The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1890-11-28
express matter east of Chicago to New
York. Boston, Philadelphia and one or

express matter east of Chicago to New
York, Boston,, Philadelphia and one or
two other leading commercial centers,
when the was tariff already quite too
high. AS an example of the outrageous
charges exacted on small packages, it is
only necessary to note the fact that
nine pound parcel was received at this
office last week from Cincinnati, Ohio.
upon which we paid 80 cents. Such
tax as this is nothing short of robbery,
and still it is practiced hundreds of
times daily. The local rates on express
matter are entirely out of proportion to
the conditions of the times, and thor
ough investigation into and overhauling
of the schedule within the State, is quite
in order. A beginning cannot too soon
be made.
The sleeping car fake is another thing
that some enterprising legislator should
tackle The Pullman Palace Car Com
pany sends its sleepers all over the
State, and does not pay one cent into
the States exchequer. This is ali wrong.
The Great Northern and Milwaukee q
st. Paul Railroad Companies run their
own sleeping cars and pay tax on
them in connection with and as part
of their other rolling stock. Why not,
then, make the Pullman Company come
in on an equality? Why exempt them
and tax others? The same with the
Wagner Company. And again, there
should be difference of at least so
cents between upper and lower berths.
No one will contend that berth from
st. Paul to Grand Forks and Crookston,
1920 miles, is worth So, when to Aber-
deem, 900 miles) fee of only 81 80 is
charged, and to Chicago (4O2 miles, So
From Duluth to st. Paul, (160 miles, you
can get whole section for $3.50, but for
60 miles further, as noted above, the fee
is double this sum for half the service,
Other instances of inequality of charges
could be cited. but these will suffice to
show the necessity for some sort of law
to stop the imposition now practiced
upon helpless people, by sleeping car
companies who do not contribute one
dollar toward the support Of the State,
but who take millions out of it annually.
The Western Union Telegraph Com
pany, the only one known to most Min
nesota points, needs bracing up, and
needs it badly. While general COM
plant is not made as to the rates charg-
ed, the service is simply wretched.
You send message to any given point
and more likely than otherwise 1t will
not reach it's destination under from six
to twelve hours. Complaint In this par
ticular is made in almost every town in
the State. Mankato business men have
suffered untold inconvenience and no
small losses as results of the shlftless
manner in which the service is handled,
and it is high time that some sort OF law
was passed which will put stop to the
lnsufferable abuse heaped upon the
public through inattentlye and careless
operators. 1t is no uncommon thing for
man in Mankato to send telegram to
st. Paul for a friend to meet him at a
stated time and reach there himself be-
fore the telegram is delivered. A COM
mercial wire is used only when haste and
importance demand it's use, and unless
prompt service is rendered it were
worse than nothing. AS the service is
handled in many important places, one
has no possible assurance that tele-
gram will reach it's destination sooner
than would letter.
There are other questions of public
concern which might be touched upon,
but they will develop from time to time
and present themselves in form to the
legislators. In calling attention to the
matters above noted, the FREE Press
does so with no desire to see the inter
ests of the respective corporations un-
justly assailed or their powers wrong
fully abridged. But it does want to see
right done the public, existing extor-
tionate rates modified and regulated,
and system of equality established.
Simply this and nothing more.