Morris tribune., 1883-01-11

those preeds psst ADAPTED TO our climate Inc or:
acers Of the State Agricultural association informed
me that parties who exhibited dine breeds Of stock
from abroad at our last State fair have since intro
iuced such stock 10 large numbers IN different parts
ofthe STATE by sale to farmers who became ac-
qnainted With their superior anaes o. -, ,nfa e5
active, and that they believe Mlnne-
sofa Is making rapid strides ,, towards becoming
practicable way to encourage the growing interest
in this new departure OF our agriculture believe
a most effective way in which such announcement
may he extended is to aid the State and county as
sociations in their annual exhibitions The state
should grant them liberal appropriations and tho
people should encourage them by their personal
| presence ! recommend an increase OF the appro-
| priation TO the State association to $4,000 per
annum and like amount to be distributed to the
We are inteIligently committed to the policy OF
| encouraging forestry. In that connection COM
mend the suggestion that the State assume the e1-
pense CT printing considerable COTTON OF revised
manual OF instructions for tree culture. and for Its
| free distribution to those who seek information.
| The American Forestry congress Is expected to
| hold Its next meeting In St Paul next August. II
will be occasion OF great Importance to our poo
| pe. The use of the rooms OF the capitol are ten
| dered as far AZ they may be serViceable, and 1t
seems proper that the State Forestry association
be proVided funds at least sufficient for the manual
| referred to. and for their incidental expenses IN
connection with the expected meeting.
| RAILROADS.
| The vast agqregations of capital centrated
within the control Of the monster corporations Of
the country within the past few years. are sug-
gestiye of danger and possible disaster to the vital
rtereats of the public. The Increasing aggressive.
ness and the holder defiance Of corporate power,
especially represented by great railroad corpora
tons, must ultimately be met and restI aimed by the
power and authority OF the State. Through con
soidatlon and absorption the entire railroad system
the "a" control I"! Of few men who may
| thereby wald greatly injure the material interests
of entire communities Of people. The knowledge
| that such power lies IN the control OF these huge
| uonopoes to be exercised almost at will. creates q
| feeling of disquiet and distrust, il not dismay.
| among the people. While We recognize the fact
that these corporations confer great benefit upon
the country, that they mighty in their influence
for the spread and development of our civilization,
| and should receive the cordial support of public
| sympathy In the exercise Of their reasonable and
legitimate functions, yet they should their part
feel that they the servants and not the
| Of the public: that like the citizen, they
amenable to laws whose majesty at once affords
| them protection and commands them TO respect its
| restraints They should lie reminded that they are
creatures Of the authority Of the State that 1t has
| endowed them with valuable franchises apd enor-
nous subsidies, and that it affords them that pro-
tsctiol and eri oyment Of possessioDs which give.
to all property its greatest value They should be
| m PRESSED with the fact that their legitimate re-
sources are wholly derived from the patronage Of
the public and that their proEer and legal relation
to the public only be ma!ntalned by dispensing
exact Justice to every individual and locality with
! which they have to deal.
| That the State has power to exercise control,
within reasonable limits. over these corporations,
is principle long since established and that 1t has
not exercised such control to greater degree is due
| Ia the patience and rOrbe arance Of the public.
| While the authority Of the State should be exer
| cissd with the utmost care and prudence. and all
the rights CT these corporations respected and
given the amplest protection, yet they should be
placed Under such restraint and accountability
as will guarantee the people equal protection OF
their rights and secure prompt redress OF every just
cause OF complaint. The State has been slow to lay
| Its restraining hand upon corporate power. The
| policy has prevailed to grant corporations the
largest liberty consistent with PUBLIC rights, put
| too FREQ exercise Of that liberty has sometimes
taken the form of license. and the interests OF the
public have been ignored as though they did rot
exist. Indeed recent events suggest the necessity
| of legislation to protect these corporations from
| each other.
