St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-01
SENATOR BROWNS BILL.

The debate in the senate on Senator
Browns bill developed either a re-
markable obtuseness of Senator TAw-
NEY's mind or his aptnesS as a mere
DettifOgger. He objected to the bill be-
cause it compelled the railroads to go
into the elevator business, and declared
that the state could not compe! anybody
10 engage in business, and that there
fore the bill was unconstitutional. Sena-
tor TAwNEY as a lawyer will doubt
less assent TO these propositions as
sound: ~ A railroad is common
carrier. ~ 1t is subject to regulation
as such by the legislature. 60 1t is its
duty to provide all appliances requisite
for the economical and expeditions
handling of freight delivered to it, and
its adoption CT these can be compelled
by the state. (4) The receiving and
delivering Of grain is part of the duty
of railroad. 90 In the development
of the business of grain handling the
elevator has been accepted as the best
present appliance for the safe, econom-
zeal and expeditions handling of grain
tlt VI OCliNClluS
If these propositions are sound, then
it follows that the state can compel the
railroads to provide and operate eleva-
tors for the receiving and delivery of
grain transported by them. 1t will not
be obliging them ''tO embark in a bust
ness" it will be simply requiring them
to resume proper function, now abdi-
Gated.
Senator DoNNELLY's amendment eX-
empting railroads that permit any one
to erect elevators on their tight of way
ignores entirely the principle uDderly-
ing Senator BRowN's bill, which is that
it is the duty of the railroads to provide
elevators. just as it is their duty to
provide passenger or freight depots
or cattle yards and chutes. The
amendment might as properly be ex-
tended to exempt any railroad from pro-
Viding any of these appliances which
would permit private persons to con-
struct and operate them. 1t is singular
that the senator from Dakota, who is
usually So clear in his concept of what
a railroad should do for the public, aud
so strenuous in insisting that it be
obliged to do it, should in this case
argue for the release of the roads from
a plain public duty and the imposition
OF the burden of that excused function
on private individuals. Why individ-
uals should be obliged to provide, at
their own cost, that which it is the duty
of the roads to provide at their cost, is a
question which the senator will hardly
be able TO answer satisfactorily to him
self.
Senator HoMPE. who was so happily,
if inadvertently, described by his own
organ recently, is equally mistaken in
assuming that the bill would drive the
elevator companies out of business.
Even if it should, it would be but giving
them what they have been giving others
for years, but it would not. 1t would
merely break whatever combination ex-
lists among them, and drive them from
their elevator doors onto the streets to
compete in the purchase of grain. The
railroad elevator could not do this, but
it would stand there as a constant SELL
tinel against combinations, ready to re-
ceiye the grain of any one if any COM
bine should attempt to corner and con-
troll the market. If prices were not
what they should be in a competitive
market, it would enable any one to ship
directly on equal terms with the eleva-
tors, or it would enable the business
men at any grain market to combine
and enter the field, paying competitive
prices and breaking the combination.
1t would, in short, give back to the
grain producers what they had, but
what has been taken from them-a free,
open and competing market. 1t is a re-
turn to natural from our present purely
artificial methods.