The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-10-18
REDUCE THE RATES.
A Very Important Question. And
One Often Asked.


One Often Asked.
Why do not the Railway Commis.
sioners Reduce Rates?
have received the following let
ERsKINE, Sept. %, '93.
HON. 1GNATIUS DONNELLY:
Dear Sir:-I wish to know from
you il the railway commissioners
have full power to reduce the rail-
way freights. Please answer at
your earliest convenience, for / want
to arrive at some practical plan to
get cheaper freight. Respectfully
yours, THOs. LAWRENCE.
In answer would say that the act
of the last session referred to, Chap-
ter 1O8, General Laws of MINI. for
1893, although very important, was
not printed in the newspaper edition
of the General Laws, although it is
but short act and the game law,
ten times it's length, was given in
full! Why is this?
The act provides that where
freight is sent over two or more con-
Meeting railroad lines the roads
shall, "on the demand of any per-
son or persons interested, establish
reasonable, joint through rates, the
Railroad Commission shall then es-
tablish such rates, which shall be
prima facie evidence in all the
courts of this state.
This is all clear enough so far as
joint rates are concerned. But how
is it where only one railroad conveys
the passengers or freight?
Then we are referred back to the
General Laws of 1SS7-(see Kelley's
Statutes Vol. 1, p. ISL, Sec. 514.)
which says:
"That in case the (Railway) Com
mission shall at any time find that
any part of the tariffs of rates, fares,
charges or classifcations, so filed and
published as hereinbefOre provided
are in any respect, unequal or onrea-
sonable, it shall have the power and
is hereby authorized and directed
to compel dny common carrier to change
the same and adopt such rate, fare
charge or classification as said COM
mission shall declare to be equal and
reasonable"
This act then provides that if the
railway company refuses for ten
days, to substitute the commissions
tariff for their own, the said COM
mission shall publish it's rates at all
the regular stations on the line of
such road and "thereafter it shall
be unlawful for such common car
rier to charge or maintain higher
or lower rate than that fixed by the
commission. And if the road still
refuses to obey the commission it
shall be subject to mandamus
from the supreme court to stop it
transacting any more business in
this state; and shall furthermore be
subject to heavy fines, of from
$25OO to $4,000, for each offence.
And this is clear enough and
strong enough. Where is the weak
point? Right here:-the corporation
packed the supreme court of the
United Utates and obtained a deci-
sion, in the minnesota Milk case,"
which if it means anything means
that that court has abolished the
sovereignty of all the states of this
UniOn;-and reduced them to level
with the corporations which they
have themselves created. This is
a revolution as great as that which
freed us from the, power Of Great
Britain. The only difference is that
that revolution made us free men;
while this makes us helpless slaves
Of the meanest and most unscru-
pulous masters, who have
no soul but greed, and no instinct
but robbery.
What then is the remedy? For
the people to take possession of the
state governments, and the national
government; and infuse into that
supreme court enough honest blood,
of true and faithful men, to over
come the virus injected into it by
the corporations; reverse this new
Dred-Scott decision, and re-establish
the liberties of the people upon a
firm foundation, to last, we hope,
for ages.
But-the question arises-is there
virtue and intelligence enough
among the people to save the people?
That remains to be seen. But in
the meantime let each one do his
part, and leave the rest to the great
Architect, who has the world and
all it's concerns in his keeping. We
can do no more than to fight for the
right, and, if necessary, die fight
ing for it. l. D.
Cunning for the Option Dealers.
A lunatic stood in the gallery of the
Chicago Board of Trade the other
day and began to fire bullets in
among the OptiOn dealers. He prob