The war of rates" that was lately i1augursted BE-
tween the rival systems operating In the Northwest
| developed some features In the policy OF railway
management TO which public attention had not be-
fore been specially directed The question Of ter
rtoi4 rights" has become an essential element in
| the economy of railroad management. With the
pretensions and the assumptions OF an autocrat
railroad manager publicly asserts the right to con-
troll the territory his system of roads traverses. and
gives notice that it must not be trespassed upon
under penalties that involve disaster to the BUSH
ness interests Of the country. Corporations have
| become to such an extent law unto themselves
that continued, unresIraned Indulgence IN the I'm
country to domination against which the people
will rebel
The subject Of legislative action imposing
straints upon the management OF railroads is one
that should command your earnest and careful at
tention The foregoing considerations not su2-
gested altogether by the attitude Of the corpora
lions existing operating in this state, but they
ar applicable IN modified form to the question as
presented before you
The very able and comprehensive report Of the
railroad commissioner will furnish you much val
liable information obtained by thorough research
and industrious investigation. HIS exhaustive dis
casio1 Of the railroad problem In its several phases,
of much practical value His recommendations are
numerous. and Of character that point toward
progress in the solution of this complex problem
The classification Of railroads upon the basis OF
income and the establishment of board Of con-
troll, to fix rates Of transportation, limited by
maximum for each class and fixed by law, would, l
believe provide q remedy for those complaints OF
discrimination and e1torion to which the commits
sioner's attention is being constantly called. l
recommend such legislation as will embody this
principle. II may be said that legislation CT some
what like character some years ago dsappoint-
Ing in its results To this may be answered that the
conditions are greatly changed Ihen Inc railroads
IF the State struggling against circum-
stances Many OF them We're practically bankrupt;
their lines were largely located in sparsey popula-
ted or wholly uninhabited districts. and In
some cas- g without income sufficient 10 meet their
expenses A decade has wrought wondrous
change i'll our RAILROADS. as in all other material in
teress of the State. They are now. with hardly an
aud carrying a surplus in their treasures. The
wilderness they trayersed has been occupied by
populors communities; their tonnage has increased
eight fold and their equipment If taxed to It's
utmost to do the business pressing upon them. The
legislation Of 1871 was crude and 1n-conslderec
The same principle embodied in provisions com.
pretending more enlightened understanding or
the question, gained by the experience of decade,
would prove a success where il was failure ten
years ago ,..
IN nia he Ms
inspection, surveillance and taxatioD that sleeping
ear comDaries now uatayed, be required 10 report
20 him and nay taxes on basis of income that more
efectite legislation be had to comr 9, railroad COM
Yaf to terform their duty as common carrlersrln
the shipment of grain; that a railway commission
composed of the governor, auditor and railroad
comm ssioner for purposes of appeal and more i'm
portant questions be established, and that more
power be given the commissioners office over rail-
way companies for ne enforcement OF T, existing
laws an regulations affecting railW ays The rea-
sore for each of these and other recommendations
OF the report will appear in his elaborate exposition
of aci subject.
During the year closing with Dec. /, 1882. there
were construeted 531 s7-lOO miles of new rail.
way, making total of 3. 749 1900 miles withni
tie boundaries Of the STATE The total cost Of the ne
an average Of S43. 934.12 per mile. The totn!
amount given to these railroads by the people OF
Minnesota in lands and bonds On cash 5asis a as
estimated by the commissioners. is S7o,4s9'|so'
an average of 1913, 81 per mile.
The earnings Of all lines in the State for the year
ending June %. We're: FROM passengers, "a
ianeous. $3.50, 2775s: total. $ls,eO5. 1876.
Total operating expenses, Slo.22l 1873 80. Az
S3OG8 so There were 1882, 1893 passengers
carried AMI 1888 20 tons Of freight transported
during the year
The following statement shows the amount OF
taxes paid to the State b. railroad companies since
1854:
From 1864 10 1872 ...... ....... $322, 1913 50
1873 Recommendations. los, 779 65
1874 ............... 100, O20 Oh
1875 ,.,.......,....,,.... lS2. I19 Is
1876 Observation-Disclosures. l45,794 SO
1877 . Gl,1S0 SO
1878 .................. 200,lT1 j.
1879 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 280,476 a
1890 Observation-Disclosures. 3l5,4S2 "a
1891 .....,........... a15,222 80
1882 Observation-Disclosures. 470.593 SO
Total $2,G4l 1884 q
Your particular attention is called to the cases
cited by the commissions: OF an effort upon the
M ri IF two nf NAMES a sVada Olyment of