St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-02-22
CURRYER RAILROAD BILL.

nesday evenings next. 1t is very radi-
cal in its scope, but has been prepared
| by its author. who is fair-minded man.
with no pride Of authorship, but simply
as his idea of how existing troubles
should be dealt with. lie feels that
| there are a great many evils in the pres
ent railroad system, and he offers plan
for their elimination. If any one knows
better one. the GLOBE thinks that he
will support it.
His bill provides first Of all for elect
| i've railroad commissioners. They are
| to be three in number and to hold Office
for two years only. In this way he aims
| to make them directly responsible to
the people, by whom they will be
chosen and to whom they will
/ be answerabe at frequent inter
walls. All railroads operating between
| any points within the state, whether
/ their line between them lies wholly
within the state or partly within it and
partly without, are by the law brought
within the jurisdiction of these com
miSSiOners. He makes it their duty,
after hearing all the parties in interest
| who care to appear, to make a schedule
Of maximum rates. both passenger and
! freight, for these roads, which are TO be
! taken as prima facie reasonable aud are
| to be operated on until set aside by the
courts. This is just the reverse of the
! present law. Now the rate established
by the railroad companies is taken as
reasonable until complaint is made.
On this complaint it is brought before
the commission and passed on. The
| CURRIER law has the state fix the
charge. and if there is any question
about its fairness makes the railroad
company take the initiative in having
! it set aside.
This is the first great difference. The
| second is that it introduces an elaborate
! system, the purpose of which is to con-
! s0lidate the railroads of the state into a
| grand network for the transportation of
freight and passengers, Under the
! present law, railroad companies are re-
| quired to furnish reasonable facilities
for the interchange of cars and traffic
| between their respective lines at points
| of connection, crossing or intersection.
Under sections and of the CURkIER
bill all railroad companies are required
not only TO furnish these reasonable
facilities, but may be required to switch
and transfer cars of another common
carrier for the purpose of being loaded
and unloaded, upon such terms and
charges as may be. prescribed by the
commissioners; and are also required,
whether they will or not. to receive,
forward and switch cars of another line
The object here is to give the shipper
the advantage of the shortest routes be-
tween the points of shipment, even if
such routes require his passing over the
tracks of many Independent lines. Itains
to approximate the railroads of Minnesota
TO the condition of the wagon roads.
The man who uses the last can for his
own convenience turn off from one to
another when they cross or interSect,
and reach his destination by one which
is shortest and pleaSanteSt. This can
not be done by the railroads now, except
at certain points and by the payment of
discriminating rates. The CURRIER
! bill will compel railroad companies to
| put in switches wherever they cross or
! interSect other lines. and accept traffic
| from them at the same charges as
though it had been consigned to them
! themselves from the beginning of Its
| transit.
| This is the second great difference.
| The third point is that the CURRiER
| bill aims to enforce what is known as a
distance tariff Its section IS provides, to
| quote its own words, THAT no railroad
| company shall charge, collect or receive
| for the transporting of any passenger
| or freight to any distance over It's rail
road greater amount as toll or c0m-
pensation than shall at the same time lie
charged, collected or received by it for
the transporting of like quantity of
freight of the same class in the same di-
rection over any portion of the same
railroad of equal distance
1t is not apparent OH its face exactly
what this means; but, as the GLOBE
understands it, it does not require that
| freight carried half the distance shall
| pay only half the rates charged for its
! transportation over the full distance,
! Uul OILY llldG IIGtG Slldll Uc~
! between any two points of equal dis
| lance apart, no matter where they may
! be situated on the line. For example,
| if the distance from Minneapolis to ST.
! Cloud is the same as from st. Cloud to
Brainerd, it does not require that the
rates from Brainerd to Minneapolis
| shall be twice the rates from st. Cloud
| to Minneapolis, butOnly that there shall
be no greater charge made between
Brainerd and st. Cloud than is made be
| tween st. Cloud and Minneapolis. This
may or may not be the idea, but per-
hapS its true inwardneSS will be brought
out as the matter is more fully dis
| cusSed.
The GLOBE presents these feat ureS
thus without comment, and proposes. at
some future time. to report what the
friends and enemies of the bill have to
| say for and against it.