Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1874-05-14


several members of that Association
from lows embraced the opportunity
to interview prominent officials of our
trunk lines of railway traversing the
State from East to West. Among
those interviewed were Superintend.
ent Strong, of the C. b. & O.; Mr..
Tucker, of the Illinois Central, and
Thos. +. Withrow, Esq, Attorney for
the c. r. l. & Pacific road. All these
gentlemen said there had not been any
conference between the companies,
nor did they think there would be. but
that each company would decide upon
its own course. The Dubuque Times
which Was represented in the Associ.
alton contains the substance of the in.
formation given them by the railroad
ohcials from which we clip the fol-
lowing:
Mr.. Strong said: The reduction Of
rates BY the law, he stated on inquiry,
Was from 70 to 30 per cent. Neither
Of the great railroad lines CROSSING the
state were earning much more than
operating expenses, and interest on
their bonds. To reduce the receipts
OF the roads 30 per cent, as proposei
by the law, simply made their proper
" valueless. Some step was there.
fore inevitable that would relieve the
companies from this reduction. What
the road with which he is connected,
and the Chicago aud Northwestern'
would do, depended somewhat upor
the course taken by the Rock Island
| That company had assented to an ex
plicit assertion OF the power Of The
legislature to regulate fares And
freights. just what view the Rocl
leland would take Of it's Obligation,
under that agreement he did not know
But the competition between the G. B
" u, the Z. Il. /. 4 p, and the G.. and
N. w. 10 such that necessarily one will
have to follow the other. It wac,
however, he asserted, fully competent
for all the roads terminating out OF
the State to make up the loss upon 10.
cal freights by adding to the through
freights, and it was his opinion tina,
the companies would endeayor 10
make good their losses under the Law
by adding to the charges for carrying
freight from points ia Iowa to Chics
60, and from Chicago to points ii
Iowa. This he did not believe would
prove AS satisfactory to the men who
] have been 80 c'amorOus for railroad
| legislation as the present policy of the
companies.
Il Mr.. Withrow said: He did not re-
N gard the agreement of his own com.
lpany accepting what is called thu
"DOud amendment" Is subiecting Il
to further control than the other land
grant roads are subject to by provis.
ions In their grants. The only re-
strictioD the legislature can make, he
thought, is that the charges shall not
be unreasonable, and this would be
the ultimate decision of the courts
AS to the Iowa law he was in favor of
enforcing it. The people had clamor-
cd for such . law and now that they
have It they ought to reap it, effects.
In all cases where roads have their
termini in tho State he thought it
| would be absolute ruin to the compa-
MES. But the most of the Iowa roads
| are through lines running into other
States, and through freights are be-
You'd control by the law. Their COM
pany had been simply earning s per
cent. upon their capital. III the 80 or
40 per cent. reduction under the law
could affect the through business it
would simply be confscation Of their
property. But they have the power to
make up from additions to the through
freights what the law takes from them
ON local freights, and infinitely more,
and he thought it would be but just to
take what the law gives. If they did,
he said, the farmers of Iowa, who are
interested mainly in getting their pro-
duce through to Chicago ct the lowest
rates will find that they will have but
clamored to their own injury. One
thing is cert ain, the companies cannot
stand any material reduction of re.
ceipts. They must have Is much rev.
enue as they now get, and the law bui
changes thel plan which All railroad
experience proves to be the sensible
wayof getting It. |.
4 Itwould appear, therefore, that the
railroad companies do not expect to
refuse compliance with the law, and
that they assume it ~ settled, that
the law only applies to such freight a.
10 carried from point to point in the
| State Ss