The Bessemer indicator., 1893-01-14

Railroad companies will not recognise, a
they should, the fact that they sustain q
Inherent relation to the public from per.
sous engaged in ordinary business enter
prlses. They do not deal with all citizens
alike; they discriminate between persons
and places and therefore the states and
congress are continually called upon to en-.
force In some way the plain principles OF
the common law for the protection of the
public from the unlawful conduct of "com.
mon carriers" of the commerce of the
country.
Tho chief cause of complaint Is always
unjust discrimination. No state commission
ever made an unfair demand OF any railway
| company. and yet there never was state
railwur commission created. with authority
TO regulate fares and freights, that the rail.
way companies did not oppose by every nos.
sioie means. and pronounce 1t ruinous to
| railway interests, and, at the same time.
| the same railway authorities, IN competi.
tion with other roads, have put down the
rates for "long haul freights much lower
than they were ever fixed by any railway
| commission.
| The railway management protests, long
and loudly, against the reasonable demands
of the people expressed through their
| legislatures, as calculated to destroy the
| efficiency and revenues of the railways, but
| we never hear any protest from the rail-
why's against the demands of the mono
poles, trusts and combines, although the
| granting of their absurd and eItortionate
demands for long haul rates ut figures even
| below actual cost, occasions the necessity
and affords tho only excuse of railway cor
| porations to impose on local traffic and non
| competing points ''all the charges that the
| traffic will bear"
With whM propiety can tho railway au-
| thorities object to demand for such rea-
sonable freight and passage rates as shall
be Just alike to the railways and the peo-
ple and not only fail to protest against,
,.o1-o u
mauds as the following made by the Stand
ard Oil company upon the Cleveland &
Marietta railroad Crhis was a secret ar
rangemene, but IT cropped out lately In
| legal proceedings In United States COURT.
This demand is as follows: THE Stand
ard Oil company threatens to store and
afterwards pipe all oils under dts control,
unless You make the following arrange
men'ts, viz: You shall make a uniform rate
olt 80 cents per barrel for all persons, ex-
charge them 10 cents per barrel for their
OIL and also pay them % cents per barrel
out of the 80 cents collected of G.her ship
pers."
1t is true no railroad managers of this
state Were connected with this outrageous
arrangement, but that a somewhat similar
demand has been conceded 10 this same
| company Is -eyident from the fact that
| packages of oil are sliprsl from PttsbnrS,
Pa, to Ogden. Utah. through the sratc Uf
| similar sized packages pay freight of
| S1.15 per package shipped from the oil
| fields of our own state 90 ogden and Zoo
miles less distance.
There is no disposition on the par of the
people of Colorado TO ask for any railway
| legislation that would be unjust to the
railway corporations, tend to cripple their
resources. or prevent that extension OF
lines which the business interests OF the
state demand. The system of discrimination
is not only an usurpel power, granted by
no law and supported by 4he decision of
no court, but it is utterly contrary TO all
Legitimate business principles and Injurious
to both railways aud people.
Nevertheless l am of the opinion:
i. That there is no attention on, the part
OF the railway authorities of this staec to
materially change the policy That has pre-
vailed for the last five years: and
2 That. even II any pay;,cuEr railway
Is disposed Go listen TO the inst complaints
of Its pal rons and afford relief, 1t is Drar.
tica.iy prevented by the pooling systcn In
forHe among the railways OF the state.
Iht action Of elhe state conventions of
the Republican and Democratic parties OF
Colorado in 1880 was wise and pn-r,o Ir
IL truly represented then, a. It rtptcsents
now the sentiment OF the ate, and the
Popu!ist party ought 10 BE-. and In my tul >,
ment Will be, satish d with railroad iects.
iation that is Just alike to the railways
and the people.
l therefore recommend to the Nlnch g,n.
''A a. hHotIublF tHf lOllDWllS.
i. The repeal of the present law proyia.
Ing for railway commission.
:. new acj for railway commits sim,
WIN three commissioners, empowered to
hear and determine comp aints without re-
course TO the courts and TO revise the rates
of the carriage of passengers and freight.
=. That the system Of pgding, as now in
force among the railway of tile state, b,
made Illegal; aud
4. That the issuing by any railro d conf
m a N fr,n i,lto
acceptance of or travelling upon such pass
or free ticket by any STATE, district,
county or municipal official be made n
penal onense.
STATE LANDS.
Another matter of vast imp-r.ance to the
people of Co,orLd, is the management and
disposition of the state lands. Under thn
reckless policy which has 20 generally pre-.
vailed in the nation as to Its public lands,
the state has doubtless dispose
of the bulk OF is most va u.
able lands. During the nIm.nis-
tration of my immediate Predecessor, the
land policy has been changed to n systtm
of leasing insteed of sale. most
heartily endorse this policy. The state
board of land commissioners recommends
that the state officers be relieved from ac-
tive management, and that 4 bureau or com
mi ission be established for the classification
appraisal md leasing of the state lands.
The provisions of the state constitution re-
Qulre that certain state officers shall con-
stitute the land board but / cordially en-
dorse the idea of tue commissioners. SO far
as 1t can be carried out and not conflict
with the provisions Of the state constitu-
tion.
1t s quite evident that the so-called "arid
lands" of tho limited States, and situate
mostly IN the Rocky Mountain states. are
not adapted to homestead settlement with
out a system OF reservoirs and irrigation.
FAR too costly to be made by private enter.
prise. The expense of making these lands
cultivable. will not, and perhaps ought not,
be borne by the states not locally bene-
fitted by the improvement of the arid lands.
bill has already been intrL.. an
congress, providing for the cesson of these
lands to the states in which tho lands are
situate, and imposing upon these states the
burden of making tho necessary improve
ncnts for successful cultivation. ] am In
favor of the state accepting tho arid lands
of the United States In Colorado, for the
benefit Of our school fund and the various
educational institutions connected with our
common school system, and for paying the
expenses of irri2ating the land; the state
as 1T is able, to make the necessary irriga-
tlon canals, md thereafter to lease these
lands to actual settlers only, upon the low
est terms consistent, with the cost expended
by the state. and a reasonable interest for
7 the benefit of tho school fund.
Perhaps the most general evil that afHicts
mankind is land monopoly. So crimtnally
wasteful has been the land policy Of the
United States that an area of public lands
nearly equal to all the New England states
and New York and Pennsylvania combined
has been given away to railroad corpora,
tons. This Insane policy, In connection
with financial policy of the government for