Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-12-16
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
"STEEL RAIL- REPLIES TO &c. W. L.
ON THE POTTER LAW.

ON THE POTTER LAW.
think my friend, G. W. L, did not
quite understand the object of the
discussion that invited him to enter
upon with me, Judging from his reply
in your issue of the 28th. 1t seems
to me that discussion of the Potter
law need not involve history of all
railroad building in the United States
the action of Congress in granting
lands to aid in the construction of
roadside gambling in the stock and
bonds on Wall Street, or the failure
of Jay Cooke & Co. He raises so
many new and incidental questions in
his first article that | am not surprised
he finds it necessary to write a series
of letters, and if he raises as many
new ones in each article, / fear he
will not get down to rigid cxamin-
alton of the matter in hand until our
readers get tired of the whole con-
troversy.
The business of she Wisconsin leg
islature is to enact such laws as the
people want passed, and if under I'M
due excitement, or without due care
and deliberation, it pass laws that are
not wise and benefcient, then we
have right to require their amend
ment or repeal. Now | asserted my
belief that the Potter law an unjust
and arbitrary measure, doing more
hurt than good as a whole, and l in
vited G. w. L )" who thinks other
wise, to point out its good effects.
But he uses up a column of the
HERALD in discussing matters quite
foreign to our subject, and in order to
bring him down to the work, will
change places with my friend { do
not like to call man an opponent
when both are seeking after TRUTH
and take upon myself the labor of
showing the bad effects of the Potter
law, and to give the reasons for its
repeal. If he can overthrow my
arguments and impeach my witnesses
then the readers will give him yer-
dict.
AS the proof of the pudding is in
the eating, so the value of a statute
is made manifest by its practical en-
forcement. The Potter law has been
in operation nearly two years, and
this is what the Prairie du Chen
Courier says OF it. The Courier, at
first, quite agreed with &c. W. L.
that the law was a good one, but ex-
perience has led it to change its opin-
ion;
Recent developments show that in
effect our Wisconsin railroad legisls.
ton is q failure, and worse, so far as
Wisconsin farmers and the business
interests of this State are concerned.
The so-called Potter law arbitrarily
fixes the rate which railroads must
charge for carrying the freight and
grain of this State. The railroads
are prohibited, under a heavy penal
ty, for charging less than those fixed
rates, and can give no rebate, or use
any reasonable means to draw bust
ness from competing lines in other
States. But this law does not apply
to "througbt freights," and so the
Minnesota farmer living 200 miles
further from lake market, gets an
advantage over ourWisconsin farmer.
II not only deprives the farmer OF
Crawford county, Wis, of all the
benefits of adjoining steamboat and
railroad competition, but it virtually
places the Minnesota farmer, distant
200 miles further from the Chicago
market, on an equality with him in
that market. 1t deprives us Of the