Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-01-10

practicable way to encourage the growing iuteres,
IN this new departure OF our agriculture. believe
most effective way in which such encouragement
may be extcnded is to aid tho State and county as
sociations in their annua. exhibitions. The State
should grant them liberal appropriations and the
people should encourage them by their personal
presence. l recommend an increase Of the appro-
priation to tho State association to $4,000 per
annum aud a like amount to be distributed to The
county societies.
We are intell!gsnty committed to the policy OF
encouraging forestry. In that connection COM
mend tho suggestion that the State assume tho ex-
penso Of printing considerable edition CT revised
manual OF instructions for tree culture. and for its
hee distribution to those who seek information.
The American Forestry congress is expected to
bold its mex: meeting in St Paul next August It
will be an occasion Of great Importance to peo-
pie The use OF the rooms of tho capitol arc ten
dered as far as they may BE- serviceable. and it
DO provided funds at least sufficient for the manual
rsfsrred to. aud for their incidental expenses In
connection With the expected mes.inR.
RAILROADS.
The vast asgsegatons of capital concentrated
within tho control Of the monster corporations Of
gestive of danger and possible disaster to the vital
interests Of the public The increasing aggressive.
nsxs ard tho holder defiance Of corporate power,
especially represented by great railroad corpora
dons, must ultimately be met aud restrained by the
power and authority OF the State. Through con-
soadatiou aud ABSORPTION the entire railroad system
s It tho sou: ssntt o : fs% mel, Ras wo under
By tho dssaotio use Of the ia.sA po S they they
thereby wied greatly in1ure the material interests
Of entire communities Of people. The knowledge
that such power lies in the control OF these huge
nonopoiies to be exercised almost at will, creates
feelin. OF disouiet and dlstrust. il not dtsmay.
among the people. While We recognize the fact
that these corporations confer great benefit upon
the country, that they are mighty in their Influence
for the spread and development of our civilization,
and should receive tho cordial support OF public
legitimate functions vet they should on their part
feel that they are the servants and no: tho
Of tho public: that ike the citizen. they are
anenable to laws whose majesty at once affords
them protection and commands them to respect its
restraints They should 10 reminded that they are
creatures Of the authority Of the sta.e that it has
nous subsidies, and that it affords them that pro-
tectioa and enjoyment Of posscssion1 which gives
impressed with the fact that their legitimate re-
sources are wholly derived from the patronage OF
the PUBLIC and that their proper and legal relation
to the public can only be maintained by dispensing
exact justice to every individual and locality with
which they have 20 deal
That the State has power to exercise control,
within reasonable limits. over these corporations,
Is principle long since established, and that it has
not exercised such control greater degree Is due
to the patience and forbs ararce CT the public.
White the authority Of the State should bs eKer-
csed 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
Is will guarantee the people eGua! protection Of
their rights and 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, but
too FREQ exercise of that liberty has sometimes
taken the form of license. and the interests of the
PUBIC have boon ignored as though they did not
exist Indeed. recent events suggest the necessity
OF LEGISLATION to protect these corporations from
The war of rates that was lately iraugurated b..
tween the riya! 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-
rto1l rights has become IN essent;a! element in
the economy Of railroad management. With the
preteusious and the assumptions Of an autocrat. q
railroad manager publicly asserts the right to cou-
troll the territory his system OF roads travcrses anu
gives notice that it must not be trespassed upon
undes penalties that involve disaster to the bust
ness interests Of tho country. Corporations have
become TO such an extent g law unto themselves,
thst continued. unrestraired indulgence in the i'm
munities they assume. will In time subject the
country to a domination against which the psople
will rebel.
The subject Of legislative action imposing re-
straints upon the Enlargement OF raroaGs is one
that should command your earnest and careful at
sension. The foregoing considerations are sug-
gested a!toeethsr By the attitude of the corpora
ions exist 'S or operatin: ia this State, bur they
arr applicable in odifed forE, 10 the question as
presented before you.
Tho very able ana comprehensive report Of the -!
railroad commissioner will furnish you much val
liable information obtained by thorough research !:
and industrious investigation. Its exhaustive dis
cussiol Of the railroad problem in its severIl phases
- Presented as this Nme, covers many suggestions
Ut much practical value His recommendations arc
aud at a character that point toward |
p osress in the solution of this comocx problem
The classification Of railroads upon the basis OF |
income. and the establishment Of board Of con- !
trul, to fix rates of transportation, limited by
ma ximum for each class and fixed By law, would,
believe, provide remedy for those complaints Of
and eXtortion to which the commits
sipner's attention is being constantly called. 1 |
recommend such legislation as will embody this
principle 1t NAV be said that legislation Of
what like character some years ago was dissppoint-
Ing in its results To this may be answered that tho
are greatly changed. Then the railroads
Of the Stat. we're struggling against adverse circum-
stances. Many of them were practically bankrupt:
their lines were largely located in sparsely popula
ted wholly uninhabted districts. aud ia
some cas rs without income Sufficient to meet their
expenses. A decade has wrought wondrous
change III our railroads, as in all other material in
forests of the State They are now, With hardly an
exception. wealthy corporations, earning dividends
aud carrying a surplus in their treasures. The |
wilderness they traversed has been occupied by
popuous communities; their tonnage has increased
and their equipment is taxed to its
utmost to do the business pressing upon them. The
legislation of 1871 was crude and i!l-consdered.
Tho same principle embodied ia provisions COM
Hrehend'ag more enlightened understanding ct
the question, gained by the experience OF decade,
would pEo1e success where It was failure ten
years ago.
The railroad commissioner recommends that tel
egraph companies be placed on the basis to
inspection, surveillance and taxation: that sleeping
ear companies now untaxetl, be required to repor,
to him aAl taxes basis of inrorna that more
e fettive legislation be ha t., CON railroad com
CaLi IS to ecforrn til r du'y carriers IL
the shipment Of grain; that q railway commission
composed of the governor, auditor and railroad
comm ssiouer for purposes of appeal an mo1e i'm
portant questions be established, and that more
power be given the commissioners office over rail-
way companies for the enforcement Of existing
laws regulations affecting railways. The rea-
so"e for each of these and other recommendations
OF the report will appear in his elaborate exposition
OF Zach subject.
During tho year closing with Dec. !, 1892 there
were con .tructed 53l S7-lOO miles of new rail-
way making q total of STD l3-lOO miles within
the pdaries Of the State. The total cost Of the
RI lroads Of tho Stale is given ut S14O, BIZ 63l 80
an average OF S43,934.12 per nile. The total
amount given to these railroads by tho people OF
Minnesota in lands and bonds on cash basis as
estimated by the commissioners, Is $76, 469, 700.
An average Of S23,33l per mile.
The earnings Of all lines in the State for the
ending June 80. we're: From passengers ST.
s16,2lS.14; freight. $13, ,697.44: miscel-
Total operating expenses, $lU.22l, 1884, 90. Az
GRACE earnings per mile. S5.642 "a; expenses,
So. O6G 80. There were 9.9G2,393 passengers
carried aud 5,6S3,l2O tons Of freight transported
during the year.
The following statement shows the amount Of
tases paid to the State b. railroal companies since
1864:
trom 1864 TO 1W2... ................ $322, 523 5O
1873. ........... INSTRUMENTATION, 1O%, 773 GJ
1874. Observation-Disclosures. 10000 OIL
1875. 132.1I3 IL
1876. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 1874 IS
1877 ................ ...... ........ 16l, $50 sc