Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1877-03-22
"A GRANGE VICTORY.

VA 0AOAAAS
The telegraph during the week mas
brought tidings that our brothers u '"o
central West have won their cases at the
highest tribunal in this country the oll'eu
States Supreme Court. The decisions IN orei
are that the legislature OF a State mas lHe
right to regulate the charge OF railway COZ
porations acting under its charters, and maj
in an Interstate railway each State has the
authority over tina portion of the line when
lies within its boundaries. Another decision
is that the State of Illinois has the right TO
warehouse charges in the Guy u
Chicago. Of course, as the Supreme Court
decides upon general principles, the decision
will be apple able everywhere throughout
the country when the issues are raised.
The Chronicle makes the following COM
ments upon the above news: "SeVeral
wears ago the legislatures OF ILLINOIS, Iowa
and Wisconsin enacted laws asserting thelr
mower to fix the rates that might be charg-
ed by railway and other transportation COM
panies, and fixing the same by elaborate
schedule of classification The railway cor
porations resisted these laws in the courts.
They were defeated and appealed to the Su-
preme Court of the United States. Ihe act
known as trhe Potter Law" OF Wisconsin
furnished the text for the discussion Of the
riohts of corporations and the powers OF
State legislatures over them, that agltated
the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific
for two years or more, and had, perhaps, as
much influence jim starting and extending
the i~ndependent political party as all other
causes combined. The controversy was end
ed in the Supreme Court on the lst inst.
by a decision against the corporations and
sustaining the power claimed by the State
legislatures. The Court says that State
legislatures have this right as to railways
wholly within the State, and that Congress
has it not. AS to roads partly in one state
and partly in another, or in several others.
the right to regulate its rates on fare and
freight belongs to the States through which
the road runs and to no others. They lay
down the doctrine that railways are not
private property, but property for public
use as well as for private gain, and subject
to the same laws in regulation OF their
charges anu management DIS leIIlcss IHiSho,
bridges. etc. The opinion of the Court was
read by the Chief Justice, all the Justices but
Field concurring, and he will file a dissent
ing opinion in a short time, The argument
OF Senator Carpenter OH this point, two
years ago, in defense of the Potter bill was
never overthrown, though often sought
to be by many of the greatest lawyers OF the
country, including Evarts and Stoughton at
the East, and the eminent gentleman who
has charge Of the law department of the
Central Pacific in this city. This decision
affirms it, and happily removes an objection
of long standing and serious import, inyar-
iably urged with great force and effect in
our State Legislature whenever an attempt
was made to regulate fares and trieghts by
!, law. Hereafter the corporations will have
to rely upon other methods and arguments,
}, Oranges in Wisconsin nave on hand $780,
900 towards a State Agricultural Improve
: ment Society. They have established forty
one cooperative associations for selling goods
and manufacturing, and twenty-nine insur
ance companies, all tiourishing and repre-
senting capital to the I'm cunt Of 81 900, 900