Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1883-1884, 1884-12-19
Official Paper of Griggs County

Official Paper of Griggs County
Wheat Transportation.
The COURIER has been requested to
define it's position on the movement
originating (this season) in Valley City
in regard to the handling and shipment
of grain.
We have got no ''buncombe" with
which to catch the gudgeons at this or
any other time, and will briefly review
the situation from what we believe to
be dlsinterested standpoint.
This last agitation might have oc-
CURED at any time during the last five
years. The statute passed in 1879 by the
territorial legislature renders the posi-
tion of the producer more secure, against
the usurpation of power by the carrier
than at any time prior in the history Of
the territory. The statute, section %,
chapter XVI, session laws Of 1879, reads
as follows:
All railroad corporations organized under the
provisions of this act and all persons or corpora
tions operating railroad in this territory, who
shall receive or transport grain in bulk or other
wise, shall deliver the same to any consignce
thereof or any elevator or public e warehouse :"
on said road. and shall receive grain for shipment
from any elevator public warehouse situated
such railroad: Provided. Such consignee. the
elevator or public warehouse can be conveniently
reached by any track owned leased or used by
such corporation; and such corporations per
hNll npr1nit connections he mNdG with
their track go that such consignee, elevator or
warehouse can be conveniently reached by the
however. That such corporation or person shall
not be required to pay the cost of making and
maintaining such Connection or Of the siding or
switch truck necessary to make the same.
The law relating to common carriers
obtains. and always has, in Dakota as
elsewhere where the common law is
known, irrespective of this special en-
actment, although the general statute
was doctored by the corporations in 1879,
and should be restored by this legisla-
tme.
The secret of this agitation at the
present time, if secret it is, is not in new
extortions by the railroad companies;
but rather in the low price of wheat it.
self, the world over, weighed against
gold.
The railroad companies are not to
blame for the low price of wheat; they
cannot very we'll make pint measure
hold quart.
The amendments to this statute. pro-
posed at the Valley City meeting, demon
strate that the only quarrel the movers
have with the statute is because lin bulk -
is not inserted in the instrument after
"'grain;" ''sidetrack' is not mentioned,
and the warehouse spoken of is public. -
The carrier probably has some rights.
such as declaring where it's stations
shall he, which the farmer can not seri-
ously question. That every man s farm.
or every portion of the right of way.
should be. at the option of A., b. OF c.,
a shipping point, would result in mex
plicable confusion and inconvenience
Carrying out this idea to logical Sc
auence. it would be impossible to MAIN
tain and operate railroads safely. econ
omically, and to afford that rapid trans
portation which the public demand.
The carriers own interests, is the best
guide to the arrangement of it's shipping
points. and only in extreme cases should
the carrier be interfered with in naming
them.
The proposed amendment, Gin bulk. %
is not necessary, it the repeale portion
of the general statute in regard to COM
mon carriers is re-enacted as before 1879:
without such re-enactment we believe
the law is strong enough to obvate the
necessity of such All amendment.
The real grievance, if grievance there
be IN the deficiencies of the special stat
ute, lies in the term ':public," as
descriptive of warehouses. which our
Valley City friends think should be
omitted. That is. the law leaves wheat
handling and shipping open to COMPETE
tion among public warehousemen. ant!
our Valley City friends would extend
the competitive privilege to everybody
who would build a warehouse. This.
could not result disastruusly to the
farmer, even if it did not amount to
m,lch-sCme farmers would avail them
selves OF tlieir privi]eges-the large ma
jority would not. There would he q
pressure on the elevators to grade fairly