St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-01-29
district court, and to service upon parties in
probate cases. Recommended to pass.
THE REAGAN RIIL.

! PROBATE cases. recon amended TO pass.
THE REAGAN BILL.
The re solution of Mr.. Ramsey, expressing
approval of the Reagan interstate commerce
bill, passed by the house of the national con-
gress, and asking our senators to favor the
same, was the next file taken up, and Mr..
! Lienau took the floor In its support. He
said
In starting out TO advocate the passage of
these resolutions, desire to call the atten-
ton of the members, especially of those rep
representing farming communities, TO the
fact that their vote on this question will be
watched with anxious concern by their con-
stituents at home. The vote on these reso-
lutions will be test vote-it will at once
show whether the house is in favor of rail-
road legislation of any kind or not. Your
constituentsihave been clamoring for relief
in this direction these many years; they have
sent you here TO assert the right of the state
to regulate the railroad traffic, and you have
been working for weeks to perfect q bill
which shall prevent discrimination and ex-
tortion on the part Of the railroads. Now if
the principle of controlling the railroads and
regulating this traffic by the state is a correct
one, that principle win equally as well apply
to the country at large. 1t must be apparent
by the several states must of necessity lack
uniformity and be of little practical use to
the country at large. The so called Reagan
interstate commerce bill passed by the ma
tional house of representatives attempts to do
for the whole Union what you attempt To do
for the state of Minnesota. While you say that
railroads in this state must not discriminate,
not charge excessive rates for freight and
passage, that they must not pool their earn
ings and thereby stop all competition, the
Reagan bill, which this resolution endorses,
applies this principle to railroads that run
from one state TO another. The justice of the
measure is not denied by the most bitter OPP
ponents of the same but they-the represent
tatives of the RAILROADS. and monopolies as
sert that the law Will be in operation and
will be damaging to western states inasmuch
as a law that prevents charging proportion
ately less for a longer haul than for a
shorter haul, would raise the cost of trans
portaiion of our produce. As to the claim
that the law will be imperative, / care very
little for that; it remains to be seen. l am
for putting the principle, that the govern
ment is above the corporation,
into practice and If the law proves defective
in not accomplishing that end, let congress
which meets every year amend it next year. No
harm is done If it should prove to be inol er-
alive. But if the representatives of the rail-
roads really thought it would be imperative,
they would not make any such decided OPP
position to the bill. AS to increasing the
cost of transporting our produce TO the sea
coast there is not the least danger of that.
The Reagan bill prevents the pooling of
their earnings by the different railroads and
this will tend to create such lively mpeti-
ton between all the trunk line roads that
excessive freight rates will soon be thing
of the past. Don't We read every day about
railroad wars, cutting of rates, where COM
peting lines fail 10 pool their earnings. Pre-
vent pooling If you can and the question of
low rates is solved. But, claim the opponents
of any legislation of this kind, you will
cause thereby that the railroads will cripple
each other, that railroad property viii become
worth less and the country will suffer. | am
not afraid of that, Mr.. Chairman. Railroad
men are no fools; they will
soon see the folly of such course and come
to congress and ask that specific, reasonable
rates NAV be fixed for sportation, they
will all submit to them aud everybody will be
happy. Railroads will know what to count
on, the values of railroad property will not
be as fuctuating as they are now, and the
occupation of the stock manipulators of Wall
street, the greatest curse 10 the country, WILL
to great extent, be gone.
1t Is well, Mr. Chairman, that the people of
this state should, through their representa-
tlves here, give expression to their views on
the subject. They are beginning to realize
that monopoles are growing up in this coun
try that need checking; that the rich are
getting richer and the poor poorer every day;
that we must stand between the two, assist
the latter and curb the first, if we desire to
prevent the certain coming of a general up
rising Of the oppressed masses of the people.
l hold by no means sociaiistic views, but
am opposed TO corporations controlling the
state and people who created them and whose
creatures they are.
1t has ever been thus: Whenever YOU
tackle monopoly the cry has gone forth
that the country will be ruined. When ten
years ago the legislature set out 20 break the
school book ring and reduce the price of
school books TO anything like reasonable
price the hue and cry went up, the state was
mixing in something 1t had nothing to do
with, It was going into the publishing bust
ness, interfering with the laws OF trade-in
short the thing wouldn't work, the Law would
be imperative. Well, II took three years be-
fore the monster was downcd, the text book
law went into operation, 1t was amended and
perfected; II worked well, the people got
books at half price and saved millions by It,
and. strange 10 say, not one Of the memb ers
of the book ring went into bankruptcy
on the contrary they are now selling their
books at the same rates the state text books
are sold at.
Don't be afraid 20 tackle other and similar
monsters; the people will stand behind you
and will back you; stand firm and the cor.
porations will quietly submit. II they can
not draw or 10 per cent. dividends on their
four thousand millions watered stock, they
will be satisfied with that amount Of dividend
on their real investment aud still get rich
fast enough.
You vote this resolution down and you
thereby tell our senators the house OF repre-
seutatives of Minnesota Is opposed to all
railroad legislation on the part of congress.
and have no doubt they will, with the rest
OF many conservative old fogies, vote against
any measure Of that kind. II this resolution
does not fully cover your sentiments amend
II, but don't fail TO express your sentiment
on the matter and at this time.
Mr.. Drake. OF Ramsey, opposed the resolu-
ton. He hoped members had read the bill
carefully, because in what nc said he desired
10 appeal 20 their sober intelligence The
Ryan bill was an Illustration Of the way In
which persons unacquainted with a business
would undertake to put into effect the Wild
est and most uuteuable theories. How, for
instance, was the question Of reasonable
charges to be settled, by the railroad company
or the courtsi The bill was silent upon the
matter. Under the restrictions of the bill as
to uniform charges for long aud short hauls,
It would cost 81 cents for every bushel OF
wheat shipped to New York. Prohibiting
pools would disrupt and destroy the business
Of railroads, while comforting no benefits
upon shippers. II he did not know that the
author Of the bill vas 4 gallant Confederate
general, he should think he was born dis
organizer, with no idea Of settled or stable