The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-12-30
Gov. McGill's Inaugural.
The uuw governor of Minnesota delivered
the following inaugural address to the two
houses OF the Legislature in Joint session:

The ucw governor of Minnesota delivered
the following inaugural address to the two
houses OF the Legislature i'll joint session:
INAUGURAL ADDRESS.
Senators and Representatives.: In assuming
the duties or the office of governor, 10 Wnlea
nave been duly chosen by the electors OF the
state. IL becomes my duty, in accordance with
we'll established custom, to address YOU on s0ch
matters Of public concern IA appear TO lne
worthy If your attention and consideration. but
first desire to hear testimony to tue ability anu
fidelity with which the duties OF the position
nave been administered during the last tive
wears by my predecessor, Gov. Hubbard. Ills
message, to which you have just listened. Is the
e!os;a4 act Of an administration that honnrs
alike himself and greSt state which he has
so faithfully served, and entities him to the
thanks ot Il grateful people.
POLITICAL PLATFORMS AND PLEDGES
BY reaClng the platforms oT the Two leadlnc
political partit of this state. adopted III their
conventions he'll! in September last, 1t will Ike
observed that liberal promises were made in
both On a number OF subjects they seem To
have been in full accord. For instance, III re
spect 10 est ablshing a home for disabled ana
needy Survivors OF the Union army III our state;
the abolishinS OF the contract system of prison
labor: the amendment OF our rSlirufd aud ware
house laws. where ueedsd, to secure relief to the
agricultural classes: the establishment OF a
state bureau of labor statistics, and In other
matters. there appears TO have been no division
| of sent iuent | am hound to believe thas both
| conventions were sincere il their declarations,
and that you, as representatives OF the people
elected on the platform OF one or the othGr OF
the two great parties, are here i'll coed talth TO
| redeem tae pledges made l believe that the
! g2r1}3e have right To expec. from us q strict
| ,ulrUmtnt of these declarations. and for one
stand ready to do my part 10 c:irrJ them out III
Tor legislatures 10 disregard The issues on which
| they were elected, let the custom be broken
| Honesty and good faith III political party are
as mach TO be admired as like attributes IL an
| RAILROAD TRANSPORTATION.
! The subject OF trausportatiou-of reasonable
! tSrif rates on eur Railroads.&c. Of supreme IA
| terest TO the people of the state. and have no
| doubt will secure your earnest attention. Inc
| right of the legislature to pass laws for the
| supervision of railroads has been for a number
| uf years we'll settled This right was not, how
! ever, established without severe aud protracted
| stroEslc. l well remember that when in 1870 1T
| was first advocated by the then governor OF this
state, II message 10 the legislature. the propo-
| sItion received with much doubt. Not only
all tie railroad officials and capitalists opposed
| l., bu5 large majority Of the lawyers OF the
| state antaconized it as in conflict with the
| fundamental law OF the land, and opposed to the
| ssnius OF our Institutions. However. in he fol-
| and VITA the approval ct the governor became a
! law, fixing rates. both freight and passenger.
! About the same tilne similar legislation was en-
| ac.eu III several other Northwestern states.
| Suits were Instituted in this state, in lll1nois
and perhaps in some other CT the North
western states. under the so-rsled
| granger laws, against various railroad
| companies for the violation Of those
| laws. The enaclments were experimental and
| no doubt crude and lll-adapted TO the eXlgen-
| C.es OF the situation, but they served the pur-
| pose CT securing judicial sanction and vlndIca-
| ton Of the right Of legislative control The
| Judicial decisions obtained under them, not only
IL the ;: ate courts but in the supreme court OF
! the United StateS well, settled forever the
| constIlutonalty Of such laws, and confirmed
the authority OF the legislature. Thus was es-
| tabIished one of the most important rights ever
! secured free people. The eXpediency of state
| supervision over railroad and kindred corpora
! tions has sometimes been doubted since then,
| t>,,s IL .,,rl,A il, Ia, I&ryaS jnyoaN
| 90 not take il to lie the policy Of the state to
| needlessly interfere with or 10 harass any great
interest and more especially the railroad inter
! ests of the commonwealth. That railroads have
| become Indispensable 20 commercial and aCrl-
cultural prosperity, if not to the very existence
| o. the civilization of the century, nc one needs
| any longer to be told. To eliminate them would
! he to turn back the wheels of progress to the
very portals of the dark ages. But their supreme
! importance makes it only the more essential
| that they should be so judiciously managed and
! controlled as to develop the highest efficiency
| and usefulness OF which they are capable. not
simply wealth producers to their managers
| and proprietors, but as engines powerful for
| coed to the masses Of the people as well.
| The very fact that every city. town and village
| strives for the most ample railroad facilities is
tribute to their value which no one can gainsay.
