERN ROAD.
The Chicago { Northwestern, having 100 miles
OF the Milwaukee i st. Paul, and will be able
to carry their through freight at the present
ratoa, without regard to tho new law. In both
casea, the effect of tho new law, if It DO on
forced, will bo simply to Btifle Wisconsin trade,
aud leave the balance aa 1t ia.
WILL FIGURES LIE Z
The reporter said tho statement had been
mado tint tho Company Ind prepared statements
to ahow disability to earn enough to carry traffic
in this Stato to suit themselves.
Mr. Gault said TINT was not 30. Tho only fig
,tres prepared had been collected for the iptor-
nation Of tho Directors, The statement In tho
Sentinel would have beon conclusive had the
writer told tho truth, but ho Ind ot,-not
within million, nor within two millions. That
Ia tie why the public are deceived. Gentlomon
.amaEc assertiona that are not correct, md case
III ut once founded on error.
ReporteE-Wlat are tho correct nguros7
Afr. Gault-I would give them to you with tho
greatest readiness, but they are not here. Thoy
are at New York, but, IT they are really needed,
there is no reason Whatever why all information
of the kind should not DO placed at your disposal
for the information Of the public, .
A NEW TARIFF.
The following are new tariH-tablos OF the
milwaukee, D. ST. Paul Railroad, to go into force
next Monday, anticipating the now Railroad law
lone day. Twill be seen that they carefully ig-
more the requirements Of the now Railroad law
nj tia KtAt0.