The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-12-11
RAILROAD COMMISSIONERSE
Hold Several Sessions at City
Hall to Listen to Complaints
of the Farmers Alliance
as to Excessive
Freight Rates.
Quite Number of Railroad Officials
Present.

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The railroad commissioners began
at the city hall Tuesday noon at 1:3C
O'Clock, with commissioners Geo. L.
Becker, John P. Williams and VIM.
M. Leggett present; also A. X. Teis-
berg secretary of the commission.
Mr.. f. M. Curryer, Secretary of the
Blue Earth Alliance was the first
witness called.
The charter of the alliance was pre-
sented but was withdrawn for the
present. When Secretary Curryer at
tempted to read copy of the minutes
of meeting of his society, containing
set of resolutions, it was objected to
by Atty. Clark, of the Minneapolis &
ST.. Louis railroad, and the commits
sioners ordered him 1.-THE Secretary to
produce the original minute book.
Gen. Pope produced a paper show
ing that the road in questson had dis
eliminated against Mankato and sew
eral points in the county on certain
kinds of freight.
The next case taken up was that of
the Minneapolis & ST. Louis and the
st. Paul & Duluth railroads, jointly.
Gen. Pope stated that they had
clearly violated the law, and compar-
ed the tariff rates between certain
points to show how.
The following gentlemen are pres
ent in their several capacities:
J. T. Clark, Gen. Freight Ag't Oma-
ha road; L. A. Robinson, Auditor,
Omaha road: A. B. Bird, Traffic Man
ager, c., M. & ST. P. R'y; w. H.
Truesdale, Pres't M. & ST. L. R'y; r.
G. Brown, Asst Fr't Ag't M. & ST. L.
R'y; A. E. Clarke, Gen. Atty M. g.
St. L. R'y; H. G. Garvin, Trav. Fr't
Ag't G. & N. w.
From the time that the matter re-
lating to the tariff on the Minneapo-
lis & St. Louis and the ST. Paul and
Duluth railroads was taken up Tues
day, there was crowd of inter-
ested spectators present. The fol-
lowing gentlemen were called as wit
nesses and testified:
w. III. Truesdale, Receiver M. s.
St. Louis R'y; 0. G. Post, Auditor M.
& St. L. R'y; r. G. Brown, Asst Gen,
Fr't Ag't, M. & st. L. R'y: A. c. Bird,
Traffic Mgr c., M. & ST. P. R'y; j. G.
Roller, Mankato; and f. L. Powers,
Station Ag't M. & ST. L. cry at Man
kato.
The contention of the Farmers Al
lance appears to be that these roads
charge Mankato and the surrounding
country higher rates from st. Paul
here distance Of 80 miles, than they
charge from St. Paul to Duluth,
which is almost double the distance
that it is from here to ST. Paul. They
claim the rates are too high, while
the road claims that as it is carried
over two roads from here to St. Paul
or Duluth, the tariff is reasonable.
The commissioners took a recess,
but re-assembled again and held a
session until ten o'clock. When the
evening session had been called to or
der the Board of Trade room was in
adequate to accommodate the crowd
that desired to listen to the argu-
ments.
A. e. Clark, Gen. Solicitor of the
nj. & ST. L. R'y, arrived, and for more
than an hour stated the case from
the railway standpoint as he saw it.
He insisted that the rates were fair
and not exorbitant. He spoke of the
workings Of the road and what they
were compelled to co intend with.
AT the conclusion of his argument
Gen. Pope, of Mankato, arose and in
behalf Of the Alliance spread before
the minds of Thea commissioners their
side of the case. He spoke of ''rea-
sonable rates. and said that those
between ST. Paul and Duluth were
fTeasonable, but that those COM
ing from there to this city were not
reasonable.
Gen. Baker obtained the floor and
in reply to Mr.. Clark's remark that
there was but little grain shipped
from or to this section said: "WhY,
gentlemen, there are from 100000 to
1000, 900 bushels of wheat taken from
Blue Earth county every year, and
besides half as much barley and from
hundred to five hundred thousand
bushels Of flax" He went on to pic.
ture the resources of the county OF
Blue Earth and then in loud voice
he cried out: Release us from this
high rate and there will spring up
new life" He spoke of the railroad
as having created this part of the
country and in a great measure is the
king of civilization, but at the same
timezhe insisted that the farmer.wa
la helpmate. In conclusion he said
that the public will never sleep OF
slumber until the rate is reduced to a
/ reasonable figure.
Mr.. Clark replied to Gen. Baker in