The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-09-19
A HUGE FRAUD,
A REDUCTION OF RAILROAD
RATES.
"A Good Enough Morgan Till
After Election."

"A Good Enough Morgan Till
After Election
Nearly year ago Elias Steenerson,
OF Crookston, made application to the
Minnesota Board of Railroad and
Warehouse Commissioners, for re-
duction of grain rates from that city
to the terminal points, s,-Minneapolis,
st. Paul and Duluth. Instead of pro-
ceeding at once to hear and determine
the application the Board permitted
the matter to be postponed until last
spring; and the other day, two months
before the election, just as we expect
eel, the Board instead of granting the
81 per cent reduction asked for made
one OF 10 per cent; and the Republican
papers are now ringing with appeals
to the farmers to stand by Governor
Nelson and the G.. o. P. for having
cut down the freight rates; while the
Democrats are claiming that Geo. L.
Becker, of the Board of Railroad Com
mlssioners, their candidate for COVER
nor. is the man who is entitled to the
chief credit. The fact is it is ''all in
the family" Gov. Nelson holds the
appointing power under which Mr..
Becker is railroad commissioner;
Gov. Nelson is to be credit
ed with having made Becker,
and Becker is to be credited with hav-
ing made the reductions. AS Iago
says: "Whether he kill Cassie or Cas-
sio him either way makes my gain"
Both parties will Whoop it up and try
to head off the Populists. If Mr.
Becker is elected governor he is all
right. But if he is not, (and he will
not receive 10000 votes,) but his can
didacy saves Nelson, then he will keep
his $4,000 year place as Railroad Com
missioner for six years longer. 1t is a
regular game of ''Tickle me, Tommy,
and Ill tickle you.'
But. says some one, no matter about
| that;-the farmers get Is per cent re-
ductlon in wheat rates anyhow. Do
they? Go, yerdant brethren, to the
depot, and ask if there is any such re-
duction; and the agent will tell you
mot a penny" "Well," you ask,
whats the natter" why" says
the agent, ''the railroads have thirty
days in which to appeal" "What
then?" you ask. "Why, the railroads
have given notice that they will ap-
peal. They will litigate it for year
| or two in tho Mippacoto counts aud
then carry it to Washington, to the
Supreme Court of the United States.
and there it will hang along for three
or four years more" But" says the
innocent G. Q. P. farmer, ''the rail
roads will obey the law in the
meantime" 'Not a bit of it," says
the agent, ''they never do" "They
hire their attornies by the year and it
costs them nothing to litigate, and
that Is per cent will amount to mil
lions Of dollars. Five years from now
there may be decision" "But,"
says the farmer" | will probably be
dead by that time and my children
paupers." "That's what we expect"
says the agent. ''But what is the al
legged reduction of Is per cent made
for, if it amounts to nothing?" asks
the farmer. "Why," replies the can
did agent" it is only intended for use
during the election. 1t is like Hodges
raZors that were never made to shave.
but to sell. 1t will beat the Populists.
Knute will be reelected governor and
he will re-appoint Becker. That's all
there is to it. And very pretty game
it is"
In Africa some of the natives wor-
ship the Devil. They take huge
wicker basket and put in it one lone
some banana; and set it by the road
side; and they write on the basket
| Good Devil, this is for you. It is full
of bananas They think they will
fool the Devil by the apparent size Of
the gift, and that he wont look inside.
The farmers of Minnesota are not ex-
pected to look inside their gift
| basket.
The Republican orators will shrek:
"See, what Knute has done for the
farmers:-15 per cent reduction in
grain rates!'
The next night along come the
Democratic orators and they cry out:
"See, what Becker has done for you
Godforsaken farmers:-15 per cent re-
duction in freight rates.'
About fifty years ago there was
great Anti-Mason excitement in this
country. A political party was formed
to fight the Masons:-Wm. Henry Sc
ward and Thurlow Weed were at the
head Of it; it subsequently graduated
into the Republican party. A man
named Morgan, who had been Ma
son, came out with an expose of Ma
sonry. Soon after he disappeared
The Anti-Masons said he had been
murdered by that society. 1t was
very important to find his body: A
search was made everywhere without
avail. Finally the corpse of drowned
man was found on river bank. sIt
is Morgan. 1t is Morganr' cried the
Anti-Masons. Crowds rushed to iden-
tify the body. One man said to Thur
low Weed:-"Mr. Weed, this can't be
Morgan; Morgan was red-haired and