St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-29

lCSOAh 4ielb PiOpO4 I'll
be, and they are hereby authorized and
instructed to issue ana execute a certif
cate OF Indebtedness in the sum of ten
thousand dollars, payable 70 the order
of Frederick p, Wright, Mayor, on or
before two years from lis date of issue,
with interest at the rate of per cent
per annum, payable semi-annually.
The proceeds of said certificate shall
be placed i'll the city treasury for the
purpose of advancing the interests OF
the City of ST. Paul. said certificate be-
ing issued under and by virtue of sec
ton of chapter q of the Special Laws
of 1891. the same being commonly known
as the Bell Charter.
Adopted by the Board of Aldermen
Dec. 3l.1S92.
Yeas-Ald. Copeland, Conley, Frank
lin. Hickman, Jensen. Montgomery,
Warren, Zimmerman, Mr.. President-9.
Nays-O.
Adopted by the Assembly Dec. 81.
1892.
Yeas-Messrs. DORAN, DAILY, john
son. Lightner. Pike, Reardon, Sandell,
Van Slyke. MIR. PreSldent-9.
Nays-0.
Approved Dec. 81. 1892.
JOHN II. WoLTERSToRFF.
President of the Assembly. p
z. u. lNGERSoLL,
President of the Board of Aldermen.
THoS. II. PRENDERGAsT, City Clerk.
Jan. ..
Thefollowing letter and extract from
the official record shows how F. B. Do
ran and James Ii. Davidson stand in
reference to.cOal rates over the Duluth
railroad.
LETTER FROM DAVIDSON.
ST. PAUL. Mimi, Dec. Z, lS93.-To
the Hon. Mayor and Common Council
of the CITY of st. Paul.-Gentlemen: At
the suggestion of the committee OF fifty
citizens, appointed at the mass meet
ing in Market hall last winter, to act In
conjunction with the legislative COM
mittee on the coal combine" charges
were preferred against the Duluth rail-
road tor eXactlng excessive freight on
anthracite and bituminous coal from
Duluth to ST. Paul. Minneapolis and
Saltwater. The charges are to each
point, OH soft coal 81 per ton, and on
hard coal $l.50 per ton. These charges
were formulated by the attorney gen.
eral OF the state, and were signed by
James Il. Davidson, chairman. and j.
NJ. Hawthorne, secretary of the COM
mittee. on behalf of the committee and
as Individual citizens.
The railroad company answered, al
legIng that their charges were reason
able, and that any substantial reduc-
ton of the rates by action OF the board
of warehouse and railroad commission
erS would amount practically TO con-
tiscation of their property.
We believe that the railroad should
be allowed reasonable compensation
for freight on this prime necessity of
life, and which will allow them living
and reasonable profit OH that class of
do oiNf
Zens. that 70 cents per ton on both hard
anu soft coal would amply compensate
them and allow such reasonable profit,
but we are willing that the board now
vested to fix rates, after full and fair
hearing on both sides, should fix the
rate, and we are quite confident that it
would result in considerable reduc.
tiCn over present schedule prices.
We are, however, confronted with this
ditflculty-to get at what is fair and
reasonable. Experts should examine
the whole question, compare rates on
other lines for like distances, compile
the business of the road, the average
cost OF hauling trelghts, compute the
lair cost OF the road and its equipment
and al! the elements which enter into
an involved question Of transportation.
such as the board OF warehouse and
railroad commissioners should have pre-
sented III order 10 render fair and i'm
partial decision. The question of cheap.
er fuel for the Northwest, as we'll as for
the three points named, is involved in
this controversy. 1t ought not to be
treated lightly, nor be passed upon
without an exhaustive research into al
the facts necessary TO determine the
question.
1t is a matter of public interest il
which all citizens are alike interested
When this agitation was commenced
and when these charges were made anC
filed. il was expected that the citizens
committee would be able TO raise what
ever money was absolutely necessary Il
prosecute these charges to a final de
termination. The panic OF this season
has maue such demands upon the public
that the committee has not been able tC
raise funds necessary for the procurin!
OF evidence and q careful search int
this whole question by experts. To d,
this several hundred dollars are needed
The c0mplainants who signed thes
charges on behalf of the com
mittee are not able to bea
these expenses. They have aIread
advanced aSInall amount of money an
have given a great deal of time all
labor TO these investigations. They ar
unwilling to 90 to the trial without
thorough preparation of the case, all
possibly have the interest of the publ
prejudiced by an adverse decision. T
avoid such contingency it would b
better TO dismiss the present actio
rather than run the risk of being beate
by imperfect preparation. This wOuI
be extremely humiliating and wool
look like abandoning good cause un
der fire. We can get an expert at wor
and have all the data at hand, the name
of witnesses. the documentary evidenc
ready by the date set for the trial, JaI
Is. 1894. provided the money necessar
10 pay the expense Of this work can /
quickly provided.
1t is. of course, somewhat uncertai
as TO what the actual and necessary e.
penSes will be. Ii is always so in litig
tlCn. but if $5CG could be provided nov
ana 800 by the dale of trial, Janual
-. 1894, su as to pay all witness fee
mileage and for the service of stenos
rapner, we think this would GOV,
the herring before the railroad coInmi