! ANY movement to Cypress or cripple these inter-
! ests simply to satisfy popular clamor. would
not only be unjust to the roads, but ruinous to
| the people themselves. There is often q wide
but honest divergence Of opinion between the
| masses who use and desire to profit by the roads
and their managers ana owners. Iuey view
| matters from different standpointS, and often
| each does the other injustice. The duty OF the
| state is 10 find the middle ground-the happy
f, mean between the extremes-and having found
! it, there TO establish with firm but lmpart ial
hand, the great and often Intricate relations be-
| tween the railroads and those who furnish them
| busine and pay their dividends.
! The policy OF this state, after some legislative
| f1uctuation, has settled upon board of COM
P, miesioners az the best instrumentality with
! which TO accomplish this end. My Judgment
| pnrl in
| sides lies in board Of able incorruptibie men,
fearless in the discharge Of public duty, and
| with ample powers to enforce their DEGREES.
| Though railroads in this country not built
| with public funds, they can not be classad as
| private property. They are common carriers
| and, even under the common law, are under
| certain obligations and owe certain duties tc the
| public Their franchises are grant from the
| state, and they possess no essential powers not
conferred by the state. Therefore it is from the
people that they obtain life and authority, anc
their accountability to the people logically fol.
lows. The public interest in such corporations
| though not one OF invested capital, is real anG
substantial and one that the state canuot in its
duty to the public cease to protect The right
of control On the part of the state is but n fail
| retnru for this powers and privileges conferred
| This right indeed would seem to be inherent arC
infeasible in the state. 1t IS even to be doubted
il the state could divest itself of the duties ane
responsibilities implied, were 1t so disposed.
There Is but little or no organization amons
the farmers of the state for mutual protection
and in the matter OF freiGhts and the inspection
|
committed to the railroad and warehouse com
missoners. AS rule, other industries hav'
more complete organization and are much bet
| ter qualified to care for themselves. The rail
| roads. as is well known, are under the manage
| ment OF able men, capable Of protecting them a
every point 1t follows that the farmers feel ant
| have deeper interest in the matter OF RAILROAD
| supervision than any other class OF our people
and it Is not only the privilege but the duty 0
| the legislature to make that supervision close
| watchtul and effective.
| II il especially desirable in this state. where
the chief industry is agriculture, that the trans
port alton rates be as low as Is consistent with
fair return on the actual capital invested In tn
roads. Indeed, it is questionable il the erigna
cost Of q road furnishes certain criterion o
| what it should be allowed TO earn, by whic
I to fix its rates Values OF orher kinds OF prop
erty fiuctuate, and railroad property Is no excep
ton to the rule If railroads can be CONSTRUCTED
and equipped at from 80 to SO per cent les
now than prior to 1873, does it follow that tn
, | old roads should be allowed to charge from 8
| to 50 per cent more than the new ones, con
, structed at much less cost, could REASONABLE
charge? 1t should be the policy of the state t
: secure for it's great producing classes the cheap
est rates possible with consistency and justic
to the other interests involved.
The railroad and warehouse commissioner
have reported to you certain proposed legisa
ton OF great Importance, already referred t
/ and commented on by Gov. Hubbard. which
7 doubt not will receive your earnest cons1dera
ton. / am sure you will be glad to adopt an
changes or amendments in the railroad an
grain laws which will contribute to their eff
, cheney and to the usefulness Of the commission
and shall not trcspass on your time to call at
| tention to them in detail.
TAXATION OF RAILROADS.
| It appears plain that new and definite legisla
| tion ls needed on the subject of railroad taxa
ton. The commissioners seem to be in dout
> concerning the liability OF any railroad compan
Y which has not formally accepted the provision
of the law of March, 1878. relating to the taz
Railroad company, to even pay per centum
its earnings, in lieu OF taxes. under existin