Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-01-14
GRANGER LEGISLATION.
OPENING OF THE THREATENED
FIGHT ON THE RAILROADS..
A Bill Regulating Railroad Freights -
and Severe Penalties for Violation of the
Proposed Tariff The FOrrrunner of a
Big Contest.

county, introduced the IOllOWmS Oil III
the Senate yesterday:
A bill to regulate the carrying of certain
freight on all the railroads in this State.
Be it enacted by the legislature of the State of
Minnesota:
Section 1. 1t shall be unlawful for any rail
road corporation doing business, or running,
or operating any railroad In this State, or any
officer, or employe, of such railroad corpora
ton to ask, demand, take, charge, collect, or
receive from any person, corporation, company
or association desiring or requesting the trans
portation of the kinds of freight hereinafter
specified over its line or lines of railroad with
in the boundaries of this State, any higher or
greater payment or compensation than at and
after the rates following, VIZ:
First-On all kinds of grain at the rate OF
four cents per ton per mile, for the firsttwenty
miles or less, that the same may be transported
over such line or lines of railroad, and at
the rate of (3k) three and half cents
per ton per mile for any distance
exceeding twenty and not more than fifty
miles, and at the rate of (3) three cents per ton.
per mile for any distance exceeding fifty and
not more than one; hundred miles, anda the rate
of two and three-quarter cents per mile for any
distance exceeding one hundred miles that the
same may be transported.
Second-Upon sawed timber, lumber, laths
and shingles, at the rate of five dollars per car
load for any distance not exceeding twenty
miles; and in addition thereto, the following
rates, to-wit: At the rate of twenty cents per
car load per mile for any distance beyond
twenty miles and not exceeding fifty miles, and
at the rate of sixteen cents per car load per
| mile for any distance beyond fifty miles and
not exceeding one hundred miles, and at the
rate of twelve cents per car load per mile for
any distance beyond one hundred miles.
Providad that for tbn purDOSaS If this act n
car load shall be taken to be twenty thousand
pounds weight
Third-Upon wood at the rate of $40 per
| carload for any distance not exceeding thirty
five miles, and in addition thereto at the rate
of ten cents per carload per mile for any dis
lance beyond thirty-fve miles, provideda car
load Shall not be less than six cords.
Sec. 2. No railroad corporation shall charge
any compensation for handling, transferring,
or storing any frelghts transported or to be
transported over the line of its railroad, except
that upon all freights stored for a longer pc
Rod than two days after notice given to the
consignee to remove the same, such company
or corporation may demand and receive fol
storage exceeding that time such compensa-
| ton as the same may reasonably be worth
But railroad corporations that shall provide
cars at convenient places for loading such
| freights may require the consignors to load on
the cars timber, lumber, lath, shingles and
| wood, which shall be delivered for Transports
| ton.
| Sec 3. 1t shall be the duty of all railroad
corporations in this State to receive all freights
of the kinds mentioned in this act, at any de
pot or station of such corpOrtions, whenever
brought to such stations for transportation, ant
| to provide suitable facilities for receiving hand
ling and shipping the same. And all railroad
corporations shall furnish equal facilities fol
transporting and shall transport the freights
| in this act heretofore specified, within this
| State to and from warehouses or elevators 9th
err than those owned by any such corporation
at the same rates as from warehouses or eleva
tors owned by such company or corporation
and shall make no discrimination in favor OF
nor against any warehouse or elevator.
| Sec 4. 1t shall be unlawful for any rail
road corporation doing business or running
and operating any railroad in this State
or any officer or employe of such
railroad corporation, to refuse, neg
lcct or fail to furnish, under any pretcXt
or excuse whatsoever, for space of more
than twenty days at any one time, suitable cars
at any point on their respective railways with
in this State for the shipment and transporta
| ton of the different kinds of freight herein
before specified, whenever requested or de-
manded so to furnish cars, or to fail or neglect
| to transport, ship, and forward the same with
all reasonable dispatch to any place within this
| State to which the same is desired to be trans.
| ported.
Sec. 5. If any such railroad corporation
| shall, in violation OF any of the provisions OF
! this act ask, demand, take, charge, collect, or
receive of any person or corporation any high
err or greater compensation for the transporta-
ton of any of the kinds of freights herein
before mentioned than at the rates hereinbefore
specified, or if any such railroad corporation
shall, for more than twenty days at
any one time, under any preteXt
or excuse whatever, refuse, fail
or neglect to furnish suitable cars for the
shipment or transportation OF any of the kinds
of freight hereinbefore specified, at any station
on their railway in this State, or shall fail to
transport said freight with all reasonable dis
patch, or shall in any other manner violate any
of the provisions OF this act, then and in that
case upon conviction thereof such railroad
corporation shall forfeit and pay a
fine to the State of Minnesota of not
less that $500 for the first offense, and for
the second and each subsequent offense not
less that 81 900 and not more than 5000.
Sec. q. The fine mentioned in the last
preceding section may be recovered in civil
action in the name of the State of Minnesota,
and there may be several causes of action
Joined in the same complaint, as to eXtortion
and unjust discrimination, as to
freight rates and rates for the
use and transportation OF railroad cars, and
for receiving, handling or delivering freights
or for the violation of any other of the pro-
visions of this act. Provided that in all cases
under the provisions cf this act, a preponder
ance of evidence in favor of the State shall be
sufficient to authorize verdict and judgment
for the State, and that the rules of evidence
and practice shall be the same as in other civil
actions, except as in this act otherwise pro-
vided. Amendments may be granted to the
pleadings and all the proceedings as in other
civil actions. And appeals shall be had by either
party from the district court to the supreme
court in like manner and upon like terms as in
other civil actions. Provided, however, that
the State shall not be required to give bond
Or other security upon such appeal. The
remedies hereby given shall be. regarded
as cumulative to the remedies now
given by law against railroad cor
porations, and this act shall not be con-
strued as repeating the common law giving
such remedies. Actions commenced under its
provisions shall have precedence over all other
business in the courts of this State except
criminal business, and in all such actions
trial by jury shall be had.
Sec. {. All actions arising under the pro-
visions of this act shall be brought and
prosecuted to final determination i'll the dis
trict court in and for the countyin which the
party injured or prcjudiced by any of the VIC
lations OF this act, shall reside, and for the
purposes of this act and of any prosecutions