Omaha daily bee., 1888-09-16
LINCOLN NEWS AND GOSSIP.
A Remarkable Document Filed by
Secretary of State Laws
CONCERNING RAILROAD GASES.
One OF the Hotels the Scene of a
BtoOdy Row-Supreme Court
acknowledgement City
Notes.
CONCERNING RAILROAD CASES.
LINCOLN BUREAU OF The OMAHA BEE,
1929 p STREET,

1929 p STREET,,
LINCOLN. Sept. Is.
1t is again evident that the wounded bird
Gutters. Secretary Laws files the following
remarkable paper upon the protest Of Attor-
ney General Leese against the majority &C
ton of the state board of transportation on
the reduction order. The reader will do well
to remember three facts in considering its
contents:
First-The Union Pacific case was dis
missed at the request of the attorney general
to prevent its being hung in the supreme
court of the I'm tied States for two or three
years, and thus delay the reduction of rates
on that road. AS the matter now stands &C
ton in the state courts can be had on the
question in two or three months.
Sccond-Action is pending in the
supreme court now to compel the
Missouri Pacific and all other roads to
incorporate under the laws of the
state, and will be heard at the next session
of that court, which commences September
18th, Information in quo warranto having
been died by the attorney general.
Third-Thec case now pending, and which
has been on record before the supreme court
for more than u year, referred to by the sec
Rotary of state, is that of the State eX rel
Board of Transportation VS. The Fremont,
Elkhorn & Missouri Pacific railroad com
pany, While this is a test case the reason
that the attorney general has not pushed IL to
trial Is because assurance has been given
that the board would reduce rates on all
roads. Neither the attorney general and
one railroad company operating under lower
rates than the other roads. This would
clearly be an act of injustice.
To the Board of Transportation Gentle
men: After adjournment of its meeting, one
member Of this board has adopted the UNI
usual procedure of filing 'stump speeches."
which he calls 'protests'' against the action
OF its majority, wherein he impugns the
motives of it's members, and makes state
ments not warranted by the facts. / there
fore ask leave to file and have recorded with
this members last protest. this:
The cost OF all the railroads OF this state,
excluding stocks, watered or otherwise, as
furnished this board by the railroads, for
1887, aggregates sl06, 1893, 01i.51.
Furnished by tho same authority, and for
the same period, the aggregate earnings are
shown TO be $l1 232, sos, "A, and the aggregate
Expenses are shown to be 81, 100, 2I2 .42. and
the aggregate net earnings 81, 4I6,6 63.o2,
which the latter item is 4 1-5 per cent on the
capital invested.
Certainly II this sworn statement of the
cost OF the railroads, rs published by this
board, is true, the income to the stockhoid-
ers Is not unreasenably high. II this sworn
statement is not true, then this board ought
to adopt some method TO find out the actual
worth of all the railroads in the state, and [
know of no method better than the one pro-
posed In the resolution referred TO.
OFF the protesting member of the board be-
lioves these sworn statements OF cost to be
true, he cannot consistently, under his pro-
test, urge a reduction OF rates, and he ought
not in any case to lead the people TO believe
that ne thinks these statements true, and
then act on the board as though he did not
think thom true.
In a late letter to Erick johnson, this mem
Der stated FOR the information OF the people
that the net earnings of the Ii, & Nj. railroad
Were, according TO the auditors report, over
el2,00O per mile for the year 1851. He after
wards corrected this statement, said that he
wrote hastily, and that he referred only TO
the main line Of the b.. & NJ. railroad. A
reference TO the auditors report and TO the