St. Paul daily globe., 1885-06-26
The Interstate Commerce Committee Holds
Two Interesting Sessions in
st. Paul.
Jeveral Minnesotians Testify That They
Are Not Satisfied With the
Railroads.
Closing Exhibitions of Two Schools--
Interesting Case of Mistaken Iden-
tity--Capitol Briefs.
Decision by the Attorney General--
Routine Real Estate--Various
Local Notes.
THE SENATE COMMITTEE.
It Learns More in ST. Paul Than in
Minneapolis.

1t Learns More in ST. Paul Than in
Minneapolis.
The United States senate committee on
Interstate commerce held a session in st.
Paul Yesterday at the Merchants hotel.
There was far more representative attend
ance of witnesses than at the Minneapolis
meeting, and the committee heard good
many different opinions and reeeiveda large
amount of information which will, no
doubt, be valuable to them in making up
their report.
Senator Cullom briefly explained the OBJ
ject of the meeting, and the first witness
was Mr.. Fulton of Hudson, who described
himself as country merchant. He desired
congress to enact law which would pre-
vent railroads from discriminating against
individuals at the same place. He also
wanted a stringent long and short haul law,
thinking this essential to protect the inter-
ests of the country. He also thought it
important to have law to prohibit pooling
and to prohibit the railroads from carrying
cases from the state to the United States
courts.
One objection to the long and short haul
law was that it would tend to raise the rate
between Chicago and the seaboard. This
couldn't be. For all practical purposes Chi
cago, Milwaukee and Duluth are the sea-
board for the Northwest, the present rate
by lake and rail being but s. cents on corn
and 53S on wheat. So the Seaboard of the
Northwestern states is Duluth, Chicago and
Milwaukee The people wanted these
laws. not strained through commission,
but to enforced by the ordinary courts OF
the state The speakers experience with
railroad commissions was that they were
worse than useless. He cited instances at
Elmira, y. Y. The Delaware d Lacka-
wanna and the Erie took all classes of
freight from New York without regard to
classification for cents per hundred. While
at non-cOmpeting points the same distance
away the charges were much higher. He
didn't believe that it cost any more to side
track car than to carry it through to the
terminus, because the terminal facilities
were horribly expensive in the contested"
cities He reiterated his belief that rail-
road commissions were worse than useless
all over the country, and when the commit
tee informed him that all the people in
Massachusetts were in love with their rail
road commissions he stubbornly adhered to
his opinion that railroad commissions were
utterly bad.
W. 3. DEAN,
the chairman of the transportation commit
tee of the Jobbers' union, spoke on behalf
of the committee, first, as to the creation OF
the commission. On that point the unani-
nous feeling was favorable. The question
was a complex one, but laws, he believed,
would be more quickly and satisfactorily
evolved through a commission than in any
other way. The commission, of course,
would view all interests from an eQuable
standpoint and do what was right as be-
tween transporter and cOnsignee. The fact
that the law worked so advantageously in
New Y ork and Massachusetts indicated that
it would be successful if applied to the
whole country. He heard numerous COM
plants against railroad companies. In many
cases they were groundless. Concerning
the question of long and short hauls, neither
he nor the Jobbers' union attempted to ad-
wise the committee.
For his part he thought that high rates to
the East might result in the establishment
of manufactures farther west. AS a city it
doesn't affect st. Paul so much, because it is
on the bank OF a navigable stream.
He thought a law prohibiting pooling
would 0e wise, but was not clear as to
whether the system of rebates should
be abandoned. TheSOnly discrimination he
knew of at present was lower rate to the
heavier shipper; but he was not entirely
clear as to whether this ought to be regu-
lated by law. He was in favor of publicity
of rates, unless this should become too on
erous to the railroads. On the question of
pooling, which system was favorable to
railroad building he said there might poss-
IDLY be too many railroads built. For in
stance, he thought that it would be bur-
den on the country to maintain the six rail
roads which it was proposed to run between
here and Chicago.
He thought it would be desirable to have
one classification and bill Of lading and
system of accounts throughout the United
States.
He suggested cure for railroad wars by
prohibiting railroads from charging more in
times of peace than the lowest rates they
had charged during the war.
He said that there had been no substantial
reduction on merchandise from here west.
He was asked what was the necessity of
the jObberS' union, and said it was for the
purpose of protecting the jobberS from the
railroads and also from unsafe customers.
1t was the general impression that the rates
TO all jobbers were uniform.
Senator Harris-Do you get other than
the regular published rates?
Mr.. Dean-I think l shall have to decline
to answer that question.
MI. Dean said he had also been directed
to say that the union was in favor of MAIN
tanning the wafer rates. The river, he adj
mitted, was more of a check On the railroads
by reason of its presence than lauch-llsed
highway of commerce. There is compara-
lively little return tonnage from New Or
leans. But if the river were closed OF un-
navigable it would certainly advance the
rate, as it does in the winter when the river
is closed,
MIR. L. A. GILBERT,
representing the board of trade, in answer
to questions. had heard a good many COM
plants about the railroads, both as to eX-
Orbitant rates and discrimination in favor of
certain points, both in Minnesota and Da-
kota-that the companies charge greater
rates from st. Paul east than from points
west of st. Paul to the city while naviga-
tion is closed. One just cause OF complaint
is the difference and uncertainty in the
rates, rather than in the high amounts.
Sometimes large amounts of grain accumu-
late in the country, and before they can be
moved the rates are. increased, this Gncer-
tainty operating greatly to the shippers
disadvantage.
His experience was that pooling always
puts up rates. When there was no pooling,
the rates were low, and were always adj
yanced when the pool was formed. To
prevent disastrous railway wars he Sug-
gested that the commission establish a
minimum rate, below which railroads
should not go. He was in favor of maxi
mum and a minimum rate OF course,
with this scheme the roads would have to
be classified as to cost of construction and
operating. He supposed that the railroads
hereabout paid rebates to shippers some
times. but that this evil was much eX-
agge1ated. Sometimes, however, it was
necessary and not unjust, as. for
instance, sometimes when shipments of