Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1888-10-26
SINCH RAILROADS.
That is What the Executive Commit
tee of the Farmers Alliance
Want the Legislature to Do.
A Synopsis Of Bill Which the
Coming Legislature Will be
Asked to Consider.
An Unreasonable Measure Which, if
Passed, Would Retard Railroad
Development in the Territory.

fASSeu, WOulu heCaru RAILROAD
Development in the Territory.
A Warning.
The executive committee of the Farm.
ers' Alliance has drafted bill which it is
proposed to have enacted by the next legis-
lature. The text OF it has been given to
the public. 1t is a stringent railroad meas
ure, affecting the management and regu-
lating the rates Of freight and passenger
traffic. 1t provides for the election of rail-
road commissioners and the enlarging of
their powers. A clause in the bill directs
that any railroad company doing business
in the territory, when requested by any
person wishing to ship grain on its road
shall receive and transport such grain in
bulk and permit the same to be loaded
either on its track adjacent to its depot or
at any warehouse OH its side track, or any
station, without any discrimination or dis
tinction as to the manner or condition in
which such grain is offered for transporta-
ton.
Itis further provided that railway COM
panies must extend side tracks to all ele-
vators and warehouses upon their right of
way; that they must make equal distribu-
ton of cars among shippers, that it shall
be unlawful for any company to receive
any greater compensation for the trans
portation of passengers or freight for a
shorter than longer distance over the
same line; also for any railroad company
by any special rate, rebate or other divice
to receive from any person greater or
less compensation for any service rendered
than it receives from any other person for
doing a like service; also for any company
to enter into any contract with any other
company for the division and pooling of
business.
Railroad companies will be required by
this act to place "Y's" at points of inter-
section; to post for public information
schedules showing the classification, rates,
fares and charges for the transportation Of
passengers and property Of all kinds and
classes which such company has estab-
lished and which are in force at the time
upon its railroads. Ten days. notice is re-
quired before any change in classification
or rates will be legal, and the railroad
commission is authorized to establish and
enforce a schedule OF reasonable rates and
is given power to compel all railroad COM
panies to adopt the same.
The railroad commission is directed to
enforce the provisions of this act, by pros
ecution when necessary, and the bill pro-
vides penalties of from 81, 900 to $4,000 for
the violation OF the proposed act by the
railroad companies. Each days refusal or
neglect to fill the requirements of the act,
and each days commission of anything
prohibited therein is made a separate Of
fence. That is, railroad companies may
be fined from $1,000 to $4,000 per day for
disobeying the provisions of the bill.
The Yankton Press and Dak0tian very
sensibly reviews the measure as follows:
The remarkable provisions of the bill
lead one to enquire what the railroads of
Dakota have been doing to invite such an
outrageous assortment Of statutory. re-
strictions. The candid man, free from
prejudices of a class organization, which
very much over estimates the grievances
of the people, will say that farmers, ship
pers and others have been very we'll treated
by the railroads of Dakota. In this
end of the territory, where diversified
farming and stock growing are the pro-
ductive industries. there have never been
any complaints Of general nature against
railroad companies, nor any disposition to
complain. Southeast Dakota makes no de-
mand for the law the Farmers Alliance
proposes to enact, but in its good sense
rather opposes such enactment as danger
Gus to their present and destructive to
their future interests.
aginary, of the exclusive wheat sections of
Dakota we are not well informed through
personal contact with customers of rail-
roads. But we read the newspapers of
that section and there has been nothing in
them to lead one to suppose that its rail-
roads have perpetrated any outrages upon
RePe PsS section Mheas and is ths notice gg0dSt tSs
the farmers receive within few
cents Of Minneapolis prices for their wheat,
and Minneapolis prices range higher than
Chicago prices. So far as the railroads
prevent, those Dakota markets having
direct rail connection with Minneapolis
might pay Minneapolis prices for wheat
every day in the year. Because they do not
Under the milling In transit rate the roads
practically carry wheat from Dakota farms
to the market without charge. Does the
Farmers Alliance want anything better
than that? Down in this end Of the terri
tory we pay II cents to get q bushel Of
wheat to market and do not look upon the
price as exOrbitant. s5
We have witnessed the transformation
sOe Dakota from Q nOn.prOduc ucttve, unOc-
.cupied wilderness into succession Ofpr0-
ductive farms, prosperous towns and cit
les and all peopled by an energetic, in-