The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1884-02-01

:. cause they have studied 1t most and ever
railroad outside heathendom makes provis
ion by cheap rates and every kind OF induce
/, ment for the growth ana development OF tn
, countre through which 1t passes. And SO
comes about that so formidable an induce
i, mcnt ms self interest, is constantly operative
on behalf Oh low rates. Can Legislative oie
alton gu further or do more! And 90 VIZ
need Il public functionary to advise as NOT t'
ALLEVIATE expected revenues
But another and perhaps more poweriu
recommendation to 'non-interierence tihi
airy vet sucrcstcd may he found in the iac'
that such hostile interference must tend IL
discourage and prevent the further con
struction q: needed roads. Such interference
is destructive Of the interest assailed and the
| Immediate occasion OF depreciation aud loss
To- the owners. Aud 10 Ito this with de-
lhcrate purpose and explained intent must
deter further investment in the same direc-
tion, and arrest such further growth and tie
| velopment of the country's resources as
these aids were intended to secure You
cannot obtain capital To build Y railroad to
your doors If you have by previous acts nd
| vcrtiscd determination to make the prop
pc,ty your own AT the first meeting of the
Legislature after its completion. Men do not
continue In deposit In II bank that has failed,
nor 10y a duplicate investment invite II dupli-
! cate robbery. Pass your proposed acts OF
control and contication underany pretensc
! of courage or cowardice--and you Will at the
sanie time ana 10y the same act forever en-
| Join the further construction of railroads in
your midst. Is this your purpose aud wish!
And is this the best policy for the country
hut have not time. Mr., President, to pur-
sue the matter farther. have pointed out II
few of the many evil Consequences likely TO
follow the adoption of the scheme proposed.
| Let me for more ready and convenient refer
cncc and examination, group them ih their
| order.
First. II occasions an undue aud unncce.-
sary increase of government officials and
government patronage.
Second. II substitutes the political for the
! business basis Tor the management of Il pure
| Is business matter.
| Thru. IL il calculated Ia secure the APP
poiutment OF incompetent and unfit men to
positions of higher trust and responsibility.
/ Fourth, Ii provides for inattention, neg
icct and faiihlcssness of such as shall he
| then appointed and offers premium for Il
breach % Responsible trusts, and
! Filth. Ii directly and forcibly discouragcs
construction Of other and needed roads
/ throughout the country. and meanly refuses
! to Others the advantages we ourselves al
ready have.
! Such Mr.. President, are Il few OF these
! many considerations which suggest them
selves in opposition IA the policy of legiSia-
tive Interference in the cotduct and man
! aecmcn, III our railroad system, either OF
which, in the absence of some substantial
aud commenting reason to the contrary
/ ought Ia prevail ii preventing the uLng eroue
| and uncalicd for experiment. Ii any such
reason exists, have not heard il, nor heard
oi II, nor has il been anywhere stated. The
most that has come To YOU has been an &C.
casional cry of;querulous discomfort, or an
unrcasuuing and unexplained demand for Il
change without assignment of any reason
! therefor. Men al the end OF bad season
have figured up their accounts and found
themselves sometimes losers. They have
footed their freight bills and found the
amount paid for freight to be greater than
| the amount of their shortage, and said--loud
enough to he heard -. but for these railroad
charges | should be gaiiier instead Of loser"
That their mower or reaper would net do
its work without the cypensi,e help of horse
power, would bc just as much II reason. and
Just - pertinent AMI forciblc.
Oic al the resoundiEg counts in the in
dictmcnt of the roads is that they are mon
op"izing-grinding soulless, constituencies
m li,.s In il In ia tbar hi
distinguishing characteristic of II railroad is
never thought of while yet NEGOTIATIONS .Jr
lis construction are pending. and that in
those sections vince no roads have yet been
built. The people are beckcning with both
.i;tn,;S f',r capital IL come in and establish
III, monster monopoly in their midst. Even
80 nice, prudent, conservative and respect
able II body of men rs legislature has been
known on occasion ia hold out genuine or DO
gus induCcmcnt Tor the construction of one
these unique nlisances within their borders.
II Is NOT NATL the money has been obtained,
and invested beyond the possibility oi recall
think they discover how badly they have
been taken in ane done for" And strange
10 say, this is "A kind of outrage and injustice
OF which people can never get enough. You
cannot, Mr.. President, point to Il man in
this convention, nor out of it, but i- pro-
foundly DESTROYS for the establishment of
just such a nuisance iu his Immediate vicini-
~. III he has not AT least one road already,
his demand for it is imperative. If he has
already one of them, the demand fora second
| is still more urgent than it was for the first
seen a community that in this direction con-
Now l shall doubtless he considered very
marrow and bigoted in my notions and shall
stand alone in my antiguated opinions, but
think every man ought To have monopoly
! in the thing he owns, whether il be Il coed
/ mine, Il ten thousand acre farm, Il million
dollars, stock of dry goods, Il horse. II COW, IA
whcclbarrow or railroad. think owner
| ship is the patent by which Il monopoly may
| be justly hcld and riyhIiuily enjoyed and
! don't believe another man, ncr any clmbna-
| ton of men who cDuspire in caucus AT mid
| night az in committee rooms in midday, have
! any right 10 take away the monopoly have
in my own horse ana buggy, my own coach
ana -four or my own railroad. i man VINO is
NOT monopolist to this extent is II commur-
! list, ana am not on of these. But rs 80 the
| is owner and no man has IL monopoly The
I superstition is another Hat earth. Their. IL
/ Mr. President, ;,u surii II thing a. IL monopoly
: III tho business OF II raj road, and never has
| been since ii second road was built into the
same territory. Every Rad running from
Mankato is in active ANA constant coIrpeti-
/ ton with every oti:"r road operated ir the,
! northwest. Give nc leave to- illustrate.
suppose that ;wu ROADS run parallel with
each ether through YOUR stale from the Mis-
souri, {" the MiSsis> lpli river say twenty or
/ fifty Tiics apart. J aus You VIII say, give to
each %; them Il monopoly o. the business on
I i Inc. - far a. he stations are concern
cd this would he substantially true. FOR il
would not pa! 10 haui 10y team with the
Iitty or The twenty miles. Bat between these
two roads lies productive territory from
which the product must be teamed to- enc or
the other of these parallel roads. and the one
that carries the cheapest will, 10y II natural
law OF trade. "ct the bulk Of the business
Can one IF these roads afford tn Xix II higher
rate rhan the other: And since they are in
competition as to these interior points. docs
the shipper immediately upon the lines gel
the benefit of the competition ratcy And
this natural and inevitable competitive ex-
tends not oniy to the twenty and the fifty
miles, but O.nr contiguous and even distant
states. The Whole railroad system, vast and
extended "a il is, is but single machine of
transportation, every part of which is reiat-
ed 10 and affected 10y every other point. The
roads i'm Minnesota must see To it that better
rates are not made by the Iowa line and
ircights diverted 10 them the Iowa roads, in
turu, must stand guard not only over Mime
sofa rates but attend also to the Missouri
roads, whose connections tap Nebraska III
Omaha and Plattsmouta, ana Kansas at st.
Joe, Atchison and Kansassity. Sioux Falls
and Sioux City compete with Omaha, st.