Omaha daily bee., 1893-04-10

they did not last long The matter OF rigid.
ity Is undoubtedly defect IN tho Newbcrry
bill, but the question has so narrowed down
that the bill had thus 10 be passed or not at
all The people OF Nebraska may be pre-
pared to near ruiuOrs OF impending bank
ruptcy and stories Of loss on the part OF the
railroads There need be no surprise II
equipments are allowed 20 run down and
roads gu unrcpaircd. An these methods
were tried In Iowa 10 cndcavor to convince
tho people that great wrong had been done
the railroads. The people of Nebraska may
also expect long and discouraging delay in
the courts.
Wisncr Chronicle; The greatest struggle
which the Nebraska state Legislature ever
wagcd over the enactment of a law was tor
minated last Wednesday afternoon when the
railroad regulation law known as house roll
No. 8 was declared passed by "A vote of Is to
Ii. The minority contested every inch of it's
progress through the senate with a stubborn
ness and vigilance which might
have compassed its defeat had
its supporters not possessed
determination that knew no turning aside,
stop )ing or retreat. The struggle for regu-
lation of railroad rates has been going on in
this state for several years, dividing the
political parties into the two factions of
monopolists and anti-monopohstS. The new
law which is the outcome of the agitation
may not be perfect, in fact, it is almost GER
tain to contain many defects and errors of
oversight But the principle of control of
corporations by the state has been asserted
with emphasis, and this in itself marks
new era in the legislative, political and COM
mercial history of Nebraska, just as the
passage of similar lows in Iowa and other
states have marked the beginning of n new
order of things in which the people have
curbcd corporate greed instead OF being made
the victims of soulIess rapacity. Experience
will disclose the Objectionable features of the
new Nebraska law. If it contains mistakes,
we may rest assured that the railroads will
| speedily make them as prominent as possible
| III order to make the law rs Odious as they
| can, and hope for its repeal two years from
| now in response to n popular demand. But
! legislation of this character will hardly so
| backward, and although the legislature
| in 1894 will doubtless be called upon TO amend
it will not likely repeal the law which the
| people hail with glad acclaim today.
Platte County Argus: The state cxecu-
! tive committee of the Nebraska Millcrs as
sOciation was down at Lincoln in u body,
! protesting against the passage of the max
| imum freight rate bill. This committee, in
! tAeir address to the legislature, set forth
! that there were several million dollars in
| vested in upwards of 300 Touring mills in
| Nebraska that these mills employed be-
| tween 1000 and 3 600 men and that the pro-
| posed maximum freight rate bill would raise
| the freight rate on POO miles and over for ship
| ments of flour cents on the 100 pounds, and
| if this was done it would he q serious ifnot
fatal blow to the milling industry of the state
| All of this sounds pitiful if not heart
rending. But it is all twaddlc 1t does not
| contain even so much common sense as Sen
ator North's statement that the proposed
bill will raise the freighton corn, wheat, etc.
! The millers of Nebraska have a special rate
| as follows: On shipments of 100 miles and
| under, p per cent off; over 100 and less than
POO miles, 3316 per cent off; 200 miles and
| over. 40 per cent off. So the railroad com
panies threatened the MillCrs association
that if they did not protest against the
passage OF this maximum freight rate bill
the companies would cancel their special
rates and henceforth charge them not simply
all the tariff will bear but all the law will
allow. Hence the millers executive com
mittcc haStened to Lincoln and began to
protest. The miilerS have special rate of
from - to 40 per cent less than the published
tariff sheet. The proposed freight rate bill
will reduce the regular freight rates to
within fraction of the millers' special rate
of 40 per cent How bunglng is the effort
to show that the proposed bill will raise the
freight. The millers association has fool
ishlY allowed the corpora tiOns to use them
as one of thcr many clubs to beat down the
people in their effort to establish Justice be-
tween the railroad corporations and the
other commercial. industrial and agricul
tural interests of Nebraska, and to estab
lish the fact that railroad companies are
amenable to the laws of the state the same
as are the citizens of the state.
The truth of the matter is, If the milling
industry is so dependent upon low and
reasonable freight rate the proper place fol
them is on the side of the people who have
the power and will see to it that freight
rates will henceforth be low and reasonable